Each student is to do his or her own work; collaboration on written assignments (exams,
papers, etc.) is not permitted.
All answers on exams and papers must be in the student's own words.(1) Short quotations
from the class texts or from other sources may be used, provided that all quotations are properly
attributed (cite the author's name, the title of the source, and the page number if any). If you do
not know how to do this, please see me and I will be glad to help you.
Plagiarism
The University Catalog includes under the heading 'Plagiarism' two kinds of thing. First is
"[p]resenting as one's own the words, the work, or the opinions of someone else without
proper acknowledgment" (p.27). If you quote from any source without giving proper credit (as
described above) to that source, what you have done counts as plagiarism, and will not be
permitted. By 'source', I mean printed material, electronic material (information from internet
sites, e-mail, etc.), films, videotapes, audiotapes, radio, television, human beings other than
yourself, or any other presenter of verbal information. If you have any question as to whether
what you are doing constitutes quotation from a source, or if you are unsure about how to quote a
source or how to give proper credit, please see your instructor.
The second kind of plagiarism outlined in the Catalog is "[b]orrowing the sequence of ideas,
the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper
acknowledgment" (also p.27). In other words, if you take a passage from something you've
read, and change a few of the words - without changing the meaning - and then claim that these
ideas are yours (or simply fail to mention whose they are), that is also plagiarism, and is not
permitted. There is nothing wrong with quoting (briefly) from sources; just acknowledge when
you do it. If a source you find says exactly what you yourself think, show why you think it is
correct. As long as you explain this in your own words, there is no problem. If you have any
questions about what counts as "borrowing the sequence of ideas...", please see your instructor,
and I will be glad to help.
Penalties/Responses:
A. On assignments other than the final exam. If there is evidence that a student has
collaborated with others, or evidence that a student as presented others' words or sequences of
ideas as his or her own, that student's paper or exam will be invalidated, and the student will be
required to do the paper or exam again in a satisfactory manner in order to receive credit. (In the
case of mid-semester exams, the student may be given alternate exam questions.) No credit will
be given until the work is re-submitted satisfactorily.
B. On the final exam(2). If there is evidence that a student has collaborated with others or has presented others' words or sequences of ideas as his or her own, the case will be reported to the Honor Committee. No credit will be given unless the case is resolved with a finding of "Not Guilty".
By 'evidence' I mean something in writing that clearly shows proof of plagiarism or illegitimate
collaboration. For example, if two students submit identically-worded answers; if two students
hand in papers written in the same handwriting when they have previously had different
handwritings (if you are injured and suddenly cannot write, let me know of this before making
arrangements for another student to "help you"!); if a student submits a paper which I find to
consist substantially of material copied from a book or web site without attribution and I can get
hold of a copy of the book or can download pages from the web site -- all of these are cases
where I would say that there is evidence of an Honor Code violation. If there is any question in
my mind, I will speak to the student(s) involved.
Again, if you have any questions about whether something you intend to do on a paper or
exam is acceptable, please speak to your instructor before the assignment is due. I will be
glad to help you -- really.
Notes
1. Hint: the questions on the exams, and the term paper topics, will be such that you cannot answer correctly or sufficiently simply by copying sentences from the class texts or other sources. You will need to be able to show that you have understood what you have read. (In general, I ask that quotations make up no more than 20% of your answer to each numbered exam question and no more than 20% of the total length of your term paper; this gives you space to answer the questions adequately and to discuss your quotations.)
2. In my 300- and 400-level courses there is often a final paper instead of a final exam. In those cases, I will treat Honor Code violations on the final paper the same way that I treat Honor Code violations on final exams.