A Note about Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the dishonest use as one’s own of another’s words, thoughts, ideas or organization. Honest work in no way precludes using another’s work; it simply requires that in all instances of such use be properly acknowledged. Plagiarism results when a student copies from another student’s paper or from books and other print or online sources and fails to acknowledge such borrowing. Whether source materials are quoted directly or are paraphrased, all such borrowing must be acknowledged clearly in the final paper or oral report through the use of footnotes or source tags. If a student discovers that s/he has made a mistake in acknowledging sources in a paper already submitted, s/he should make this error know to the instructor. A plea of ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse by the Graduate Council for Professional and Academic Integrity.

As the educational purpose of papers differs from classroom to classroom, it is the joint responsibility of the instructor and the student to clarify what constitutes plagiarism in keeping with the purposes outlined for a particular paper of project. Each instructor should state specifically the extent and limits of available sources students may employ in writing his/her paper. A student who is uncertain about an assignment and sources to be used should consult with the instructor for clarification before completion of the paper.

The College reserves the right to make violations of federal, state or local law by its students a matter for consideration and action of the Graduate Council for Professional and Academic Integrity. In addition, misconduct by Meredith students while on other college or university campuses maybe cause for Graduate Council for Professional and Academic Integrity action. The College may suspend students awaiting court hearings of felony violations.