Definition
According to the Council of Writing Program Administrators, in "Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices" (http://www.wpacouncil.org/node/9), plagiarism in an instructional setting includes two main, often mistakenly combined, types:
- "submitting someone else’s text as one’s own or attempting to blur the line between one’s own ideas or words and those borrowed from another source";
- "carelessly or inadequately citing ideas and words borrowed from another source."
Both constitute plagiarism, though the penalties and methods for addressing the violation may vary significantly. Nonetheless, plagiarism is plagiarism, and the penalties may be severe.
Penalties & Procedures
The penalties for plagiarism are covered by the University's Student Discipline Code, UWS 14.04 Disciplinary sanctions:
"(1) The following are the disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed for academic misconduct in accordance with the procedures of s. UWS 14.05, 14.06 or 14.07:
(a) An oral reprimand;
(b) A written reprimand presented only to the student;
(c) An assignment to repeat the work, to be graded on its merits;
(d) A lower or failing grade on the particular assignment or test;
(e) A lower grade in the course;
(f) A failing grade in the course;
(g) Removal of the student from the course in progress;
(h) A written reprimand to be included in the student's disciplinary file;
(i) Disciplinary probation; or
(j) Suspension or expulsion from the university."The severity and type of penalty imposed will depend on the circumstances of each particular violation, at the discretion of the instructor, with proper notification and opportunity for redress and appeal provided to the student as specified in the Code.
Avoiding Plagiarism
We shall not spend significant class time addressing the problem of outright cheating. If you attempt to plagiarize thoroughly and intentionally, I will seek the severist penalty permitted. You will be required to submit any work suspected of plagiarism electronically to me for review.
We shall, however, address the many principles and techniques one can learn to help deter "unintentional" plagiarism:
- finding and using appropriate sources
- taking effective notes
- paraphrasing correctly and adequately
- quoting accurately and effectively
- citing properly
- preparing and formatting bibliographies
When and how to present the ideas of others can be tricky, but all university students must master the process.
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