The University's definition of plagiarism applies in all colleges and programs unless a professional accreditation requirement imposes a more stringent standard. All academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research, analysis or self-expression. In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission.
When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording or content, data images, computer code, creative expression, analysis or other intellectual contributions from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, attribution or disclosure, the students are guilty of plagiarism.
Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work (including, but not limited to, a published article, a book, a website, computer code, a paper from a friend, digital media or other scholarly or creative work) without clear attribution. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter, revise or substantially contribute to the work which a student submits as their own, whoever that other person may be, except under specific circumstances (e.g., Writing Center review, peer review) allowed by the Instructor of Record or that person’s designee.
Plagiarism may also include double submission, self-plagiarism or unauthorized resubmission of one’s own work, or unauthorized use of artificial intelligence tool(s) to generate academic work, as defined by the instructor. Furthermore, the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence (AI) or other automated technologies to generate, revise, translate, paraphrase, analyze, code or otherwise produce academic work in a manner that misrepresents the student’s own intellectual contribution or violates course, program, college or institutional requirements. When disclosure or attribution of such use is required, failure to provide it may constitute plagiarism.
Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, except where prohibited by the Instructor of Record (e.g., individual take-home exams). However, the actual work must be done by the student, and the student alone, unless collaboration is allowed by the Instructor of Record (e.g., group projects). When a student's assignment involves research in outside sources or information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how they have employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must appropriately cite the passage to indicate its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in this policy shall apply to those ideas which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain.