Research on Plagiarism

Definition

Plagiarism is intentionally or unintentionally reproducing (copying, rewording, paraphrasing, adapting, etc) work that was produced by another person(s) without proper acknowledgement in an attempt to gain academic benefit. Intentionally or negligently allowing such reproduction to happen may also constitute plagiarism.

Work that can be plagiarised includes: words (language), ideas, findings, writings, graphic representations, computer programs, diagrams, graphs, illustrations, creative work, information, lectures, printed material, electronic material, or any other original work created by someone else.

Policies of various school

UNIVERSITY OF STERLING

Policy on Plagiarism in Undergraduate Coursework and Dissertations

Having regard to the fair and consistent treatment of students and the maintenance of academic standards, Academic Council has approved the following policy on plagiarism. This policy applies to all modules taken as part of an undergraduate programme of study.

6.9.1 Definitions

6.9.1.1 To plagiarise is to represent as one’s own the intellectual property of another. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of plagiarism is as follows:

the wrongful appropriation or purloining, and
publication as one’s own, of the ideas, or the
expression of the ideas … of another.

6.9.1.2 Accordingly, the reproduction in a submitted assignment of another’s work without due acknowledgement is plagiarism since the writer is presenting as original work what is in fact derivative. When the assignment is submitted for assessment, plagiarism is the equivalent of cheating in an examination.

6.9.1.3 Such unacknowledged indebtedness is plagiarism whether the source is reproduced verbatim or is paraphrased. It is plagiarism whether the passage is brief or extensive, and whether the source is printed, electronic or hand-written. Strictly, it is also plagiarism when the source is oral, but on this see further 6.9.2.5 – 6.9.2.6 below.

6.9.2 Due Acknowledgement

6.9.2.1 It is not sufficient merely to list a source in an appended bibliography, or in the body of an assignment to express a general indebtedness. To avoid a charge of plagiarism, all debts must be specifically, precisely and accurately referenced in accordance with good academic practice.

6.9.2.2 When a source is directly quoted word-for-word, the passage quoted should be placed within quotation marks or indented and the source accurately referenced, in parenthesis, in a footnote, or in an endnote, according to a recognised system. There must be no ambiguity about where the quotation ends or begins.

6.9.2.3 The source of any data cited (e.g. figures, tables, charts) should be made explicit.

6.9.2.4 When ideas, or an argument, are reproduced from a source in a general or paraphrased way, the source must be acknowledged.

6.9.2.5 When submitted work is dependent upon a lecture or tutorial for its argument, this fact must be acknowledged.

6.9.2.6 In the case of group work submitted for assessment, the relevant module information will make clear whether the submission is collective or individual. In the case of a collective submission, indebtedness to sources must be acknowledged in the usual way, but it is not necessary for work to be attributed to individual members of the group. In the case of individual submissions resulting from group or collaborative work, it is the responsibility of each individual student to make sure that the submission is his or her own work. Acknowledgement should be made to the contribution of other members of the group when this is drawn upon.

6.9.3 Procedures

6.9.3.1 No formal procedures are instituted against a student unless the relevant unacknowledged source can be established. In cases where plagiarism is strongly suspected but no source has been identified, the student may be spoken to informally by the relevant module co-ordinator or tutor, to ensure that he or she understands the nature of plagiarism, and the penalties it incurs.

6.9.3.2 In all cases of plagiarism where a source has been identified, the student should be invited to attend a meeting with the Chief Examiner and one other member of staff (designee of HoD), the student may be accompanied by a person of their choosing. The purpose of the meeting is to confirm the occurrence of plagiarism, explain the penalties involved and counsel the student about all forms of plagiarism and identify sources of help ie TurnItIn, etc. At the end of the meeting the student is required to sign the Plagiarism Incident Report Form confirming the previous points have been explained to them. The original form should be returned to the Examinations Office, a copy retained by the Department as a formal record of the meeting and a copy given/posted to the student. All instances of plagiarism should be notified to the relevant Board of Examiners. However, it is not the business of the meeting to seek to determine motivation.

6.9.3.3 The same procedure (6.9.3.2) is followed in cases where two or more students submit similar or identical work. However, it is recognised that in such cases, whilst the fact of plagiarism is clear, it may not have been possible to determine culpability prior to the meeting. In such cases, the meeting itself will serve as a forum in which to establish the facts and determine culpability (see section 6.9.4.7 below).

