Plagiarism ... it's the big deal at school
You may copy someone's CD or rip a movie from a file sharing site. You may post something to youtube you found on TV. No one seems to worry about it much. But things change when you come into a classroom. Then sharing things, borrowing things without permission and copying things without saying where you got it all become big things.
Really big. See below under "Honor Code at Justice High" for what happens when you don't follow the rules -- and you copy from someone else's paper, or you use a quote that came from someone else, or you turn in your brothers old essay as your own. Then, bad things happen ... but they don't have to. The rules are not hard to follow.
Adding Quotes is GOOD!
I want you to add quotes to your writing -- add something you found online or in a book, or in a video or song. Add comments from other people. That's called research and it is good. You just need to add a citation to say where you found that quote ... and add it into your paper. Here are some tips for how to add quotes ...
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No one expects you
know lots about Hamlet
or Othello or History or
Literature. Google things.
Read what other people said. Use their words. Go ahead. It's a good thing. Just be sure to add a note about where you got it and you'll be OK. Don't add the citation and bad things happen.
Plagiarism has many faces
This document has been adapted from the good folk over at turnitin.com and it shows you all the different kinds of plagiarism that people try to use. The problem is that each of these is both wrong, and going to get you into trouble.
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And your teachers have seen them all -- and know how to recognize them when you try to use one. Just sayin' ...
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For more on the descriptions of all the disguises plagiarism can wear, go here:
MLA ... is your friend
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But your relationship may be a bit rocky at the start. Learning the system of citing your sources is complicated. No sugar-coating here. But it's something that you need to do, so no whining. Just be glad you don't have to learn the APA system ... until grad school.
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MLA 8th Edition Resource --
your how to booklet for
Works Cited pages, Citations
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And of course, check out the
opening section of the RTS
Cheat Sheets -- your friendly
classroom textbook
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The Honor Code at Justice High School
When you don't follow the rules for academic honesty, bad things happen. That's why we spend time
at the start of the year reminding you about how to pass in papers that will follow the rules and keep
you safe.
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OK. Just to be clear here -- cheating and plagiarizing are inappropriate behaviors and shall result in
disciplinary action as outlined in Regulation 2601, Student Rights and Responsibilities Booklet.
The expectation is that each student maintains academic integrity at all times.
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What is academic integrity?
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Giving proper credit to the ideas, opinions and work of others by using in text citation or works cited. If you do not cite, you are cheating.
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Completing all formative and summative assignments independently.
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Student will avoid the following:
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Copying assignments, papers or tests from other students (past or present)
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Letting others copy one’s assignments – this is called collusion.
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Sharing information about quizzes or tests with peers who will be taking it later.
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Using unauthorized notes or study guides.
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Presenting someone else’s ideas as one’s own.
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Rule of thumb: If a student is being graded individually, a student submits her/his own work.
Consequences for violation of Academic Integrity include the following:
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Teacher will make a phone call to parent (Required)
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A documented referral will become part of the student’s Honor Code File (Required)
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A Student/Teacher/Family/Administrator Conference will be held
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If the dishonesty occurred on a Summative Assignment (Test, Quiz, Essay) – the student will earn a zero on the assignment. A teacher will offer the student a chance to complete an alternative assignment but the original zero will stand.
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If the dishonesty occurred on a Formative Assignment (Classwork, Homework) – the student will earn a zero on the assignment. In addition, the student will not be eligible for a retake of the unit summative test.
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All Honor Societies, clubs, and athletic coaches will be notified and will take action according to their policies and may include probation, suspension, or removal.
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The Administration may notify all the student’s teachers.
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Restorative Procedures may apply.
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Wording adapted from justicehs.fcps.edu/academics/honor-code
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