Plagiarism Policy

The Columbia College Academic Integrity Policy (AIP) covers all academic misconduct, but three common violations are cheating, plagaiarism, and facilitating violations of academic dishonesty.

Click here to see Columbia College AIP

CHEATING: “Misrepresenting or providing false information in any matter of academic achievement or work is cheating.

Examples of cheating include:

  • Unauthorized possession, copying or any sharing of exam questions or answers
  • Having another person take an exam
  • Using notes, books and the like in closed-book examinations
  • Presenting work done by others as one’s own
  • Fabrication of text, sources, or citations
  • Unauthorized altering of graded work after it has been returned, then submitting it for regrading
  • Signing another person’s name on an academic exercise or attendance sheet
  • Unauthorized collaboration on any assignments such as homework, take-home exams, or projects in which the instructor does not allow collaboration is cheating (It is the student’s responsibility to ascertain whether collaboration is permitted.)

PLAGARISM: Plagiarism is intellectual theft: the plagiarist presents work done by others as his or her own, in writing or orally. Plagiarism is the failure to properly and appropriately reference and acknowledge the ideas and words of others. This includes website material used in written, oral, or multi-media presentations.

 

Examples of plagiarism include:

Using direct quotation without the quotation marks or citation

  • Paraphrasing or making minor changes to an author’s words or style without proper citation
  • Insufficient acknowledgment of sources (partial citation)
  • Using the pattern, structure or organization of an author’s argument or ideas without proper citation
  • Failing to cite sources for uncommon facts or knowledge
  • Using text from work that was handed in for another course without the required permissions
  • Working with another student on a project but failing to put both names on the final product
  • Having someone else re-write or heavily edit a paper

FACILITATING VIOLATIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Any act which facilitates or encourages violations of academic integrity by another person is itself a violation of academic integrity.

Examples of facilitating violations of academic integrity include:

  • providing material, information, or other assistance to another person with knowledge that such aid could be used in any of the violations stated above
  • providing false information in connection with any inquiry regarding academic integrity