Academic honesty is an important principle to ensure that all authors, including students, are acknowledged for their original expressions of ideas.

Instructors have a responsibility to demonstrate to students in their courses the difference between acceptable and unacceptable use of others' work. Students have a responsibility to ask their instructor for guidance whenever they are uncertain about the fair use of someone else's work.

Students, in submitting work, certify that the work is their own original work except that all information garnered from others whether quoted, summarized, or paraphrased has been appropriately cited. Dishonesty by failing to acknowledge the work of others constitutes plagiarism and is a serious offense. Normally, the penalty for plagiarism is a failure in the course. More serious penalties may also be invoked.*

In cases of plagiarism, instructors should also submit the Student Discipline: Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form.pdf to the Coordinator of Student Discipline for tracking or for disciplinary investigation.

Instructors should include the text of the above policy in their syllabi.

*Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Section 41301 notes that students may be "expelled, suspended, placed on probation, or given a lesser sanction for one or more of the following causes which must be campus related: 1. Cheating or plagiarism in connection with an academic program at a campus. . . ." (see "Student Rights & Responsibilities" section of the current Stanislaus State catalog).

Approved April 6, 2005

Updated: July 10, 2023