International Students

Welcome

We’re glad that you chose to study at the University of Winnipeg, and hope that you enjoy your time here at our university – and in this beautiful city! We know that you need to learn a great deal of information during your studies, and that’s why the UW’s librarians – and all the library staff – are here to help.

What to Expect at the UWinnipeg Library

By making use of the Library’s online catalogue and the many electronic databases we subscribe to, you will be able to access not only hundreds of thousands of books (both print and electronic), but also articles in peer reviewed journals and newspapers as well. Because most of this content cannot be found simply by searching on the open Web (i.e., “Googling”), using the resources found through the Library are essential to your academic success.

This webpage introduces you to the Library’s many services, and suggests ways to obtain further assistance. Before we begin, we realize that some of the terminology used in the library can be confusing. If you’re not sure what some of these words mean, please look at our Glossary of Library Terminology.

You may find there are many differences between the UW Library and the libraries you would have used in your home country. For example, back home you might have been able to find all of your course textbooks at the library, but the UW Library rarely if ever purchases textbooks; instead you are expected to purchase these from the University of Winnipeg Bookstore. (Other required readings may be set aside by your instructor on Course Reserve). Another difference is that you might be used to being charged a fee to borrow from a library; at UW, use of the Library is covered by your student fees, so there are no extra costs.

You may find that the most important difference from libraries in your home country is that the UW Library subscribes to hundreds of electronic databases that provide access to hundreds of scholarly journals, so your research won’t be limited to just what’s owned in our Library! Another way that the UW provides access to books and articles beyond its own collection is through InterLibrary Loan: if we don’t have it, we can deliver it for free from another library in Canada that does!

Using the Library

Your Library Account

The Library does not issue its own library cards. All you need to borrow books is your UWinnipeg Identification card. To get online access to your Library account in order to place holds on books or to see when your books are due, you will be prompted to log in with your WebAdvisor username and password.

Borrowing Books

Most library materials may be borrowed for the entire term and there are no late fees. However, if you don’t return the book at all you will be charged the cost to replace it. Also, if someone else files a recall on a book you’ve checked out, you must return it within 7 days or you will be charged a fine. For more information about borrowing and fines please see our webpage on Borrowing, Renewing, and Requesting Material.

Accessing eBooks and Online Articles

You don’t need to log in to access the Library catalogue, but the first time you click on an ebook or electronic article in the Library catalogue during an online session, or choose to open an electronic database, you will be prompted to login with your WebAdvisor username and password.

Course Reserves and Reading Lists

Some of the required readings for your courses may have been put on Course Reserve by your instructor; in this case you won’t need to search for them in the Library catalogue. They will be held behind the Circulation Desk for you to request and borrow for a limited time, or in the case of electronic articles they may be on the course’s Nexus page.

Interlibrary Loan

If the UW Library doesn't’t have a book or article that you need, you can request an InterLibrary loan, and we will try to find them for you at another library in Canada. Your book requests can be shipped to the UW Library free of charge, and electronic articles will simply be emailed to you to your UW email address.

Printing, Photocopying, and Scanning

The printers in the Library are all connected to the campus-wide networked printing system, so you can retrieve your print jobs anywhere using your Equitrac account.

Books and Journal Articles

Do you need to find a book or article? You can search for both using the Library catalogue. Please note that this is a global catalogue, so it’s a good idea to use the check boxes on the left-hand side of the results page to limit your search to the UW, by format (print book, ebook or article) or by date.

Encyclopedias

Do you need to get just the basic facts about a topic or to find out key terms and suggestions for further reading? Search for an entry in a scholarly encyclopedia.

Advanced Searching

Do you need to do more in-depth searching for peer-reviewed (scholarly/academic) articles, data, encyclopedia articles or newspapers? Try searching in specific databases. If you’re not sure which ones to use, please note that on the left side of the database page they can be listed by course area (e.g., biology, psychology, sociology etc.).

Many of our databases offer translations into multiple languages. Visit the Multilingual Databases guide for an up-to-date list.

Academic Integrity

What is Academic Integrity? Why is it Important?

Academic integrity means making thoughtful decisions about how you use other people's research and present your work. It is important that you clearly show which ideas are your own, which ideas were developed by other researchers, and document where your data comes from and what methodologies were used to create it.

