Overview
A Simple Plagiarism Definition
Plagiarism: An act of academic dishonesty which involves acquiring the work of another (from sentences to fully written papers) and passing it off as one's own academic work.
Recommendations
In order to protect yourself as faculty, to teach your students, and to make enforcement possible, we* recommend the following:
- Faculty should define plagiarism for their own course in writing.
- Faculty should delineate consequences of plagiarism.
- Faculty should use low stakes assignments requiring students to demonstrate understanding of the type(s) of referencing of sources needed in a course.
*2006/2007 Ad-Hoc Plagiarism Committee
Context
- Plagiarism White Paper
This "white paper" on plagiarism, developed by Denise Stephenson, provides context for faculty to redefine plagiarism and how it manifests and lists several points on which faculty might consider revising their own practices. - WPA's Statement on Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism
The council of Writing Program Administrators has developed this statement on Best Practices for Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism. It proves an extensive list of tips for educators to implement assignments and practices that help students learn citation and avoid plagiarism.
College Policy
MiraCosta’s policy on plagiarism can be found in its statement on academic integrity.
Academic Integrity (BP5505)
If a faculty member believes a student has plagiarized (misrepresented someone else’s work as his/her own) or, in some other way been dishonest, she/he may apply any of the following remedies:
- Issue a verbal warning
- Lower the grade for an assignment
- Submit an Academic Integrity Report to the Office of Student Affairs
Handouts
Plagiarism Quiz
Plagiarism is not as simple as we sometimes imagine. When a student buys a paper or
when a student “borrows” a paper from someone, we can all agree it is plagiarism and
is wrong. However, when it comes to how to appropriately use material from sources,
it’s much less clear. In a quiz called “Plagiarism’s Shady Boundaries,” Denise Stephenson
has created a discussion ground around some of the more problematic areas. For example,
whether or not a paraphrase needs to be cited confuses many students. It’s also true
that the boundaries of plagiarism are not stable from culture to culture, whether
that’s national culture or disciplinary culture. This quiz can provide fodder for
a rich discussion of what constitutes plagiarism in a particular class.
Sample Activities
- Teaching Citation for Informal Writings
- Created by Denise Stephenson, this activity serves as an informal introduction for students to course expectations for citation style, as it may differ greatly among disciplines and instructors.
- Using Course Materials to Practice Paraphrasing
This activity requires students to take notes on assigned readings by paraphrasing the material. Developed by Jane Mushinsky, this activity is easily adapted to any course material, and gives professors an easy way to correct any misunderstandings students might have about what constitutes effective paraphrasing. - Paraphrase and Quote Practice
This assignment requires students to select an article and show their understanding of its content by quoting, paraphrasing, and citing the material. It serves as an introduction to working with sources and differentiating between paraphrasing and quoting. It also provides a visual reference for students of the assignment's required layout. Developed for behavioral sciences by Robert Kelley, this assignment requires students to work with the APA style, but can be easily adapted for a variety of assignments. - Health/Nutrition Article Citation Activity
This assignment was adapted by Linda Shaffer from the Paraphrase and Quote Practice activity above and requires similar elements, but also gives an overview on evaluating the credibility of sources. - Source Citation and Organization for Research Papers
Created by Jane Mushinsky, this assignment requires students to cite and organize sources for a research paper. It also refers students to the MiraCosta Library's web page on MLA citation.