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  • What is Plagiarism?


    Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense:

    According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to "plagiarize" means:

    • to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
    • to use (another's production) without crediting the source
    • to commit literary theft
    • to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

    Plagiarism is an act of fraud and involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.


    Plagiarism and Collusion at Galveston College

    This information was taken from the Galveston College Student Handbook.

    8. Academic or scholastic dishonesty, cheating, and/or plagiarism shall constitute a violation of these
    rules and regulations. Academic dishonesty or scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be
    limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, willfully submitting false information with the intent
    to deceive, forgery, alteration of a document, or misuse of a college document.

    "Cheating" shall include, but not be limited to:

    1. Copying from another student's test paper.

    2. Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test.

    3. Sending or receiving unauthorized materials by electronic means.

    4. Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator.

    5. Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of tests, research papers, essays, research documents, or other documents.

    6. The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the unadministered test.

    7. Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one's self, to take a test.

    8. Bribing another person to obtain an un-administered test or information about an un-administered test.

    Plagiarism

    "Plagiarism" shall be defined as the appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any
    means another's work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one's own written work.


    Collusion

    This information was taken from the Galveston College 2020-2021 Student Handbook.

    "Collusion" shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for the fulfillment of course requirements. (When cheating, collusion, or plagiarism has occurred, the instructor may give the student or students involved a zero or "F" on a particular assignment or an “F” in the course.

    The instructor shall make a written report of the incident and of the planned action to his or her respective dean who in turn shall report the incident to the Vice President of Instruction and the Vice President of Student Services.

    Depending upon the seriousness of the academic misconduct, the instructor, the dean, and/or the Vice President of Instruction may refer the case to the Vice President of Student Services who shall take the matter up as a disciplinary matter. Depending upon the seriousness of the academic misconduct, the District may impose disciplinary sanctions, up to and including suspension and/or expulsion.) 


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