Academic integrity, which includes honesty and independence,
is expected of all college students. The English department of North Harris
College, therefore, wishes to make certain that all students enrolled in English
classes understand that cheating or plagiarism on any assignment, whether
motivated by panic, dishonesty, or carelessness, may result in a failing grade
on the assignment and for the course. As Porter G. Perrin says in his
Writer’s Guide and Index to English: “Plagiarism is stealing. . .” (662) and is therefore “a serious intellectual offense”
(419). It is, in fact, fraud.
Derived from the Latin word plagiarius (“kidnapper” and “plagiarist” in the modern sense), plagiarism is defined by Alexander Lindley
as “‘the false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind
and presenting it as one’s own’” (qtd. in Gibaldi 26). Fundamentally, then,
plagiarism refers to the unauthorized, not cited, or incorrectly cited use
of another person’s work. Sometimes students unintentionally misuse sources;
at other times, students may do so intentionally. In order to avoid turning
in a fraudulent paper, it is important that you understand and follow certain
rules in using reference materials. The following list constitutes plagiarism
in the eyes of all instructors:
1. Copying or using another person’s work without any citation (the most flagrant violation). It is unethical and fraudulent to copy or use a paper, report, web document, or part of a published book and submit it as your own.
2. Having someone else write or substantially rewrite your paper.
A parent, friend, or tutor, for example, may not rewrite sentences for you
correcting errors in sentence structure and punctuation. He or she may:
Point out that grammatical errors exist
in the paper, explain the rules, and recheck your corrections.
Point out stylistic problems and explain
why clarity is affected.
Point out deficiencies in your thesis
or organizational pattern.
·
copying
the words of a source with no quotation marks even though correct parenthetical
notes are included.
·
citing
a source correctly within the body of the paper but not providing a works-cited
entry
·
including
paraphrases of material from a source with no documentation in the paper,
but including the source on the works-cited list.
·
including
paraphrases of material from a source but giving misleading or inadequate
parenthetical credit.
A student who
commits plagiarism will be given an F for incomplete or incorrect documentation
or a 0 for major misrepresentation. If there is a question about whether or not plagiarism
has occurred, the research paper in question will be reported to the Division
Head and may be turned over to a departmental Committee on Plagiarism. The
committee will then study the paper and make its decision.
Correct Documentation
When one does research, one coordinates information
from three kinds of sources: personal
ideas and experiences, common knowledge, and other peoples’ thoughts and experiences.
Other people’s ideas, interpretations, and words are their property and are
protected by law. They must be acknowledged. Therefore, when using another
person’s material you should follow these rules, adapted from James Lester’s
Writing Research Papers:
1. Acknowledge
borrowed material within the text by introducing the quotation or paraphrase
with the name of the authority from whom it is taken.
2. Enclose
within quotation marks all material, even distinctive single words and phrases.
3. Make certain that paraphrased material is written in your own
style and language. The simple rearrangement of words is unacceptable.
4. Provide
a parenthetical note for each borrowed item.
5. Provide
a works-cited entry for every source that appears in a note. (47-48)
If the material you use may be considered general information—that
is, if it may be found in a number of sources and is not specifically the
author’s—there is no need to document it. For example, there is no need to
document the following fact: Sacramento is the capital of California, but
it is not the state’s largest city. If you are unsure about whether to document
an idea, check with your instructor before the assignment is due.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA
Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 4th ed. New York:
MLA,
1995.
Lester, James.
Writing Research Papers. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1967.
Perrin, Porter G. Writer’s Guide and Index to English. 5th ed. Glenview, IL: Scott, 1972.