Academic Integrity All institutions of higher education have policies regarding academic honesty. Please read the policy we have at Roxbury Community College: Roxbury Community College values academic honesty. Dishonesty such as plagiarism on academic assignments provides grounds for disciplinary action. Cheating occurs when a student does not do his or her own work. Examples: Copying from another student’s exam or other assignment, or allowing another person to copy from your examination or other assignment.

Unauthorized collaboration or the use of unauthorized materials during an examination. Taking an exam for another person. The college accepts the American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of plagiarism as follows: the use of the ideas, works, data or writings of another as your own without properly acknowledging the source or sources of these ideas, works, data or writings.

Examples: Quoting from a published work without using quotation marks and without identifying the author. Using ideas and information from another person’s work without acknowledging the source, even if the exact words are not copied. In order to avoid unintentional plagiarism, students should familiarize themselves with the mechanics of documentation styles recommended by their professor or one of the following styles: MLA, APA, or Chicago Handbooks explaining these styles are on reserve in the library.

The class instructor, as outlined in the course syllabus, administers discipline for a first offense. The Provost will be notified of subsequent offenses that may warrant sanctions in accordance with Roxbury Community College’s Student Code of Conduct.

Intellectual Property What is Intellectual Property? Ask Jeeves, and he will tell you: noun: intangible property that is the result of creativity (such as patents or trademarks or copyrights) Intellectual property includes video, music, books, periodicals, internet articles, etc.

Intellectual Property Intellectual Property refers to the creations of the mind, including such things as: artistic works, literary works, inventions, names, images, symbols, and designs used in commerce. In other words, the intellect that is the possession of an organization or an individual is considered intellectual property. Intellectual property is divided into two categories, copyrights and industrial property. Copyrights give the authors of an exclusive work, exclusive rights to that work for a limited amount of time. Copyrights cover such literary and artistic works as novels, poems, plays, films, songs and other musical works, artistic works (drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs) and architectural designs. Copyrights, which must be renewed periodically, allow the creators of a piece of work, the opportunity to benefit from that piece of work. Industrial property includes patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source. Patents give the inventors of a new product, a certain (limited) amount of time in which he/she may prevent others from making, selling, or using the invention without authorization. A trademark is an intellectual property protection which is used to protect the distinctive features that distinguish one product from another. Those features can include such things as: symbols, colors, brands, names, sounds, smells, shapes, and signs. Intellectual property laws benefit the creator of a property, by rewarding that creator for his/her innovation and creativity. Also, society benefits from intellectual property laws, by the fact, that these laws encourage creativity therefore allowing the rest of us to benefit from the wide range of products and services that are produced. Any violation of a trademark, patent, or copyright could constitute the grounds for an intellectual property lawsuit. If you feel that you have been victimized, and that you have a legitimate intellectual property lawsuit claim, it would be wise to consult a qualified attorney in your area. Find an attorney or law firm which specializes in intellectual property law. Submit your claim to Baldwin & Baldwin and they will be able to tell you if you have a legitimate claim. http://www.hugesettlements.com/articles/Intellectual_Property.htm

What you should know as a member of the academic community: We all benefit from the research and creativity of others. We often use this research and creativity to expand on our own ideas or to develop new ideas. However, credit must be given to any idea that originated in someone else’s work. Trying to make our reader think that the idea was our own is called plagiarism.

How can we avoid plagiarizing? Plagiarism can be avoided by using some of the following techniques: Paraphrasing: using your own words, restate what another author has written, giving credit in your text and in a Bibliography or Works Cited page to that author. Example: According to Ann Raimes, students should make sure that they understand the assignment and organize themselves by setting up a workable schedule (79).

Summarizing Finally, you may use someone else’s ideas by summarizing them, remembering to give credit to the author. There are several steps students should take in writing a research paper, among which are organizing, note taking, developing a thesis, and writing drafts (Raimes 80-81).

You can quote . . . Quoting uses direct speech, whether spoken or written. Research papers almost always include quotes from authoritative sources: Example: Raimes cautions students to “acknowledge all your sources” (81).

Reviewing: Plagiarism is not accepted at any college or university. Students who plagiarize will be disciplined according to the school’s stated policy. The responsibility to maintain academic integrity is yours. Familiarize yourself with appropriate methods of documenting your sources.

I have attended a Plagiarism Workshop at the Writing Center and understand the policies of Roxbury Community College as well as my responsibility to maintain academic honesty. _______________________ ________________ Student’s Signature Date