- Please familiarize yourself with Cornell’s academic integrity code (see pamphlet “A Writer’s Responsibilities.”) Unintentional plagiarism results in an “F” for the paper. Intentional plagiarism results in an “F” for the course, or worse.
How to avoid the (unintentional) appearance of plagiarism.
- Make sure that all quotations from primary and secondary sources are always in quotation marks, and cite the source.
- Always cite sources for ideas that are not your own. If the source is a book not assigned in the course, a lecture, a conversation with a friend, or something said by another student in a discussion section, say so in a footnote or endnote.
- The papers in this course are not research papers -- they ask you only to think about material already assigned. So you do not need to consult readings other than those already assigned. (If you happen to have read something not assigned that you think is relevant, feel free to use it, but with a proper citation.)
- If someone has helped you with a paper(by reading it for clarity and grammar, or by listening to you talk about it), state in an acknowledgement who this person is, and just how she or he helped you. It is fine to get help, as long as your helper does not in any way write the paper for you, or provide you with the argument(s) of the paper. It is best to get help from someone who is not taking the course. Going to the Writing Center is also a good idea.