Plagiarism Policy

NIC English/Foreign Language Division

NIC’s English Department believes strongly in the ability of its students to…

 

·         write works in which they use their own ideas and words

·         correctly borrow the words and ideas of others

 

It is important, therefore, that students understand the department’s definition of plagiarism which is taken from the Council of Writing Programs Administrators in its work titled, “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices”:

In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (no common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source.

Behaviors considered plagiarism would include…

• Using someone else’s exact words as your own without using direct quotes and without giving credit to that source’s author in the paper’s text.

• Paraphrasing or summarizing someone’s words or ideas without giving credit to that source’s author. Thus, changing a few words while retaining the original meaning and sentence structure is plagiarism if the author is not cited.*
• Submitting another’s work as your own. This includes a purchased paper, a borrowed paper, portions of another person’s work, etc.
  
   

Behavior not considered plagiarism but of concern is sloppy documentation of words and ideas borrowed from another source and/or submitting an old paper you have written as new work without the instructor’s permission.

Steps needed to avoid plagiarism...

1. Introduce the author and title of borrowed information in an introductory phrase before the borrowed information—According to Mark Twain, author of Huckleberry Finn, “…….” (23).
2. Follow the borrowed information with the page number from which it came as in the above example.
3. At the end of the paper, provide publication information for the source: last name, first name, title of work, publication information. (See Pocket Style Manual or other handbook for specific directions)

Consequences for plagiarism could range from failing an assignment to failing the course, depending on the determination of the instructor and division chair.

*Paraphrase: to restate ideas of a work in one’s own words.

*Summary: to restate only the key ideas of a work in one’s own words.

I, ____________________________________, have read the NIC English Department

policy on plagiarism and understand its contents.