“In teaching others we teach ourselves” – Proverb
What is Academic Integrity?
Academic Integrity means that you are the person doing the submitted work and can easily show the knowledge you are learning in the course.
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to “plagiarize” means…
– to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as your own
– to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
– to commit literary theft
– to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
According to OCPS to”plagiarize”means…
– Buying a paper from a research service or term paper mill
– Turning in another student’s work with or without that student’s knowledge
– Turning in a paper or assignment that someone else has written for you
– Copying a paper or assignment that someone else has written for you
– Copying information from a source text, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks
– Paraphrasing information from a source text without appropriate documentation
Plagiarism is an act of fraud, which involves stealing and lying.
BE AWARE:
It is very easy for teachers to check for plagiarism, having multiple programs and procedures to do so for every online assignment turned in. The consequences of plagiarism can vary from receiving a “0” on an assignment to being withdrawn from the course, or even withdrawn from the school.
The most common offenses of plagiarism in an online learning environment are copying word for word or paraphrasing information from an internet source (the easiest offense to catch and prove) and having a parent, sibling, or friend complete an assignment. Please remember that your education and future knowledge depends on your understand and explanation of what you are learning. If you plagiarize, you are not learning to your full potential and in the end, you are only hurting yourself. So do your best to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it!
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the use of another person’s distinctive ideas or words without acknowledgment. The incorporation of another person’s work into one’s own requires appropriate identification and acknowledgment, regardless of the means of appropriation. The following are considered to be forms of plagiarism when the source is not noted:
- Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words.
- The mosaic (the interspersing of one’s own words here and there while, in essence, copying another’s work).
- The paraphrase (the rewriting of another’s work, yet still using their fundamental idea or theory).
- Fabrication of references (inventing or counterfeiting sources).
- Submission of another’s work as one’s own.
- Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.
Acknowledgment is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge.
Cheating:
Cheating involves the possession, communication, or use of information, materials, notes, study aids or other devices not authorized by the instructor in an academic exercise, or communication with another person during such an exercise. Examples of cheating are:
- Copying from another’s paper or receiving unauthorized assistance from another during an academic exercise or in the submission of academic material.
- Using a calculator when its use has been disallowed.
- Collaborating with another student or students during an academic exercise without the consent of the instructor.
Multiple Submissions:
This is the submission of academic work for which academic credit has already been earned, when such submission is made without instructor authorization.
Misuse of Academic Materials:
The misuse of academic materials includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Stealing or destroying library or reference materials or computer programs.
- Stealing or destroying another student’s notes or materials, or having such materials in one’s possession without the owner’s permission.
- Receiving assistance in locating or using sources of information in an assignment when such assistance has been forbidden by the instructor.
- Illegitimate possession, disposition, or use of examinations or answer keys to examinations.
- Unauthorized alteration, forgery, or falsification.
- Unauthorized sale or purchase of examinations, papers, or assignments.
Complicity in Academic Dishonesty:
Complicity involves knowingly contributing to another acts of academic dishonesty.
Bottom Line:
You will be caught if you use someone else’s work. Working in a virtual environment makes it easier and tempting to copy/paste someone else’s work, but it is also a lot easier to get caught.