First-Year Writing Plagiarism Policy

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The plagiarism policy for first-year writing students is to uphold the University's policies on plagiarism and other matters of student honesty. Instructors are encouraged to address plagiarism directly in syllabi and in classes, and to encourage students to request individual consultation about how to appropriately cite sources. (See other pages on web site for guidance on teaching against plagiarism.)

Plagiarism can be divided into two types -- accidental and intentional. As teachers it is important for us to provide support for "accidental plagiarists" who attempt to acknowledge their indebtedness to outside sources but who are still having trouble with appropriate citation. Notably, students need to make some effort to learn how to appropriately cite sources. Faculty are not required to provide individualized tutorials; rather, general review and provision of resources (chapters in the handbook, websites, the writing center) is all that is expected. For those students whose plagiarism includes an effort to deceive and/or includes little or no effort to appropriately acknowledge sources, the label "intentional plagiarist" is appropriate. See below for actions.

Accidental Plagiarism:
Grading.  Faculty can require a rewrite, fail the student for that paper, or lower the final grade by 1 or 2 grades (a kind of penalty for plagiarism). First-year writing faculty may also simply fail the student for the course.

Intentional Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is intentional when it is clear that the student is not confused about how to properly cite, or when to properly cite. Thus, for example, if a student has a work listed on a works cited page and places that work at the end of a paragraph which includes six or seven words of direct quote that have not been set off with quotation marks, this plagiarism can be classified as unintentional. The student has done a poor job of documenting the citation and has, in fact, plagiarized, but the in-text reference and the inclusion on the Works Cited list are indications of honest intentions. In contrast, plagiarism is intentional when the following can be found:

• a passage of four or more consecutive words taken from a source that the professor has located and has in her/his possession (on the web or elsewhere). This source is not on the Works Cited list.
• summary or paraphrase from a located source that is not listed on the Works Cited list and is not imaginably in the students' common knowledge because the language is fairly precise and particular.
• particular ideas taken from a source (e.g., Sparknotes, Cliffnotes) that is not cited in any way.
• a student has had a citation problem noted in a draft but has failed to address the problem in a subsequent draft.

For cases determined to be intentional plagiarism, it is Program Policy that the following actions be taken. All first-year writing faculty are expected to follow these guidelines so that university students can receive consistent responses.

1. Report the Student to the Dean of Students' Office -- Procedures
To do so, send an email or memo to the Coordinator of Student Conduct, Jerry Collins and cc the director of first-year writing.  Mr. Collins will send a Complaint Form which the reporting instructor should complete. If asked for a preferred action, first-year writing faculty need to find out if the student in question has a record of plagiarism already. If the student does NOT have a record of plagiarism, first-year writing faculty should request that this student be placed on the Dean of Student's list of students who have violated this aspect of the Student Conduct Policy. If a student already has a record of plagiarism, first-year writiing faculty should indicate their desire to have the student's conduct formally reviewed.

Next Steps

If a student is a "first-time offender" the Student Conduct Coordinator will send a letter to the student which explains the gravity of the violation and explains additional consequences if the student is caught again. This letter will be cc'd to the reporting first-year writing faculty member, and to the director.

If a student has been reported before, the Student Conduct Coordinator will meet with the student and initiate an investigation and hearing. If the Dean of Students' hearing results in a verdict of "responsible" the student will receive a sanction of University Probation or University Expulsion. For more information on sanctions and procedures, see the Student Handbook and scroll down toward the end of the document.

2. Assessment
Students who have plagiarized intentionally should receive a failing grade for the course. Faculty who wish to make exception to this policy should do so with a clear sense of why a particular case warrants exception and a plan for appropriate alternative consequence.

Isaacs, January 2009