ACADEMIC HONESTY

We assume that any work handed in by a student is solely the work of that student unless specific alternative arrangements have been made with the teacher. Such exceptions might include a group project or an essay making proper use of secondary sources (see the following description of plagiarism).

We strongly discourage the use of summaries (such as SparkNotes or CliffsNotes) since we want students to arrive at their own points of view through active engagement with the literary texts themselves. In addition, we worry that use of such aids might lead to unintentional plagiarism.

A student will receive an “X” on any piece of work which violates the principle of academic honesty. He or she will be required to redo the assignment. In the Upper School, the resubmitted effort will receive a grade to be determined by the teacher and department chair in conjunction with the Academic Dean; in the Middle School, resolution of the case will be determined by the teacher and the Head of Middle School.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the appropriation of another’s words or ideas and the use of them as one’s own. For a full discussion of plagiarism, see Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference, pages 331-334. A few simple guidelines follow:

1) Direct quotation -- if the words of a source are used, those words must be in quotation marks and the source cited;

2) Paraphrase -- if the ideas of a source are summarized or paraphrased, no quotation marks are required, but a citation is needed to establish the identity of the source.

A Writer’s Reference presents full details of the proper forms for citation and bibliography on pages 327-378. It is important to note that, although plagiarism may occur unintentionally, perhaps through ignorance or carelessness, the writer’s intent is not the issue. The test for plagiarism is simply whether or not the words and/or ideas are the writer’s own or another’s. If further guidance is needed, please see your teacher.