What is Plagiarism?

Many people think of plagiarism as copying another’s work, or borrowing someone else’s original ideas.  But terms like “copying” and “borrowing” can disguise the seriousness of the offense:

According to the Merriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary, to “plagiarize” means

1)      to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own

2)      to use (another's production) without crediting the source

3)      to commit literary theft

4)      to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing           source.

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud.  It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward.  

 

What happens when you commit plagiarism?  

 

According to the Student Code of Conduct, plagiarism is defined as a Level III Offense:

 

Any act against or affecting persons (including self) or property, the consequences of which do not seriously endanger the health or safety of others.

 

Such misconduct may result in one or more of the following responses:

 

• Assignment to Administrative Detention

• Receiving a “zero” for work, and potentially loss of course credit, as a result of plagiarism (as defined in Student Handbook)

• Loss of credit for the course for plagiarism (as defined in the Student Handbook) on the final English term paper (in courses that require a final English term paper as a course requirement)

 

At the discretion of the teacher for first time offenders only, the teacher MAY offer the student an opportunity to earn back up to 25% of the plagiarized assignment by writing a reflective essay on his or her learning experience.

​

IMPORTANT: Please note that any student who commits plagiarism is automatically disqualified from receiving a letter of recommendation from me.