RHS Plagiarism Policy

Definition - Plagiarism is a form of cheating and is the taking of another's words, thoughts or ideas and representing them as your own. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to the following:

1. using all or part of another's speech, paper or ideas as your own.
2. using a direct quote without citing the source.
3. copying a passage word for word and not using quotation marks.
4. substituting words or rearranging the phrasing of a passage without indicating that changes have been made.
5. rearranging the order of sentences or ideas from the original passage and presenting it as your own.
6. not acknowledging or documenting sources.

Teacher Copyright Issues

Fair use is very context-dependent, so only you can determine if your use is fair. You may want to consult with the school district's attorney jill.coyle@district196.org for further input. The University of Minnesota has developed an interactive Fair Use tool. This form does not substitute for personal consultation. The U of M adapted this tool with permission from Columbia University Libraries Copyright Advisory Office.

Student Copyright Issues

I found it on the Internet

Contrary to Popular Belief - it is NOT legal to copy an image from another Web site and place it onto your own Web site.

Who can give permission?

Only the owner of the work can give permission. Some sites may claim to be copyright free, however they may have taken the work from other sites. If the Web page creator never owned the rights to the image, he can not give the image away. (e.g. If there is an image of a Disney character on a web site, it is not a copyright-free image.)

What is Public Domain?

Public Domain is when copyright has expired and the work is available for public use.

Doesn't Copyright hamper creation of cool Web sites?

Just as good research papers can be written without plagiarizing, lively internet sites can be created without violating copyright rules. There are numerous collections and galleries of images, sound and video clips
available for public use or purchase.

Preventing Plagiarism

1. Talk to students about Plagiarism and give examples.

2. Discuss copyright and the Internet.

3. Clarify the distinction between plagiarism, paraphrasing and direct citation.

4. Teach bibliographic citations and the elements involved in all citations.

5. Schedule a variety of short in-class papers.
In class assignments help students develop their writing skills, and help you determine their abilities and obtain
a sample of their writing.

6. Make sure students know the criteria used to evaluate their performance.

7. Discourage fact based research assignments, and encourage inquiry or thesis-driven research.

8. Design topics that require new research, that stress thought and analysis, rather than recall.

9. Develop assignments/projects that require explanations, problem-solving, choices, decision-making and personal reflection.

10. Encourage students to develop open-ended questions about their topic, which enables them to formulate their own answers. (What, Why or How questions)

11. Use a note taking method of where black text signifies the ideas of others and red text signifies their own ideas.

12. Structure assignments so there are various deadlines.

13. Require students to turn in a thesis statement/abstract; annotated bibliography and an outline.

14. Have students bring in their sources, books, or photocopies of cited references.

15. Require students to submit drafts.