What is Plagiarism?
November 28, 2014
Generally speaking, plagiarism means you take someone else’s work or ideas and pass them off as your own. Also known as cheating or copying, plagiarism is not allowed at schools in the United States. This is because colleges and universities value honesty and academic integrity from their students. The institutions strive to evaluate students based on the merits of their own work and ideas. However, as the exact meaning of plagiarism differs not only from country to country, but also from school to school, it can be an unfamiliar concept to international students. Here is what you need to know.
Plagiarism.org considers the following to be plagiarism:
• To submit someone else's work as your own,
• To copy words or ideas from someone else without giving credit, and
• Failure to put a quote or excerpt in quotation marks.
When you write a paper or work on an assignment that requires research, remember to give credit or cite the original author or source from the information you used. Plagiarism is easy to avoid if you follow the citation guidelines identified by your school or professor.
U.S. colleges and universities have strict rules against plagiarism. Punishment for cheating or plagiarizing can range from receiving a failing grade, to suspension or even removal from school. Remember, to maintain your F or M student status you must make normal academic progress and enroll in a full course of study. So, talk to your designated school official (DSO) about your school’s policies to fully understand the rules and avoid any potential acts of plagiarism.
Read our Campus Resources: Where to Go for Information for helpful resources to use while you study in the States. Your DSO, academic advisor and the SEVP Response Center are available to help you maintain your status and answer questions.