POLICY ON PLAGIARISM – English 101
All of us teaching writing assume that
you will do honest work and that you will work with your instructor on
improving writing that is your own. But since plagiarism is a serious
matter, we feel that it is important to explain what plagiarism is and
what the consequences are.
What Plagiarism is (Two Basic
Forms):
-
Using someone else's work as your
own, without citing the source. This includes direct copying,
rephrasing, and summarizing, as well as taking someone else's idea and
putting it in different words. It does not matter whether the work that
has been plagiarized is published or not. Presenting someone else’s
paper as your own, in whole or in part, is just as serious as copying an
article from a magazine or the Web.
- Not indicating directly quoted passages or ideas even while citing
the work as a general source.
What the Consequences of Plagiarism Are:
If a paper involves plagiarism of the second kind (less serious), the
instructor will ask you to rewrite the paper, using correct forms of
documentation. We recognize that it difficult to handle other sources in
your own writing; this is why we spend so much time teaching this skill in
English 101.
If a paper involves plagiarism of the first sort, the instructor is
empowered by
Regulation
0-2 of the University Bulletin award you a failing grade in the
course. In addition, the instructor will refer the case to the Dean of
Students who will bring charges against you for violating
Article II
of the UI Student Code of Conduct.
Instructors may demonstrate that a paper involves plagiarism in two
ways: 1) by identifying the source, and 2) by showing the discrepancy of
style between previous papers and the paper in question.
A final word on plagiarism: we understand the occasional temptation to
plagiarize—but we are surprisingly good at recognizing plagiarism. Our
basic message is DON'T DO IT. When you need to take something from
another person's work—an idea, a powerful statement, a set of facts, or an
explanation—cite your source.
