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SOCL 3050: Criminology

A collection of resources and strategies for the BETTER KNOW A PRECINCT project.

Otterbein Judicial Policies on Plagiarism

Otterbein Judicial Policies on Plagiarism

This is a level IV violation. It is necessary to ascertain with accuracy an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in order to prepare a proper academic program for students and to evaluate their work. Thus the “high standard of personal integrity” in the classroom means that an individual will not receive credit for work which is not their own.

In the taking of examinations, any attempt to receive assistance from persons, papers, or printed materials without the permission of the faculty member constitutes dishonesty. This definition applies not only to activities within the examination room, but also any attempt to obtain beforehand copies of examination questions without the faculty member’s consent, including attempts to obtain them from students taking the exam at an earlier time during the year. In short, all such unauthorized procedures constitute dishonesty. A student who willingly provides assistance not condoned by the University to another student is also in violation, whether or not the student providing the assistance has completed the examination.

In preparing essays, reports, and other out-of-class projects, any use of the words or ideas of someone else as though they were ones constitutes plagiarism. This definition applies to the use of both printed and unprinted sources, including the work of other students or faculty. To avoid plagiarism, all borrowed materials must be fully  documented. Direct quotations, however small, must be placed in quotation marks or indented beyond the regular margins, and their sources must be clearly identified. Ideas or arguments not directly quoted but paraphrased must also be documented; merely altering the wording does not make their substance a student’s own work. Facts, formulas, and other types of information which are widely known and considered common knowledge in a field do not always require documentation, but a student may not falsely claim the independent derivation or observation of such materials, nor borrow without acknowledgment someone else’s special arrangement or use of it. When in doubt, the student should consult a member of the faculty. If acceptable methods of documenting borrowed materials are not clear, the student is to consult beforehand with the faculty member who will receive the finished work.

The use of an identical or nearly identical piece of work to fulfill requirements in more than one course without the knowledge of the faculty members involved constitutes dishonesty. If a student wishes to prepare a single piece of work for more than one course, the written permission of both faculty members must be secured beforehand. If a student wishes to submit a revised version of an earlier piece of work, written permission must be secured beforehand and the earlier version must be submitted along with the final version. When in doubt, a student should check with the faculty member.

A faculty member who suspects the student may have committed an act of academic dishonesty shall:
A. So inform the student and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs in writing that a violation has occurred.
B. If the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs informs the faculty member that this is a first violation; the faculty member may be authorized to determine whether an act of academic dishonesty occurred. Such a final determination may be made only after the student has been given an opportunity for a personal meeting with the faculty member and a representative from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs to discuss the allegation and to present relevant evidence. This meeting shall be conducted in a timely fashion.
C. Proceedings in first-time violations as resolved by faculty members are informal. The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs will provide the accused student with a written notice of the scheduled meeting at least three days in advance. The purpose of the meeting will be to review and discuss the charges before a final decision is reached. The faculty member could rely upon documentary evidence and written statements as long as the student is allowed to respond to them in the meeting. Students may also be allowed to bring relevant witnesses who are members of the Otterbein community; legal counsel will not be permitted to participate. The faculty member and the representative from the Vice President for Academic Affairs Office who hear the case shall determine whether the student is responsible or not responsible for the act of academic dishonesty. The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall impose the sanction in consultation with the faculty member and the chair of the department. Wherever it indicates a violation of the code, the following sanctions may be imposed: failure on the given assignment or a failing grade for the course. The student may appeal such action through the Vice President for Academic Affairs to Appeals Council.

A second violation will be reviewed by Judicial Council and may subject the student to suspension or dismissal as determined by the council.

Decisions of the Judicial Council are subject to appeal to the Appeals Council according to the procedures in Article VIII, Section 4, Line 821 of the University Bylaws.

Plagiarism self-test from Clark College

Please take the test below (questions 1-10) at least three times or until you get 85%, whichever one you reach first. Please read the feed-back in order to learn more about plagiarism. Follow the hyperlink explanations to read more about plagiarism in the test tutorial.

Summarizing, Paraphrasing, & Quoting