6.9.3.4 The failure of the student(s) to attend this meeting does not prevent the Department from taking appropriate action in accordance with this policy.

Penalties

The general principle is that the penalty should be appropriate to the scale of the offence.

The penalties described below are exhaustive and mutually exclusive.

Offence		Penalty
Minor offence: a first offence where the plagiarised passage or passages make only a slight contribution to the achievement of the assignment		The assessed work is downgraded by the equivalent of a degree class, that is, three points on the scale (for example, from 1C to 2C, or from 2C to 2F). If the final grade of the assessment is a fail (4A-C 5A-C) the student is required to resubmit the assessment and the maximum module grade capped at 3C. Failure to resubmit would result in a no grade for that assessment.
Serious offence: a first offence where the plagiarised passage or passages make a significant or crucial contribution to the achievement of the assignment, or when the assignment is completely or almost completely plagiarised, or a second offence (of whatever degree) committed on the same or on a different module		Coursework: A grade of 5C for the piece of work.
		Dissertation*: When serious plagiarism is detected in a dissertation, a Grade 5C is awarded for the dissertation. The student will not be eligible to graduate with Honours (see section 6.9.4.4 below).
Second serious offence*:		A module grade of 5C for the module on which that piece of work is submitted. The student will not be eligible to graduate with Honours (see section 6.9.4.4 below).
Third serious offence*:		Required to withdraw from registration for a degree due to unsatisfactory progress.

* Code PL should be used by examiners when returning grades.

6.9.4.3 Where two separate assessments are submitted simultaneously or in close succession, the student must be counselled about the first offence, had time to take this on board and rectify their poor academic practice in subsequent assessments before a second penalty can be applied.

6.9.4.4 The Department should identify (via the exams office) the date the student was counselled for the first instance of plagiarism and the submission date of the subsequent assessment with plagiarism. A minimum period of 10 working days must elapse between the student being counselled about their first offence and the submission date for subsequent assessments before a second penalty can be applied.

6.9.4.5 The Examinations Office will refer cases that reach the trigger points, set out in 6.9.4.2 above, to the Student Programmes Office. A student required to withdraw from registration for a degree will be entitled to any award for which he or she is qualified.

6.9.4.6 Normally a student may be permitted to repeat or substitute a module which has been failed because of a penalty for plagiarism, if that failure precludes the student from graduating. Where the student has been penalised for a second serious offence or for serious plagiarism in a dissertation, he/she will not be eligible to graduate with Honours. In addition, where applicable, all students must comply with the professional requirements of their programme

6.9.4.7 In a case where two or more students submit similar or identical work and culpability cannot be established, the penalty shall be applied equally to both students.

6.9.4.8 Penalties imposed for plagiarism must be reported to the University Examinations Office on the plagiarism incident report form, normally within a week of the meeting with the student. Penalties shall also be reported to the relevant Board of Examiners and recorded in its minutes, but not re-considered or re-opened.

6.9.4.9 Prior to the application of any penalty, the relevant Chief Examiner will request a check against the central register of offences maintained in the University’s Examinations Office.

6.9.4.10 A current case does not justify re-consideration of work submitted on modules completed and graded in previous semesters or of assessed work submitted for other modules in the same semester.

6.9.4.11 However, where it becomes apparent to the Chief Examiner/Examinations Office that a student has been penalised for plagiarism on different modules in the same semester, the Examinations Office/Chief Examiner(s) in the relevant Department(s) should refer to 6.9.4.3 and 6.9.4.4 prior applying a penalty and reporting to the Board of Examiners. With reference to 6.9.4.3 and 6.9.4.4, the assignment with the later due date will be counted as a second or subsequent offence. The Chief Examiner will inform the student of the decision. In the event of a coincidence of due dates the relevant Chief Examiners will confer.

6.9.4.12 For cases where other coursework requirements are not met (e.g. failure to attend an examination and the grade awarded is ‘X’), details of the plagiarism offence will still be recorded in the central register.

6.9.4.13 All decisions relating to plagiarism are communicated to students in writing.

Reference Links:

http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/assessment/plagiarism/what_is_plagiarism.html

http://www.quality.stir.ac.uk/ac-policy/PlagiarismUG.php