Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism

Students are subject to the provisions in the “Code of Student Conduct” (copies located in: Student Affairs, Room 106 Newton Hall, Office of Student Life, Room 3034 Ohio Union or online at https://studentlife.osu.edu/) and also the Professional Standards (The OSU CON Student Handbook). Failure to comply with these policies will be handled as outlined in the respective documents.

Academic Misconduct is defined as “any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University or subvert the educational process.”  (Code of Student Conduct, Section 3335-23-04-A). Examples of academic misconduct include forgery, collusion, plagiarism, not following course guidelines, copying the work of another student, acting as a “ringer,” asking a student to act as a “ringer,” attempting to change a course grade, submission of work not performed in a course, and possession and/or use of unauthorized materials.

Note that Ohio State faculty are required to report all instances of suspected academic misconduct (e.g. cheating on exams or plagiarism) and that the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) must investigate all reported cases. The COAM investigates and adjudicates cases of suspected academic misconduct through an educational hearing process and determines suitable disciplinary action when appropriate. The COAM reviews evidence and determines if a student is “in violation” of the University’s Code of Student Conduct. If the student is found to be in violation of the Code, a sanction may be imposed that is commensurate with the nature of the violation and the student’s past disciplinary record. The sanctions are of two types. Disciplinary sanctions include formal reprimand, disciplinary probation, suspension, and dismissal. Grade sanctions include no penalty, authorize a ‘0’ on assignment, authorize a lower final course grade, authorize an ‘E’ in the course, or a combination of the above.

One of the most common and misunderstood types of academic misconduct is plagiarism, so it is appropriate to more clearly define it here. Simply stated, plagiarism is the act of using the ideas and/or the expressions of another and representing them as your own. It is a kind of cheating, and thus a form of academic misconduct. Plagiarism can take several forms. The most obvious form is a word-for-word copying of someone else’s work, in whole or in part, without acknowledgment, whether that work is a magazine article, a portion of a book, a newspaper piece, something cut and pasted from an internet site, another student’s essay, or any other composition not your own. Any such verbatim use of another’s work must be acknowledged by (1) enclosing all such copied portions in quotation marks and by (2) giving the original source either in the body of your essay or in a footnote or literature cited section. Generally, but not always, it is best to use quotes sparingly in your written work. There are notable exceptions in some fields (e.g. English), where quoting text is necessary. Your professors will instruct you on the proper use of quoted material, as it varies from discipline to discipline.

A second form of plagiarism is the unacknowledged paraphrasing of the structure and language of another person’s work. Changing a few words of another’s composition, omitting a few sentences, or changing their order does not constitute original composition and therefore can be given no credit. If such borrowing or paraphrase is ever necessary, the source must be scrupulously indicated by footnotes or in the body of your essay.

Still another form of plagiarism is more difficult to define. It consists of writing a theme based solely on the ideas of another. Even though the language is not the same, if the thinking is clearly not your own, then you have committed plagiarism. If, for example, in writing a theme you reproduce the structure and progression of ideas in an essay you have read, or a speech you have heard, you are not engaging your own mind and experience enough to claim credit for writing your own composition.

Plagiarism via the internet is becoming one of the most common forms that we see today. Search engines make it easy for students to find information on the internet, and the temptation to use this information directly is hard to resist. The same search engines and anti-plagiarism software make it just as easy for the instructor to detect plagiarism. Unfortunately, this is an easy trap for students to fall into.

Producing original work is not an easy task, but that is one of the things that you are here to learn. The Ohio State faculty is eager and willing to help you learn how to produce original work, and how to introduce the ideas and works of others into your own work. Please follow the instructions that they offer, and do not hesitate to consult with them when you have questions regarding your work. Additionally, you may seek help from the OSU Center for the Study of Teaching and Writing on the Columbus campus with any stage of your writing project.