Plagiarism includes “taking over the ideas, methods, or written words of another, without proper acknowledgment”

and with the intent that these ideas, methods, or written words

“be taken as the work of the deceiver. It is theft of a special kind, for the true author still retains the original ideas and words, yet they are diminished as the author’s property; and a fraud is committed upon the audience that believes those ideas and words originated with the deceiver. Plagiarism is not limited to the academic community, but has perhaps its most pernicious effect in that setting. It is the antithesis of the honest labor that characterizes true scholarship and without which mutual trust and respect among scholars is impossible.”

  1. “Any discovery of suspected plagiarism should be brought at once to the attention of the affected parties” and when appropriate, to the proper acade0rities. It is unethical to file frivolous complaints that are intended primarily to harm the accused.
  2. “The gravity of a charge of plagiarism, by whomever it is made, must not diminish the diligence exercised in determining whether the accusation is valid.” Accusations of plagiarism should be brought forward discreetly to protect the rights of the accused and, “in all cases, themost scrupulous procedural fairness must be observed, and penalties must be appropriate to the degree of the offenses.”

Final decision of charge is taken by the head of the institution. In dealing with graduate students, professors must demonstrate by precept and example, the necessity of rigorous honesty in the use of sources and of respect for the work of others. The same expectations apply to the guidance of undergraduate students, with a special obligation to acquaint students new to the world of scholarly research with its standards and the importance of ensuring intellectual honesty.