Plagiarism and Other Academic Offenses
The University has already provided every student with a copy of the Code of Behaviour, which all students are expected to read; it is therefore always presumed that you know what counts as an academic offense. As a reminder, the following all count as academic offenses:
(1) The use of secondary sources without acknowledgement.
(2) The copying of a complete essay from a secondary source.
(3) The use of bought essays or of those obtained from a previous student in the course.
(4) The submission, without the instructors' express permission, of the same piece of work to obtain credit in more course.
(5) The re-submission of term tests after marking with the alteration of a mark or the insertion of the correct answer with the claim that the test was incorrectly marked.
(6) The co-opting of another student's work as if it were one's own, or the personation of another student in connection with academic work.
(7) The submission of academic work containing a concocted reference.
(8) The use of cell phones or other electronic aids during an exam.
For further information, consult the Code of Behaviour and pp. 58-59 of the
Undergraduate Bulletin. (1) - (3) are academic offenses that fall under the label 'plagiarism'. The reason these are regarded as academic offenses is (A) they diminish the quality of your education; (B) they subject other students to unfair conditions.
They are all taken very seriously.
The following are answers to a few frequently asked questions:
What if I didn't know that something was an academic offense? As noted above, every student is presumed to have read the relevant information on academic offenses; ignorance is not regarded as a sufficient excuse.
Does the TA or instructor determine whether an academic offense has been committed? The instructor investigates the matter and, if evidence confirms that an academic offense was committed, files a report. The ultimate determination, and any sanction that may go with it, is determined by University tribunals. This is for your protection (to guarantee fairness), but it also represents the seriousness with which the University regards these issues. (As noted above, this is a very serious matter; when you plagiarize or engage in any other academic offense, you have committed an offense not against the instructor but against the University and the Department of Philosophy.) Except in very unusual circumstances, no report is filed before the instructor has met privately with the student as a part of the investigation.
Should I cite everything that comes from a published work? You should cite in
any case in which you are actually quoting or paraphrasing a published work. You do not need to cite commonly known information; any style manual will give you examples of the sort of things that are included under this label, but if you are in doubt, cite just to be sure. As a side issue it is worth noting that in any philosophy paper, a considerable portion of the work should be your own independent reasoning; if you are just paraphrasing someone else, you are not doing enough. All students are expected to have the basic writing skills required for completing the coursework. If you need further tips on particular issues about academic writing,
Writing at the University of Toronto provides a number of helpful resources.
What form of citation should you use for citing sources? For the purposes of this course, any form of citation is acceptable if it provides the essential information and is reasonably clear and consistent. If a particular assignment requires a special form of citation, students will be notified.
Are the rules for taking a non-final exam the same as those for taking a final exam? While these exams are less formally organized than formal final exams, the same rules apply to each, particularly with regard to academic offenses. Students should not have any electronic devices on their desk, in their pencil cases, or on their person. This includes cell phones. Please keep in mind that violation of this rule is treated as an academic offense. All students should bring their student ID to exams; students
must be able to provide evidence that they, and not someone else, are present at a particular exam.