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Handbook » Honesty Policy

Honesty Policy

Plagiarism is a form of cheating.  Copying from someone else and presenting it as your own work is dishonest.  This can have serious consequences for you and your grade.  If you allow someone else to use your work, you will suffer the consequences.

What constitutes cheating?

  • Allowing someone to copy your homework or class work and turn it in as theirs.
  • Looking at another person’s paper while taking a quiz or test.
  • Copying someone’s research without giving that person credit.
  • Copying from the electronic library sources without giving credit.
  • Using material from the internet without giving credit.
  • Doing someone’s work for them and letting them take credit for your efforts.
  • Violating copyright laws.

What should you do?

  • If you are quoting (copying directly from background reading sources), copy the words exactly as they appear on the page and put quotation marks around them.  People will then know which words are yours and which words belong to an “official source.”  Make sure to include a parenthetical citation to identify the source.
  • You may read through material and ask yourself, “What is the main idea?”  Once you have identified the main idea, instead of quoting the material directly, you can paraphrase the material by writing it in your own words, explaining it as you go along.  You still have to give the author credit for the information by including a parenthetical citation identifying the source.  Whether you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing, failure to give proper credit to the author constitutes plagiarism.
  • For the final paper, it is important to list the sources you have used in your paper on the Works Cited page.  If it is a source you consulted for ideas but did not use in your paper, then that source should appear on a Works Consulted page.

What will happen if I do not follow this policy?

  • I can get a zero for the assignment.
  • I can be denied the opportunity to do the work over.
  • I can expect a phone call home from the teacher.
  • In the case of a major assignment, it could radically affect my grade.
  • My counselor will be notified.
  • Chapter 19, Class D offense subject to administrative consequences.

Cheating and Plagiarism

Plagiarism and Cheating violate the School-Wide Behavior Expectations of Hilo High School in that a student fails to demonstrate citizenship and respect for oneself and the rights and property of others.

Examples of Plagiarism include:

  • Taking someone else’s assignment or portion of an assignment and submitting it as your own;
  • Submitting material written by someone else without giving proper credit to the author or source;
  • Submitting papers written by someone else and found on the Internet as your own;
  • Providing your own work to someone else to be used as their own.

Examples of Cheating include:

  • Copying any assignments written by someone else and claiming them as your own work;
  • Taking credit for group work when you have not contributed an equal or appropriate share toward the final result;
  • Accessing a test or quiz for the purpose of determining the questions in advance;
  • Using summaries and commentaries such as Cliffs Notes or Spark Notes in lieu of reading the assigned materials.

 

Avoid plagiarism by always giving credit to your sources.  Place quotation marks around direct quotations along with author’s name.  Credit author for summaries and paraphrases not written in your own words.