Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism occurs when words, ideas, judgments, images or data are copied and presented as if they were the writer’s own. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, plagiarists conceal the source of copied words, ideas, and/or images by not citing the real author’s or artist’s name. I know you know this, because you’ve already read material on plagiarism prior to being formally admitted to NYU and signed a document attesting to this fact.
Simply put: Do not copy other writers’ words and pretend they are yours by avoiding proper citation of sources. Do not panic at the last minute and buy a paper from someone. And please, do not convince yourself that your version of plagiarism will be so sophisticated I won’t notice. I make my living as an internet researcher, a writer, and an editor. It is my job to notice when someone’s writing tone seems inconsistent from one paragraph to the next (or even one sentence to the next), and ask questions when they are using vocabulary or ideas that seem to be a stretch given what I’ve seen of their writing thus far. If you’ve plagiarized, I’ll know, I’ll be able to prove it, and I won’t care why you did it. You will receive an F on the essay involved, and I will immediately report you to Academic Advising, where you risk failure of the course and expulsion from New York University.
If you’re unsure whether you’re plagiarizing, please ask me for guidance. Plagiarism is a serious breech of scholarly code of honor. It is also illegal. If it helps you when you are considering doing it at 4 am some morning a paper is due, remember that job recommendation again: Do you think I would risk my professional reputation recommending the sort of person who begins stealing other people’s work and claiming it as their own when they feel deadline pressured and panicked? No short-term grade is worth having your integrity questioned by people in a position to affect your long-term future.
Simply put: Do not copy other writers’ words and pretend they are yours by avoiding proper citation of sources. Do not panic at the last minute and buy a paper from someone. And please, do not convince yourself that your version of plagiarism will be so sophisticated I won’t notice. I make my living as an internet researcher, a writer, and an editor. It is my job to notice when someone’s writing tone seems inconsistent from one paragraph to the next (or even one sentence to the next), and ask questions when they are using vocabulary or ideas that seem to be a stretch given what I’ve seen of their writing thus far. If you’ve plagiarized, I’ll know, I’ll be able to prove it, and I won’t care why you did it. You will receive an F on the essay involved, and I will immediately report you to Academic Advising, where you risk failure of the course and expulsion from New York University.
If you’re unsure whether you’re plagiarizing, please ask me for guidance. Plagiarism is a serious breech of scholarly code of honor. It is also illegal. If it helps you when you are considering doing it at 4 am some morning a paper is due, remember that job recommendation again: Do you think I would risk my professional reputation recommending the sort of person who begins stealing other people’s work and claiming it as their own when they feel deadline pressured and panicked? No short-term grade is worth having your integrity questioned by people in a position to affect your long-term future.