Plagiarism

Any work that you submit at any stage of the writing process--draft, thesis and outline, bibliography, etc., through final version--must be your own; in addition, any words, ideas, or data that you borrow from other people and include in your work must be properly documented. Failure to do either of these things is plagiarism. The University of Delaware protects the rights of all students by insisting that individual students act with integrity. Accordingly, the University severely penalizes plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty.

[The above paragraph appears in every Writing Program syllabus]

Students of the University are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. To falsify the results of one's research, to steal the words or ideas of another, to cheat on an examination or to allow another to commit an act of academic dishonesty corrupts the essential process by which knowledge is advanced.

It is the official policy of the University of Delaware that all acts or attempted acts of alleged academic dishonesty be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs. At the faculty member's discretion and with the concurrence of the student or students involved, some cases, though reported to the Dean of Students Office, may be resolved within the confines of the course. All others will be adjudicated within the Undergraduate Judicial System.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else's words, ideas or data as one's own work. When a student submits work for credit that includes the words, ideas or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, and, if verbatim statements are included, through quotation marks as well. By placing his/her name on work submitted for credit, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgements. Plagiarism covers unpublished as well as published sources. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

1. Quoting another person's actual words, complete sentences or paragraphs, or entire piece of written work without acknowledgement of the source.

2. Using another person's ideas, opinions or theory, even if it is completely paraphrased in one's own words without acknowledgement of the source.

3. Borrowing facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials that are not clearly common knowledge without acknowledgement of the source.

4. Copying another student's essay test answers.

5. Copying, or allowing another student to copy, a computer file that contains another student's assignment, and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one's own.

6. Working together on an assignment, sharing the computer files and programs involved, and then submitting individual copies of the assignment as one's own individual work.

Students are urged to consult with individual faculty members, academic departments or recognized handbooks in their field if in doubt.

Fabrication

Fabrication is the intentional use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive. Examples include but are not limited to:

1. Citation of information not taken from the source indicated. This may include the incorrect documentation of secondary source materials.

2. Listing sources in a bibliography not directly used in the academic exercise.

3. Submission in a paper, thesis, lab report or other academic exercise of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or evidence, or deliberate and knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or evidence.

4. Submitting as your own any academic exercises (e.g., written work, printing, sculpture, etc.) prepared totally or in part by another.

5. Taking a test for someone else or permitting someone else to take a test for you.

[Taken from the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook]

For more information on how the Office of Judicial Affairs handles plagiarism, please follow this link: Office of Judicial Affairs