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On academic integrity

No matter what stage of your educational or professional career pursuits, acting with integrity is a cornerstone of leadership and good citizenship. In an environment where there is universal access to knowledge and data, we must learn to acknowledge when our work is indebted to others, and to understand the value of producing original scholarship.

There are many policies on integrity. This MIT document is an example of good practice:

Academic Integrity at MIT: A Handbook for Students (2018)

This handbook also outlines important information to know about correctly acknowledging sources when writing a report, research paper, critical essay, or position paper. It provides guidelines for collaboration on assignments and writing code. The handbook also provides information about what constitutes violations of academic integrity.

On the case method

The case method puts students in the position of the protagonist, typically a senior corporate executive or a government leader. Cases are usually treated as puzzles and offer no ready-made solutions. Students then debate their decision in class, generating a lot of debate with diverging opinions.The professor, in the Socratic tradition, acts primarily as facilitator to simultaneously manage content and process. The case analysis provides an opportunity to apply concepts from the class to real-world situations.

Learning by the Case Method, Harvard Kennedy School, 1986

The Point of Case-in-Point, Jill Hufnagel

On referencing

Referencing acknowledges the sources used to write papers, essays or assignments.

It is important to use proper in-text citations to acknowledge third-party sources of information. The full references for the citations are then disclosed in footnotes or a reference list.

Several methods exist for referencing. An academic editor, lecturer or tutor may have a preferred citation style. In the following document collated by Western Sydney University, the Harvard method for referencing is presented.

Referencing Style Guide, Western Sydney University

On writing

Here's a collection of tips relating to writing.

General writing

The Chicago Manual of Style

Writing Tips for Ph. D. Students, by John H. Cochrane, University of Chicago

Writing Tips for Economics Research Papers, by Plamen Nikolov, Harvard University

A Guide to Writing in Ethical Reasoning by Professor Jay M. Harris, Harvard University

The Ten Most Important Rules of Writing Your Job Market Paper, by Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz, Harvard University

Code and Data for the Social Sciences: A Practitioner’s Guide, by Matthew Genztkow and Jesse Shapiro

For further guidance on policy writing, please visit the Atlas of Public Management

Effective memo writing and presentation skills:

General Pointers on Memo Writing, by Thierry Senechal

Oral Briefing Guidelines, by Thierry Senechal

Tips on how to avoid disaster in presentations, by Monika Piazzesi, University of Chicago

The Ten Commandments for How to Give a Seminar, by Kjetil Storesletten, University of Oslo

Policy Memos, Luciana Herman

The Craft of Memo Writing, Bob Behn

Brief Guidelines for Writing Action Memoranda, Joe Nye

Online Learning

Higher education is being disrupted, mostly by online learning. Millions of people worldwide, who could not take advantage of traditional higher colleges and universities due to lack of funds, convenience, or access, can get more equitable access with an innovative platform.

I recommend these platforms, which offer courses on Ethics and Justice:

EDx (For instance, ‘Justice’ by Michael Sandel is a good introduction to moral and political philosophy)

Coursera (For instance, there is an introductory course on Ethics by Peter Singer, Princeton University)