Your instructors will evaluate your projects based in large part on the strength of your evidence in addition to the originality and integrity of your ideas. Producing honest, well-cited work will not only play a big part in determining your marks, but also figuring out where you made mistakes and how you can improve.

For a more in-depth look at academic integrity, we recommend you view a series of YouTube videos we've created on the subject. Each video covers a specific topic, such as paraphrasing or citing your sources.

Policies Regarding Academic Misconduct/Plagiarism

The University of Winnipeg believes that the purpose of defining academic misconduct/plagiarism is not to emphasize punishment but rather to encourage appropriate student conduct and, when necessary, to identify and regulate student academic misconduct, in order to encourage a culture of academic integrity at the University of Winnipeg.

Plagiarism is defined as:

not giving recognition to the original author[s] for phrases, sentences, thoughts, code, or arguments incorporated in the student’s written work, (including software or other digital sources), which can take the form of incomplete footnotes, endnotes, references and/or bibliographies;
not using quotation marks or referencing appropriately when quoting directly;
submitting someone else’s work as your own (either a paper you’ve paid for, or one a friend wrote for you).
not referencing appropriately when summarizing to indicate the source of the ideas and work of another;
submitting the same work for evaluation to more than one course without the consent of each instructor to do so;
two or more students submitting identical or virtually identical work for evaluation when the work was intended to be completed individually.

What Happens if I'm Accused of Academic Misconduct?

The stages of an academic misconduct allegation are as follows:

When an instructor suspects that academic misconduct may have occurred within a course, the instructor will notify the student via their official University of Winnipeg student email address about their concerns. The student will be given an opportunity to meet with the Instructor within 5 working days of that notification.

Within the following 5 working days, the instructor shall either grade the materials or commence the Academic Misconduct Procedure by informing the Department Chair (or other representative for that faculty, department or division), in the form of a written report regarding the allegation of misconduct.

Within 2 working days of receiving the instructor’s report, the Department Chair (or other faculty/department representative) will notify the student via their official University of Winnipeg student email address and by certified letter of the allegation of misconduct. This notice will include the instructor’s written report as well as an invitation for the student to be present their version of events, in writing or in person, within 10 calendar days of receiving the notice. The instructor and the Chair of the Senate Academic Misconduct Committee shall be provided with a copy of this notice.

The student may then submit in writing or present in person their version of events. Within 5 days of receiving/hearing the student’s account (or if nothing is heard from the student after 10 days) the Department Chair (or other faculty/department representative) shall:

review all available and relevant information and documents (which may include meeting with the student), and
make a recommendation to the Senate Academic Misconduct Committee as to whether or not an act of academic misconduct has been committed, and recommend an appropriate penalty.

Any student suspected of committing an act of academic misconduct may be penalized. The procedures for determining if a student has committed an act of academic misconduct shall be unbiased and allow for a fair hearing where the student may represent and defend themselves. A student alleged to have committed an act of academic misconduct also has a right to be accompanied by another person for any personal appearance before University officials and/or committees. The person accompanying the student may provide support by:

raising specifics of the case as previously discussed between that person and the student;
pointing out procedural matters if correct procedures have not been followed;
helping the student overcome barriers the student may be experiencing including language comprehension issues or discomfort presenting;
delivering a closing statement.

Before the hearing, the student may raise an objection concerning a potential conflict of interest or bias on the part of a committee member, and which the student feels may prevent the hearing from being fair.

Following the hearing, the Senate Academic Misconduct Appeals Committee may

uphold a finding of academic misconduct;
confirm a penalty, e.g., suspension or expulsion from the University.
assess a different penalty; or
dismiss the finding of academic misconduct.

(Adapted from: University of Winnipeg Regulations & Policies)
For the full original (official) text please see Section 8 “Student Discipline [PDF Download],”

More Information

For a more in-depth look at academic integrity, we recommend you view a series of YouTube videos we've created on the subject.

Getting Help

International students can contact Michael Dudley, Accessibility, International, and Extended Services Librarian, for assistance with research assignments and general library orientation. Michael can be reached by phone at 204.982.1145 or by email (m.dudley@uwinnipeg.ca).

Assistance From Other Librarians and Staff

The Librarians and staff at the UW Library are available to assist you in your research. You can get help via chat, send us an email or arrange to meet over Zoom to discuss your essays in order to help you find the best books and articles.

Need help right away? Try our online chat
Need help with researching papers in several course areas? Try booking an appointment with the Librarian for those subject areas.