Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

Plagiarism is defined as "the copying of the language, structure, ideas, or thoughts of another and passing same off as one's own work." Whenever the thoughts, "words, drawings, designs, statistical data, computer programs, or other creative work of others are used by either direct quotation or by paraphrasing, the author and the source must be clearly identified through the use of proper referencing."
 http://quarles.unbc.edu/lsc/rpplagia.html  It is academically dishonest, and may be illegal, to use someone else's ideas or writing as if they are your own. It is not acceptable to use even short phrases or parts of sentences (more than three words) from other sources unless you properly document those sources.  Documentation includes quotations, notes, citations, and a reference/works cited list (Kolin 375).

It is also academically dishonest to submit work (essays/papers) you have previously written for a current assignment or to use an assignment in more than one class without the permission of both instructors.

If there is any doubt about the originality or authorship of the work, students in this class will be required to provide notes and drafts. Students will be held accountable for providing all sources and preliminary work including notes and rough drafts used in preparing written assignments. If you fail to produce these
materials upon request, you cannot receive a satisfactory evaluation on the assignment.
 

                   Accidental plagiarism: no such thing

Ignorance is never an excuse for plagiarism. It is the writer's responsibility to know how to footnote and cite information correctly, whatever the sources are.

Information can come from a variety of sources, not just books and articles.

Information may include art, graphics, computer programs, music, and other creative expression. The work may consist of writing, charts, pictures, graphs, diagrams, data, Web sites, or other communication or recording media.

Sources may include books, journal articles, magazine articles, newspapers, Web sites, plays, movies, photographs, paintings, and class lectures or notes, handouts, speeches, other students’ papers, or material from a research service. Whatever the source, it must be cited. Whether the source is paraphrased, summarized, or quoted, it must be cited.
     Adapted from  http://roesch.lib.udayton.edu/faqs/howto/plagiarism.php
 

Common Knowledge acknowledges the fact that certain facts are so commonly known and culturally experienced that they don't need to be referenced. They can be proven easily as true or false simply by checking a reference book, almanac or encyclopedia and are not a matter of opinion. Notice however,
that this may be culturally and geographically determined.

For example, it could be considered common knowledge around the world that Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, that London is the capital of England, as Paris is of France. The fact that Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky can be considered common knowledge even if it is not generally known by most people. It is not necessary to document and cite "common knowledge" in your
bibliography as long as you are using your own words. If you COPY another's description of common knowledge word for word, or even with similar words arranged differently, you are plagiarizing! You must still paraphrase it using your own words.
Copied from   http://www.berea.edu/library/factsonplagiarism.html

Note: You are probably aware of companies which sell research papers -- well, many teachers know about those Web sites and how to locate plagiarized papers online. Anyone who is foolish enough to use one of those papers should be aware of the consequences.

Neither plagiarism nor cheating will be tolerated. If a student is caught cheating on a test or plagiarizing a paper, he or she will receive a grade of zero for the assignment.

    Plagiarism  University of Northern British Columbia

    What is Plagiarism? Scott Van Bramer, Widener University

     What is Plagiarism?  Georgetown University

    Avoiding Plagiarism  Sharon Williams, Hamilton University

     How to Cite Skillfully and Avoid Plagiarizing

     The Correct Use of Borrowed Information    Winthrop University
           Includes examples of summary, paraphrase, direct quotation

     Summarising and Paraphrasing

    Plagiarism
           Includes several examples in APA format

    How Not to Plagiarize    University of Toronto

    Plagiarism and the World Wide Web  Guilford College