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Plagiarism: Thou Shalt Not Steal!: Plagiarism and Academic Honesty at UVF

Learn what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, and what the consequences are if you do. Ignorance is not an excuse.

UVF's Cheating and Plagiarism Policy

Academic Honesty Policy at UVF

DEFINITION

The student is responsible for understanding and avoiding all types of Academic Dishonesty, including the following:

1. SUBMITTING any part of the same work in two (2) or more assignments, even in different or repeated courses, without the expressed consent of the professor(s).    

2. FALSIFYING (faking) information, class attendance (including signing in for another student, using another student’s user name and password to submit work on his/her behalf), etc.

3. PLAGIARIZING or using another’s ideas (student, Internet, book, etc.) without giving the source (citation) or using another’s unique words or phrases without quotation marks and a citation.

4. CHEATING on an exam, assignment, etc. including group work not expressly approved by the professor.   

5. HELPING another student in any way with an act of Academic Dishonesty.

6. DISSEMBLING or not being fully honest in any investigation of Academic Dishonesty.

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is possible and it's just as serious.

Self-plagiarism, or "double-dipping," is deception and goes against the core principles of ethical writing. Papers are assigned for you to demonstrate what you have learned in a particular class. If you reuse a paper you wrote for a previous class, you are not demonstrating new learning.

Examples of self-plagiarism:

  • Turning in a paper for a current class that you already submitted as an assignment for a previous class
  • Using a substantial amount of a paper written for another course as content for a new assignment
  • Treating anything you've previously written as if it were new material

Consequences of Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty

CONSEQUENCES FOR INTENTIONAL ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

 

  1. The student will be invited to meet with the Academic Honesty Committee. This committee consists of representatives from the offices of Academic Affairs and Student Life and at least two professors not involved in the initial investigation. Evidence concerning the incident, prior academic dishonesty, extenuating circumstances, the student’s cooperativeness will be considered. Decisions are by confidential, majority vote.

2.         The student will typically receive one or both of the following:

  • A Restorative Contract from the Office of Student Life. Based on the details of the student’s particular incident, this contract may include mentoring accountability, personal counseling, academic honesty counseling, and removal from VFCC ministry, leadership, intercollegiate athletics, or other campus-related activities for up to 14 continuous weeks of the student’s enrollment in the Fall and/or Spring semesters.
  • A Restorative Academic Consequence from the Office of Academic Affairs. Based on the student interview, the academic consequence at each incident level may include at least one of  the following measures:

            1st Incident of Intentional Academic Dishonesty:  Receive a 0 for the assignment.

            2nd Incident of Intentional Academic Dishonesty: Fail the course.

3rd Incident of Intentional Academic Dishonesty: Be dismissed from the college for the semester with F’s in all courses and loss of all current VFCC scholarships.

3.         The Academic Honesty Committee Chair will email the committee’s decision to all

             involved.