MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY POLICY ON PLAGIARISM

1	What is Plagiarism?

The Academic Senate in June 2001 approved policies and procedures to ensure that the University takes a consistent and equitable approach to plagiarism. The Senate adopted the following definition of plagiarism.

Definition: Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own. Any of the following acts constitutes plagiarism unless the source of each quotation or piece of borrowed material is clearly acknowledged.

a) copying out part(s) of any document or audio-visual material (including computer based material);

b) using or extracting another person's concepts, experimental results, or conclusions;

c) summarising another person's work;

d) in an assignment where there was collaborative preparatory work, submitting substantially the same final version of any material as another student.

Encouraging or assisting another person to commit plagiarism is a form of improper collusion and may attract the same penalties which apply to plagiarism.

Opportunities and temptations for plagiarism have increased with the spread of internet access. Plagiarism is a serious threat to the teaching and accreditation process, and seriously undermines the collegial and ethical principles which underpin the work of a University

2	The Dangers of Plagiarism and How to Avoid it

The integrity of learning and scholarship depends on a code of conduct governing good practise and acceptable academic behaviour. One of the most important elements of good practise involves acknowledging carefully the people whose ideas we have used, borrowed, or developed. All students and scholars are bound by these rules because all scholarly work depends in one way or another on the work of others.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong in a student using the work of others as a basis for their own work, nor is it evidence of inadequacy on the student's part, provided they do not attempt to pass off someone else's work as their own.

To maintain good academic practice, so that a student may be given credit for their own efforts, and so that their own contribution can be properly appreciated and evaluated, they should acknowledge their sources and they should ALWAYS:

i	state clearly in the appropriate form where they found the material on which they have based their work, using the system of reference specified by the Division in which their assignment was set;

ii	acknowledge the people whose concepts, experiments, or results they have extracted, developed, or summarised, even if they put these ideas into their own words;

iii	avoid excessive copying of passages by another author, even where the source is acknowledged. Find another form of words to show that the student has thought about the material and understood it, but stating clearly where they found the ideas.

If a student uses the work of another person without clearly stating or acknowledging their source, the result is falsely claiming that material as their own work and committing an act of PLAGIARISM. This is a very serious violation of good practice and an offence for which a student will be penalised.

A STUDENT WILL BE GUILTY OF PLAGIARISM if they do any of the following in an assignment, or in any piece of work which is to be assessed, without clearly acknowledging their source(s) for each quotation or piece of borrowed material:

a	copy out part(s) of any document or audio-visual material, including computer-based material;

b	use or extract someone else's concepts or experimental results or conclusions, even if they put them in your words;

c	copy out or take ideas from the work of another student, even if they put the borrowed material in their own words;

d	submit substantially the same final version of any material as a fellow student. On occasions, a student may be encouraged to prepare their work with someone else, but the final form of the assignment must be their own independent endeavour.

3	Examples

The following are examples of plagiarism, scaled from the mildest to most serious offences, which may be collectively known as "the plagiarism continuum" (Walker, J., 1998, "Student Plagiarism in Universities: What Are We Doing About it?" Higher Education Research and Development, 17, 1, 89-105)

"Sham paraphrasing": Material copied verbatim from text and source acknowledged but represented as paraphrased.

"Illicit paraphrasing": Material paraphrased from text without acknowledgement of source.

"Other plagiarism": Material copied from another student's assignment with the knowledge of the other student.

"Verbatim copying": Material copied verbatim from text without acknowledgement of the source.

"Self-plagiarism" or "recycling": Same assignment submitted more than once for different courses.

"Ghostwriting": Assignment written by a third party and represented by student as own work.

"Purloining": Assignment copied from another student's assignment or other person's paper without the person's knowledge.

4	Procedures that will be followed in cases of suspected plagiarism

It is recognised that different kinds of plagiarism take place and require different approaches and procedures. However it is in the interests of natural justice for all parties to have a consistent set of procedures and penalties. The Academic Senate has approved the following procedures to be followed in cases of suspected plagiarism.

The level of intent to deceive and the extent of the plagiarism should be the principal criteria for determining penalties. For example, a deliberate intention to deceive and gain unwarranted advantage will attract severe penalties, as will copying essays and assignments in whole from other students or other sources.

The staff member who suspects an instance of plagiarism will report the situation to the convenor of the unit involved, or to the Head of Department (if the staff member in question is the convenor), or to any other person designated by the Head of Division as appropriate. After discussion, if the Chair agrees that the case warrants more than a warning, the student will be informed in writing of the nature of the complaint and given an opportunity to respond in writing. If the response indicates that there is a case to answer, it will be referred in writing to the Head of Division with a recommendation about a penalty.

The Head of Division may then call for further discussion, or sign off on the recommended penalty. This should be in writing.

Where the Head of Division feels the case is particularly serious or requires further investigation, the case may be referred to the Vice-Chancellor via the Registrar and Vice-Principal. The Vice-Chancellor may refer the case to the University Discipline Committee.

Under all circumstances where the Head of Division finds that plagiarism has occurred, a form recording this will be added to the student's file. The student will be given the opportunity to add a comment to the record and will be asked to sign the form. A copy of the form will also be given to the student.