Academic Honesty

• The Tutoring Resource Center adheres to WCSU’s Academic Honesty Policy, found in the undergraduate course catalog. We generally assume that the assignments, notes, or writing brought to us is the visiting student’s original work. If there are concerns with how and when research is cited, tutors do point out these concerns and explain the necessity for corrections.
• A follow-up visit to the WCSU Writing Center is strongly suggested for further help with citations (in MLA, APA, and Chicago) and proper paraphrasing.
• Peer tutors do not report suspected plagiarism or cheating to anyone outside of Library Services- Tutoring Resource Center. If a tutor/staff member feels that an assignment, report, paper, or notes are clearly not the work of the student present at the appointment, and the student resists re-working the potentially plagiarized elements of the assignment, that tutor may cancel the session at his or her sole discretion. From there the tutor will discuss the matter with the Coordinator.
• Peer tutors are not permitted to help tutees with mid-term, take-home, or final exams without the permission of the instructor. The instructor must email the Tutoring Resource Center Coordinator with approval beforehand.  

 

• Guidelines on Academic Integrity (per university catalogue):                      

  A student has an obligation to demonstrate honesty in carrying out his/her academic assignments. You may be found guilty of violating this obligation if you plagiarize or cheat.

  Definitions

  1. Plagiarism- Plagiarism is presenting the work of others as your own. The “work of others” includes any work bought or borrowed from another student as well as work copied from a book, magazine, newspaper or other medium. Participation in another’s act of plagiarism is itself an act of plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism, follow this advice from a research paper guide: “You should cite the source of every idea you have learned or formulated from your reading, whether you express the idea in your own words or quote the author directly. The use of two or more consecutive words from a source, when those words express the essence of a writer’s idea or involve distinctive phrasing, is considered a direct quotation and requires the use of quotation marks.” Any material used from another source, whether quoted or paraphrased, must be footnoted.
  2. Cheating- If you use material other than those approved by the instructor when taking a test, or if you give or receive information during an examination, you are guilty of cheating.

• Additional Resources on Academic Honesty- Cheating and/or Plagiarism can be found under our Student Resources