Academic Integrity - Plagiarism - Cheating

Introduction

Salem State University, and myself in particular, take any form of cheating or academic dishonesty very seriously.

There are many types of cheating: copying in an exam, getting the exam questions beforehand, and putting forth the work or ideas of others as though they were your own (plagiarism), to name the main ones.

One of the most common types of cheating, plagiarism, is not always done maliciously. Some people claim that they don't know they are supposed to attribute every phrase or sentence they copy from some other source. That is why it is very important that you read the statement below.

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Statement on plagiarism

1. In the state of Massachusetts, it is a misdemeanor for any person, firm or corporation to conduct business for the preparing, selling, distributing, or advertising of term papers, dissertations, or other writings for submission by a person other than the author to any academic institution as a requirement for the completion of a course or the awarding of a degree.
2. Direct quotes must be placed in quotation marks and footnoted. No alteration of a direct quote is permissible unless the alteration is clearly indicated. An idea taken from a known source, even if rewritten in the student's own words, must be footnoted. If the idea is found in the entire paragraph, footnote the entire paragraph. The same applies to a long incorporation of a borrowed idea.
3. A distinctive arrangement of facts, including diagrams, tables and outlines should also be footnoted.
4. Statements of opinion and criticisms should either be precisely quoted or paraphrased with any characteristic phrasing or wording in quotation marks. In either case, a footnote must be used.
5. Some points to remember are:
   1. a bibliography is not a substitute for footnotes.
   2. follow the instructions of the professor as to the precise form of each paper and the footnotes preferred.
   3. take careful notes, preparatory to writing a source theme and indicate sources, direct quotes and page numbers. This greatly reduces the chance of accidental plagiarism.
   4. When in doubt, footnote!

(Adapted from the Douglass College Redbook, found at this page)

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Other resources

Here are some resources for you to understand what the issues are.

• Salem State University Academic Integrity Policy (2007)
• CAL's Plagiarism Brochure
• Harris, Robert A. The plagiarism handbook : strategies for preventing, detecting, and dealing with plagiarism
• Please see the college catalog or the graduate faculty handbook for the full text of the academic dishonesty policy.
• Professor Chomsky's handout on academic integrity and plagiarism (History Department, Salem State University)
• A definition of Plagiarism
• Plagiarism.org
• academicintegrity.org
• PLAGIARISM: What it is, and How to Avoid It
• Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students Rutgers University, New Brunswick Campus
• Use and Acknowledgement of Sources, Duke University
• Academic Integrity statement at Babson College
• Assignment on Plagiarism: created by Paul C. Smith at Alverno College
• University of Nebraska Graduate College statement
• Academic Integrity at Northwestern
• Avoiding Plagiarism, by Sharon Williams
• School of Social Work University of Minnesota, section on plagiarism in the Ph. D. Handbook
• The University of Michigan - Student Academic Affairs: What is plagiarism?
• Ohio State African American and African Studies: Policy Concerning Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
• Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
• An Antidote to Plagiarism for grade 5-10 students
• Documenting Electronic and Traditional Sources: A Lesson in Research for middle/junior high students
• Writing: Plagiarism Advice for Lessons suggestions for teachers
• Cut-and-Paste Plagiarism: Preventing, Detecting & Tracking Online Plagiarism for educators
• Educators Fighting a Web of Deceit
• The Instructor's Guide to Internet Plagiarism

Thanks to the Network Nugget Listserve for many of these links. Network Nuggets is a free service of the Community Learning Network (http://www.cln.org/) and Open School (http://www.openschool.bc.ca/). By means of Anthea Tillyer aticc@cunyvm.c uny.edu.

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Salem State University | Department of Foreign Languages

Page URL: lrc.salemstate.edu/aske/integrity.htm

Last updated: December 1, 2007