Plagiarism Sensitisation Document

Academic integrity is extremely important and an integral part of coursework at the Virtual University of Pakistan. Plagiarism is a serious offence to academic integrity; it is academic theft and dishonesty. It is essential that academic integrity procedures and policies are respected and practised at all times.

• Do share ideas with one another
• Do consult books, journals, magazines, internet sources as much as possible
• Do take care in downloading sources and taking notes
• Do use sources wisely and fairly
• Do take great care to distinguish your own ideas and knowledge from information derived from sources
• Do place quotations properly within quotation marks and cite them fully
• Do acknowledge paraphrased material completely
• Do expect to make mistakes managing and citing sources. Do expect to correct them
• Do learn the myriad rhetorical purposes that including and citing sources can serve
• Do have fun with sources, think of using them as weaving, building, playing with blocks, or any other metaphor that you associate with "taking what's at hand and making something of it”
• Do discover an argument so you have a distinctive voice in your own assignment/paper, and are not overwhelmed and intimidated by sources
• Do develop and assert your own ideas and beliefs – to think for yourself. But at the same time do engage the thinking of others, to place your own writing within the context of academic discourse by using and criticizing arguments from that discourse
• Do use the word processor to help you manage sources (for example, put sources you are quoting or paraphrasing in a different font and font color until the final draft so you don't accidentally forget they came from some other writer)
• Do observe the practice of careful record-keeping. Always write down the author, title and publication information (including the URL and other identifying information for web pages) so you can attach names and dates to specific ideas later while writing your assignment or paper
• Do learn to like your writing; even when it is bad, hand it in any way, and know we will always find something to like about it.
• Do learn how to write in your own style. Writing is a valuable exercise that tests your ability to explain a topic
• Do consult your instructor if you are in any doubt about the preparation of academic work before the work is prepared or submitted
• Do consult us (i.e. your instructors) whenever you have a question about the course, are feeling overwhelmed, or unhappy with an assignment or your work; we can discuss and find a way to make things work

Plagiarism includes lifting information (text or graphics) from an original source without quotation marks (in the case of text), reference, or acknowledgement, as well as paraphrasing without reference or acknowledgement to the original source.

Applying, analysing, criticising or quoting other people’s work is perfectly reasonable and acceptable provided you always:

Attempt to summarise or restate another person’s work, theories or ideas and give acknowledgement to that person. This is usually done by citing your sources and presenting a list of references.

Or

By always using quotation marks (or indenting lengthy quotations in your text) to distinguish between the actual words of the writer and your own words. Once again, you should cite all sources and present full details of these in your list of references

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

• Collusion without official approval between two or more students, with the result that identical, or near identical work, is presented by all those involved
• Copying another person’s work, including the work of another student (with or without their consent), and claiming or pretending it is your own
• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not
• Buying a paper, or turning in a paper written by someone else 
• Paraphrasing someone else without giving credit
• Copying and pasting text from a web site without quotation marks and appropriate citation

•  Whenever you are citing a source, you are actually strengthening your writing
• Citing a source, whether paraphrased or quoted, reveals that you have performed research work and synthesised the findings into your own argument
• Using sources shows that you are engaged in "the great conversation," the world of ideas, and that you are aware of other thinkers' positions on the topic. By quoting (and citing) writers who support your position, you add strength to the position
• By responding reasonably to those who oppose the position, you show that there are valid counter arguments
• Appropriate quoting and citing also evidences your respect for the creators of ideas and arguments--honoring thinkers and their intellectual property 
• Giving due credit and acknowledgement to others work adds to your credibility and demonstrates that you know what is going on in your field of study
• Letting your reader know exactly which authorities you rely on is an advantage. It shows that you have done your research and that you are well acquainted with the literature on your topic
• Giving proper citation and referencing is also a courtesy to your readers because it helps them consult the material you have found.  That is especially important for Internet sources
• In a nutshell, citing helps make the assignment stronger and sounder and will probably result in a better grade.

You are in University to get an education, to prepare for a better career, and subsequently a more productive life. All the assignments, reports and projects that take so much time, give you a chance to develop and strengthen critical thinking and evaluative skills that enable you to make decisions.

Copying, cheating or plagiarizing short circuits a number of learning experiences and opportunities for the development of skills: actually doing the work of the research paper or assignment rather than counterfeiting it gives you not only knowledge of the subject and insights into the world of information and controversy, but improves research skills, thinking and analyzing, organizing, writing, planning and time management, and even meticulousness (those picky citation styles actually help improve one's attention to detail).  All this is missed when the assignment is faked, and it is these missed skills which will be of high value in the working world.  A degree will help you get a first job, but performance - using the skills developed by doing the given rigorous assignments will be required for promotion. If you cheat, you rob yourself of a learning opportunity and make yourself less prepared when you get out in the real world. So, in the long run, plagiarism even hurts the cheater. 

• The responsibility for learning the proper forms of citation lies with the individual student. (Refer to the Academic Integrity Tutorial links)
• It is the responsibility of students to learn the craft of scholarly referencing and to accurately cite the work of others in their own assignments.
• Students are expected to be familiar with the plagiarism sensitization document.
• If you have any questions at any time about whether something that you are considering might involve an instance of plagiarism, please consult with your instructor before you act.

The following is a list of useful websites providing online interactive tutorials on academic integrity. You will visit all of them to get familiar with plagiarism, citation, referencing, proper quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing etc. In most of the following websites quizzes and tests are given to check your understanding. Do attempt them. However, note that the academic integrity policy and rules given in the following websites do not apply to you. You are subjected to Virtual University Academic Integrity Policy.

There are numerous styles of citation and referencing, however, you are required to use APA citation style in all your assignments and coursework at Virtual University. In the following websites, focus on the APA style.

• You Quote It, You Note It! Acadia University
• Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism, Simon Fraser University
• Academic Integrity Tutorial, Brock University
• Test Yourself, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

• Bruin Success With Less Stress, University of California, Los Angeles
• Plagiarism: What It Is And How to Avoid It, Montgomery College, Maryland
• Quiz on Academic Integrity, University of Southern California
• Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory, University of Maryland University College
• How to Avoid Plagiarism, University of Maryland University College
• Understanding Plagiarism, Indiana University Bloomington
• A very helpful audio tutorial by UMUC on APA citation style
• University of Waterloo Academic Integrity Tutorial

• Plagiarism Tutorial, (UConn) brief introduction to basic citation practices
• How to Recognize Plagiarism, tests paraphrasing techniques

• Citing Sources, introduction to basic information
• Citation Machine, interactive citation tool for MLA and APA styles
• KnightCite, interactive citation tool for MLA, APA, and Chicago styles

Penalties exist to reassure honest students that their efforts are respected and valued, so much so that those who would escape the work by fakery will be punished substantially.

Virtual University of Pakistan has Zero Tolerance Policy as far as plagiarism is concerned. Strict action is taken in case plagiarism is detected including expulsion from the University.