Plagiarism Statement Agreement 2022-2023

Please read thoroughly and complete all sections of the form.

You can save and return to the form later, but all forms must be completed by 11pm on Sunday, September 4, 2022.

Academic integrity is of the utmost importance at Deerfield Academy and must be one of the guiding principles in the life of every student. At the core of academic integrity is a bond of trust between teacher and student.

By affixing your name to a piece of work, you are pledging that, unless properly cited, the work is entirely your own.

Academic dishonesty in all its various forms is a broad and complex set of issues, and no policy on academic integrity can list and describe every possible example. The Academy expects that each student will work to understand the complexity and to adhere to the highest standard of honesty.

If you have a doubt about the guidelines for academic integrity, you should discuss your questions with a teacher.

Deerfield expects you to understand and work within the guidelines described below. Violations of the letter or the spirit of these guidelines will be reported to the Dean of Studies and will be grounds for disciplinary action.

PLAGIARISM DEFINED

Plagiarism (Latin: plagiarius, kidnapper of a child) is the use of another person’s ideas or work without proper acknowledgement. If you need information about how to properly credit or document a source, consult the MLA Handbook.

If you are ever in doubt, document your source.

Plagiarism usually occurs in two forms. Examples of the first form include:

 Copying or gaining any advantage from another’s work during a test or examination;

 Copying an author’s text without the use of quotations marks;

 Using an author’s passages with occasional omissions or changes in wording without proper acknowledgement;

 Rearranging the words or sentences of one or more authors;

 Using an author’s argument or points from an argument and representing them as one’s own.

The source of the plagiarized material may, for instance, be another student’s paper, an encyclopedia, a scholarly text, or an internet site; the source does not change the degree or seriousness of the plagiarism.

The second form of plagiarism occurs when students receive unacknowledged help in preparing an assignment. Such outside help includes proofreading, editing and assistance from, but not limited to, parents, proctors, tutors, or classmates. While students are encouraged to discuss assignments with faculty and other students, the work should be a student’s own. Students occasionally benefit from cooperative and collaborative learning; however, when work is submitted by teams or individuals, each student must be able to independently explain and defend the claims and ideas presented and must acknowledge the collaboration.

**** Again, if you are in doubt, acknowledge any help you receive. ****

In order to ensure adherence to this policy and to resolve questions of authorship, the Academy reserves the right to electronically screen papers and other submitted work for authenticity.

A FAILING GRADE WILL BE ASSIGNED TO ANY WORK IN WHICH PLAGIARISM OCCURS.

LIBRARY USE:

In fairness to other users, and out of respect for the institution, library materials must be recognized as common and vital property of the academic community. Hence, all rules concerning the checking out of circulating materials and limitations on journals, magazines, newspapers, and reference materials must be observed. Any action which unfairly limits access to library resources, or any willful defacement or destruction of library materials, will be considered a serious breach of academic integrity.

Misuse of computers, the school’s network, or other information resources can constitute a serious breach of academic integrity, in addition to possibly violating other school rules such as harassment or vandalism.

Examples of misuse of technology which may constitute academic dishonesty include but are not restricted to the following:

• Gaining unauthorized access to any computer or computer system.

• Tampering with any files or data stored on an individual computer or on the network, especially when this impedes the academic work of others. This naturally includes any of the library’s computer systems.

• Vandalism of computer hardware including theft, damage or disfigurement, and manipulation of computer software, especially when this impedes the academic work of others.

SUBMISSION OF THE SAME WORK FOR TWO COURSES:

When a student submits work to a teacher in a course, the teacher expects that the work has been completed and submitted for credit only in that course. If a student attempts to submit the same work or substantially the same work in two different courses, this dual submission violates the teacher’s trust. Using the same assignment for credit twice is a shortcut which gives an unfair advantage to that student. Just as a writer cannot submit the same piece for publication in two separate magazines, a student cannot twice receive credit for a single assignment. A student is credited for completing a course only when they have met in good faith all the requirements of and for that course specifically.

In cases, however, where overlap between assignments in two different courses might lead the student to perform fruitful, inter-disciplinary work, the student may submit the same assignment for credit provided that the student obtain advance approval from both teachers. In this situation, the teachers might reasonably attach additional expectations that reflect the assignment fulfilling requirements for two courses. Likewise, when assignments in two courses seem redundant, both instructors might agree in advance to accept the same work for credit but, again, the teachers may decide to increase expectations regarding the length and scope of the assignment.

During any quiz, test, or examination, or graded work, students may not access any electronic or smart device unless explicitly allowed by their teacher or by a documented academic or medical accommodation. Prohibited devices include—but are not limited to—phones, tablets, computers, smart speakers, smart wearables (watches, glasses, headphones).

For more information and for your reference, please visit the Academic Affairs Office's Academic Integrity webpage.