Plagiarism is defined in the Fontbonne Student Handbook as “using another writer’s ideas or expressions without adequate acknowledgment.” The handbook also states that “there is no more important value than academic honesty, which requires that words and ideas scholars present as their own are truly their own.” In accordance with the policies of the Department of English and Communication, any plagiarized writing will fail. Some instructors may have stronger penalties, including failing the course.
Our hope is that no Fontbonne student would ever consider turning in a plagiarized essay. On the rare occasions when a student commits plagiarism, it strikes at the heart of the educational process. It interferes with the instructor’s efforts, undermines the quality of the college environment, and places other students at a disadvantage. It violates the trust that unites the college community. Plagiarism is an offense that all of the faculty, staff, and students at Fontbonne should take very seriously.
In Fontbonne University courses, a student has committed plagiarism if any of the following conditions apply:
- all or any part of the work (including factual material, phrases, or sentences) was copied from another source without acknowledgement;
- all or any part of the work was written by someone else;
- the author has paraphrased material without acknowledgment;
- the author has had significant outside help with planning or editing the essay, to the point where it is of a different quality from the work that he or she would have accomplished without the help.
Other forms of cheating, such as turning in an essay written for another course without the instructor’s consent, will also result in failure. See the entire University Policy at left.