Plagiarism

Have you been 'charged' with plagiarism in one or more of your assignments?
Have you heard of plagiarism but are not sure what it means exactly?

Plagiarism is covered under the University's Discipline Regulation as a form of Academic Misconduct and there are specific Plagiarism Procedures that the RMIT Plagiarism Policy deals with in addition to standard discipline regulations.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is defined as: "the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is your own" which can be in "written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data and oral presentations."

In other words, plagiarism can involve copying either word-for-word OR closely
paraphrasing from someone else without citing the source e.g. websites, books, journals, theses etc. Plagarism is also copying from computer files or works of art without acknowledging their source or creator, and piecing or joining together large quotations or slabs of text from other sources, while only including a few sentences of your own. It can also include copying work from another student or a friend, or submitting someone else's work as though it were your own.

RMIT's Plagiarism Policy also includes something called 'enabling' plagiarism: "assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy your own work."

What should I do if I am accused of plagiarism?

Book an appointment with a student rights officer. You will be required to attend a disclipinary hearing and you should go in with as much support as you can get. You have rights and we can help make sure that you are recieving them.

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