Plagiarism
Plagiarism–handing in written workwhich is not your own–is a form of stealing. Other people (yourteachers, fellow students, tutors in the writing lab) may giveyou suggestions for improving a piece of written work, but thework itself must be your own.
There are two forms of plagiarism. One is unintentional or careless when you use other writers’words and ideas, usually in a research paper, as though they wereyour own. This sort of plagiarism occurs because of unfamiliaritywith the conventions of documentation in academic papers; thesections on plagiarism in A Writer’s Reference (257-264)and in The Curious Researcher (80-83) should help you understandhow to quote, paraphrase, and summarize the ideas of others inan acceptable manner. If you commit this kind of plagiarism,your instructor will ask you to rewrite part or all of your paperso that your sources are properly acknowledged. You can thenreceive credit for the paper.
The second form of plagiarism isoutright cheating–turning in a paper which someone else has writtenand claiming it as your own, or copying sections of a book orarticle without proper documentation when you have had documentationforms explained to you. If an instructor finds that you havedone this, she or he will contact the Director of Composition. The penalty for cheating may range from failing the paper tofailing the course, depending on the evidence and the extent ofthe dishonesty in plagiarizing. Cases may also be referred tothe University Conduct Committee, which has the power to expelstudents from the institution.