Plagiarism

The following information is in the student handbook:

Plagiarism What is it?

It is claiming someone else’s ideas, words or information as your own.

Why is it wrong?

Taking someone else’s ideas without acknowledging them is a form of stealing.

What is the consequence for plagiarism at College Heights?

Plagiarism will not be accepted by subject teachers. Students will be encouraged by all teachers to strive toward avoidance of plagiarism. All borrowed work must be documented before it is accepted. Student appeals may be made to the subject head of the department or the Principal.

How can plagiarism be avoided?

The library provides handouts to help students give correct credit for work borrowed. Read through the material you are using for research, put the material away, then write down your notes. Any fact or idea you need to see again before writing must be footnoted since it is neither your own or something so well known that it may be considered “common knowledge”. Anything you have paraphrased must be footnoted.

Do I have to give credit for every fact?

Probably not. If the fact is something every secondary school students should know, such as the capital of Canada, then you do not need to footnote. If the fact is something most people would know, such as the date of James’ I wedding or the name of Henry VIII’s favourite wife then do cite the source of your information. Try to remember where you found the information. If you can remember a specific book, article, interview or other source, then it may well be that the information in not of the generally-known sort which is called “common knowledge”. If you are still in doubt, ask your teacher or librarian.

What if I put someone else’s ideas in my own words?

You still need to use a footnote or endnote to indicated that the ideas are not your own. Paraphrasing, rewording another’s work is still plagiarism unless you acknowledge that the language or ideas are not your own.

Note: This handout has been adapted from a University of Michigan Undergraduate Library publication and the P.G. Reid Resource Centre publication.

College Heights Policy

Any incidents of plagiarism will be reported to the office and students will be required to re-do the work.