On Plagiarism

Plagiarism is literary burglary. At its worst, it involves an outright intent to deceive, to pass off another's work as one's own. More often, it is the result of carelessness or ignorance. But whether intentional or unintentional (the distinction is often hard to draw), plagiarism is always an error, and a serious one. (Stone and Bell 214)

Copyright laws exist to protect author's rights to their own ideas as well as their actual words. In addition, scholarly ethics demand that writers make accessible to their readers the research materials they have used to develop their written argument or presentation. Student writers are expected to observe at all times both the limits of the copyright laws and the ethics of scholarly research. To this end, all written work submitted in any course should be organized according to an original plan. Words taken from anyone else's work-spoken or written, in print or on line-must be quoted and cited; and ideas taken from someone else's work, whether paraphrased or summarized, must be cited as well.

While the purpose of any argument should be to express an original idea and point of view, it is often desirable for students to draw information or ideas from responsible sources and to use those ideas to support or enhance their own observations and conclusions. All quotations and borrowed material must properly credited to their sources.

Copying published material or borrowing the words of another person without acknowledging indebtedness constitutes plagiarism. SMU students who plagiarize may be subject to failure in the course and to any other disciplinary actions the Honor Council may impose.

Stone, Wilfred and J.G. Bell, Prose Style: A Handbook for Writers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968.