PLAGIARISM

 

Academic Honesty is a serious issue at this University.  If you are caught plagiarizing, you will automatically fail this course.  Ignorance is not an excuse.  We will discuss plagiarism in detail, but for your reference, here is a description as found in the University Policy Manual:

 

Plagiarism is the use of distinctive ideas or work belonging to another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of that person’s contribution.  Regardless of the means of appropriation, incorporating another’s work into one’s own requires adequate identification and acknowledgement.  Plagiarism is doubly unethical because it deprives the author of rightful credit and gives credit to someone who has not earned it.  Acknowledgement is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge.  When the source is not noted, the following would constitute plagiarism:

 

  1. Word-for-word copying

  2. The mosaic (to intersperse a few words of one’s own here and there while, in essence, copying another’s work).

  3. The paraphrase (the rewriting of another’s work, yet still using the fundamental idea or theory).

  4. Fabrication (inventing or counterfeiting sources).

  5. Ghost-written material (submitting another’s effort as one’s own). 

 

 

IF I DON’T GET CAUGHT, THEN WHO CARES?

 

It’s true, you may be able to plagiarize and not get caught.  But, there are reasons not to plagiarize beyond the fear of being caught.  First of all, whoever wrote the work you’re plagiarizing is really getting stiffed.  Imagine if you wrote a masterpiece, then someone copied it, got an A, and didn’t ever give you any credit.  How would you feel?  Plagiarism takes away from other people’s hard work, and that is wrong. 

 

But more importantly, when you plagiarize, you not only do a disservice to the person who did the work, but to yourself.  If you let someone else do your writing for you, then you will never learn to be a good writer.  You may come out of this class with a good grade, but you will not have met any of the course goals.  You will not have to tools you need to write well in other classes, or in your future career.  It is better to get a B or a C and learn something, than to get an A while learning nothing.  So . . .

 

Do Yourself a Favor

 

DON’T PLAGIARIZE!!!