Purpose

The Plagiarism, Writing, and Citing Tutorial is an online training program for individuals in health professions. The training includes educational content regarding plagiarism and proper attribution designed to enhance information literacy and academic integrity. The authors designed this 75-minute course for educational and informational purposes. The training modules and quizzes simulate potential academic integrity issues. The scenarios are fictitious; no association with any specific individual is intended or inferred. DMU and the authors of this work will not be held accountable for the misuse of the information contained in the course.

The course includes:

• 10-question pre-test
• Seven narrated videos covering plagiarism, when and how to cite, references, paraphrasing, and quotations. 
• Five interspersed quizzes for intermittent self-assessment and supplemental learning opportunities
• 20-question comprehensive post-test

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the training, the learner will be able to:

1. Define plagiarism.
2. Explain the academic, professional, ethical, and legal implications of plagiarism. 
3. Evaluate common knowledge from information requiring attribution.
4. Identify methods to reduce the risk of an academic integrity violation (i.e., plagiarism, self-plagiarism, secondary submissions).
5. Contrast the presence of plagiarism due to verbatim usage, word swapping, or sequence shifting.
6. When one source (website, journal article, etc.) is used, identify the method of providing a proper quotation, citation, and reference. 
7. When using single or multiple sources, distinguish between proper/improper paraphrasing and plagiarized information.
8. Recognize essential components of a citation.
9. Identify how to provide an in-text citation with an associated reference.
10. Select when to provide attribution in academic and professional circumstances (i.e., conference presentation, website, journal article, etc.).
11. Identify when academic integrity is compromised due to a citation failure.
12. Recognize when to provide a secondary citation.
13. Recognize when a quotation is utilized appropriately in academic/professional writing.

Course Sponsor and Authors

The Education Section of the American Physical Therapy Association partly funded this online training. Individuals from Des Moines University’s Department of Physical Therapy, Library, Center for Educational Enhancement, and Continuing Medical Education office contributed to the content and development of this online tutorial. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time will this course require?

Most individuals could expect to complete the material in approximately 75 minutes. Some individuals may need more time if they do not achieve the 80% performance threshold on the post-test and must review the material. 

How long do I have to complete the course? Is my access limited to a certain timeframe?

Once you register for the course, you will have 30 days to complete it. During these 30 days, you can access the course 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The exact date your access expires will be indicated in the "course summary" box on the course description page.

Who will accept credit for this course?

Some organizations may accept this continuing education course as meeting their institutional requirements. This decision is left to the discretion of the employer or academic institution. You must confirm that your employer or academic institution will accept the certificate for this course. DMU does not guarantee your organization will accept the certificate.

Will my employer, licensing board, or higher education institution accept this course as part of their required criteria?

While you are not an enrolled student at DMU, some organizations may recognize this continuing education course as a prerequisite for employment or admission to an academic institution. However, this decision is at the employer's or institution's discretion. It is the individual's responsibility to confirm this before enrolling in the course. The course is not eligible for academic credit or a grade, and an academic transcript from the registrar’s office is unavailable. DMU does not guarantee that the course will be accepted, and no refunds will be issued. If documentation needs to be sent to an organization by DMU on behalf of an individual, a $20 administrative fee will apply. To arrange for this, please call 515-271-1596 to pay via credit card. 

Can I receive continuing education credit for the Plagiarism, Writing, and Citing Tutorial?

The Plagiarism, Writing, and Citing Tutorial course does not offer continuing education credit. The 1.25 contact hours represent approximately four hours a learner typically takes to complete the course.

I am applying to an employer or academic program and need a letter stating that an academic transcript is not offered for the Plagiarism, Writing, and Citing Tutorial. 

If DMU needs to send documentation to an organization on behalf of an individual, a $20 administrative fee will apply. To arrange for this, please call 515-271-1596 to pay via credit card. Individuals can also access a copy of the letter on the course welcome page or in their confirmation email and may submit it themselves at no additional charge. DMU does not guarantee that the course will be accepted, and no refunds will be issued.

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Date of original release: April 10, 2017
Most recent review/update: June 9, 2025
Termination date: December 31, 2030