Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

Students who are enrolled in an Athabasca University course such as Education 404: Law and Ethics in Education are considered to be responsible scholars. As such, they are expected to adhere rigorously to principles of intellectual integrity.

Plagiarism is a form of intellectual dishonesty in which another person’s work is presented as one’s own. Be certain that whenever you use a secondary source in your course work and assignments you reference your source in a consistent and logical manner. All direct quotes (quotations of any number of words from the original) and indirect quotes (paraphrased ideas) must be acknowledged. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and, as with other forms of academic misconduct, will be penalized. Penalties may take the form of rejection of the submitted work; expulsion from the examination, the course, or the program; or legal action, depending on the specific nature of the infraction.

Dutiful citation of quotes and paraphrased material does not mean you can write an assignment by stringing together a series of quotes or paraphrased ideas. You should always try to summarize or describe someone else’s ideas in your own words. If you present your own ideas or opinions, provide substantiated evidence or arguments for your position.

All assignments submitted for this course must be original work. The use of assignments from previous courses or from other students is considered a form of cheating and will be subject to discipline for academic misconduct.

For more information on this important matter, you may wish to contact Athabasca University to obtain a brochure about intellectual honesty. This material can be ordered by phone: 1-800-788-9041 (ext. 6286), by email at services@athabascau.ca, or by visiting the AU website at www.athabascau.ca.

Note: The Athabasca University online Calendar and the AU website contain important policies for students. You are responsible for examining the following three polices in particular, as they affect you and your role as an Athabasca University student:

• the “Non-Academic Misconduct Policy”
• the “Academic Misconduct Policy”
• the “Student Academic Appeals Committee Policy” (also called the “Academic Appeals Policy”)

Links to these policies are provided though the myAU portal. Click on the “Student Services” tab at the top of your myAU web page. Links to the above policies appear in the “Policies & Standards” section on the bottom, right-hand side of this page. You are encouraged to review all of the policies on this list.