Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty Policy

The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources. The Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments. An equally dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth. Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course.

This statement should be included on all English and Philosophy course syllabi. Students should be informed of this policy by the instructor in their course.

The current department policy re: the reporting of plagiarism in our classes:

  • Thoroughly document (to the best of your ability) the plagiarism, attaching the source from which material is inappropriately used if possible.
  • Discuss the situation with the student and inform her/him of your action (which must be in keeping with the policy posted on your syllabus).
  • Forward copies of the materials, including a narrative summary of your conversation with the student, to Susan Holland for department files and the VPAA’s office for the list of students who have plagiarized maintained in that office.
  • Forwarding materials to these places does NOT mean that you wish for action beyond your own decisions re: penalty to be taken. Rather, the materials allow an ongoing record of the problem with academic dishonesty to be kept here in the department and beyond, at the institutional level.

The University policies for handling Academic Dishonesty are found in the following documents:

The Faculty Handbook, sections 207 and 208.0401
https://www.westga.edu/administration/vpaa/assets/docs/faculty-handbook.pdf

Student Uncatalogued: "Rights and Responsibilities"; Appendix J.
https://www.westga.edu/administration/vpsa/handbook.php