Source text:

(The writer could not remember where s/he read it.)

Writer’s text:

In my opinion, teaching grammar is important but it is not only about establishing moral conductivity.

Writer’s comment:

The actual words or the idea of “moral conductivity” is from one of the readings but I don’t remember the details.

Student’s comment:

1. If it was me, I think what I would do when it happened that I couldn’t remember where something was from, instead of using the exact term, I’d try to make the terms my own. So you avoid the problem of having to…I don’t think I would use that if I didn’t remember where it was from, and something which was obviously not my idea. So yes, she has a problem with her “moral conductivity” and not saying where it comes from, and I agree that it’s not a good excuse that she can’t remember where it came from. (A Master’s student in Library & Information Studies)
2. I disagree with the student here. Moral conductivity is not a common phrase, and it’s not a common thing which people would use to describe. It’s a very specific term. Because of that, if you gonna use something like that, and it’s not obvious what it means to a person with, I mean, ok, I consider myself with OK level of English, I don’t know what exactly it means by “moral conductivity”. I mean it’s obviously a term borrowed from somewhere else. And they have to either, in my mind, they have to either go on and explain what that means, or they have to attribute the source. So at least, me as a reader, I can look at that and think “well, I’m not sure what that means, I can look at the source and then see the rest of the context”. So I think the student should have gone a step further. (A graduate in Business)

Faculty member’s comment:

1. I would not see to quote any words, but this is a very specific term. I XX definition somebody gave, I have no idea what it means. So I would put the author or the person who made up this term. I mean it would be better to give reference, but… otherwise, it really looks like plagiarism, the student doesn’t know what she/he is saying. She is putting big XX for… but if the student gives a definition then at least it would be deferential XX…(A professor in Education)
2. That’s interesting. The student here has confessing to have been a bit lazy. This student at least has been honesty, but could easily have found the source just by using any of the searching techniques for this exact phrase. And the instructor could easily find that exact phrase and to find out what are the possible sources for this. It’s also expression that is rather specialized, so it falls into that category of not standard or widely understood knowledge, therefore to the extent that it is a specialized term. The student probably should have given a source if only, so the reader could find out more about what this specialized term might mean and how it’s used.( A professor in Education)