When students first begin their semesters, some things may go un-noticed. One thing that is the toughest for newer (or even returning) students, is the topic of plagiarism.Plagiarism is a High Risk-No Reward form of cheating. Plagiarism includes the following, according to the Student Code of Conduct, but are not limited to: “The submission of the work of someone else as one’s own individual work.

Copying, or allowing another student to copy; a computer file that contains another student’s assignment, and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one’s own.”

Another example is when a student takes a quote from an article that someone else had previously written, especially quotes taken from the internet.

A good way to avoid this problem is to reference the quote at the end of a paper that is completed.

To state how serious it could get, if an individual is caught cheating on their assignments via plagiarism, many sanctions may occur. According to the Student Code of Conduct – sanctions include:

College Warning: “College warning is an official notice to a student or recognized student organization that the conduct is in violation of the Student Code of Conduct and that the continuation of such conduct or action(s) may result in further disciplinary sanction.

Disciplinary Probation: “Disciplinary probation is a period of observation and review of conduct during which the student or recognized student organization must demonstrate compliance with College standards.

Termination: “Termination is an act of terminating a student’s enrollment at MATC and, as such, it means the student may no

longer participate in any MATC ativity or be on MATC property.

Remember to indicate resources when writing a paper; this will avoid any possible issues. (If an instructor doesn’t trust a certain quote, it will be easier for them to look at the resource to follow-up any possible questions they may have).

There are many resources that will help if there are questions on how to write a good, legitimate paper without cheating.

These places include the Library, Academic Center or Writing Center.