Chemistry 103 Glossary
by Gutow, Jonathan H — last modified May 15, 2012 03:32 PM
- peer review
- The process used to increase the likelihood that published scientific work is accurate. Before a scientific paper is published it is sent to 3-5 experts in the field to read. These people are asked to read the paper for clarity and accuracy as well as determine if any more work or experimentation needs to be done to verify the results before they are published. This doesn't guarantee that all published scientific data is good, but results in most of it being accurate. Inaccuracies are corrected when other researchers try to duplicate the published work.
- Consists of using another's written work without attribution. The verb form of the word is plagiarize. A student plagiarizing will be punished. The punishment at UWO can vary from losing points on an assignment to expulsion depending upon the severity of the plagiarism. Some examples of plagiarism are:
- Copying a sentence or sentences from another's writing without using quotes and without stating where the words came from.
- Copying from a work with slight variations such as dropping a few words without using quotes and without stating where the words came from.
- Using other people ideas without attribution.