Our purpose in the classroom is to seek the truth; this work requires trust
and honesty between teacher and student. If we are not honest about what we know
and don't know, our learning will always be impaired. Because our teaching and
learning depends on this honest communication, we expect all students to
understand what plagiarism is and why it is unacceptable.
Plagiarism means taking someone else's ideas or words and presenting them as
one’s own. The offense can take many forms including cheating on a test, passing
in a paper taken from the Internet or from another student, or failing to
properly use and credit sources in an essay. Sometimes the issue is subtle,
involving getting too much help on an assignment from someone else. In every
instance, plagiarism means cheating both oneself and the owner of the source.
Since the cheating sabotages a student’s learning experience, consequences range
from no credit for the assignment to failure for the course and possible
expulsion from the college.
Any student considering plagiarism should recognize the consequences and
consider alternatives. Students uncertain about what constitutes
plagiarism may request help from faculty or from appropriate college services.
For information on using sources in writing, see the Academic Honesty section of
the English Department web site: http://www.qcc.mass.edu/english
.