Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty: Understanding Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Technology is changing all the time. Recently, a number of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as Chat GPT or similar products, have become available on the internet. It is academic fraud to use of artificial intelligence to respond to an assignment. For example, submitting an AI-generated essays or AI-solved math problems as your own is generally considered academic dishonesty. Using AI to generate any part of an assignment and pass it off as your own violates the spirit of academic and intellectual honesty. Please see Moorpark College's Academic Dishonesty policy, in the box to the right, updated in the 2023-24 college catalog to include statements about AI.  

Plagiarism Examples

There are many ways you can plagiarize. Below are actions that constitute plagiarism:

• Turning in a paper someone else wrote​
• Resubmitting a paper you turned in from the past
• Paraphrasing without giving credit
• Copying and pasting from the internet
• Buying or downloading a paper online
• Using someone else’s words or ideas without adding a citation

Consequences of Plagiarizing

If you plagiarize, you may face these consequences:

• Letter grade mark down for the assignment
• Failing grade for the assignment
• Letter grade mark down for the course
• Failing grade in the course
• Suspension or expulsion

Plagiarism Definition

Plagiarize: "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source." - Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Moorpark College Catalog 2023-24 Academic Honesty Policy (Updated references to artificial intelligence, or AI, bolded by the librarians for your convenience; if you are using the PDF file of the 2023-24 catalog, this information can be found on pages 473-474.)

Academic Dishonesty

Moorpark College takes academic honesty very seriously. Instructors, accordingly, have the responsibility and authority for dealing with instances of cheating or plagiarism that may occur in their classes. Such activities could include stealing tests, using “cheat sheets,” using unauthorized technology, copying off another’s test, or turning in someone else’s work as his/her own. Instructors have the responsibility to report instances of plagiarism or cheating to the Dean of Student Engagement. Academic dishonesty, in any form, is a violation of the Moorpark College Student Code of Conduct as outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities section and, as such, is subject to investigation, charges of misconduct, and disciplinary consequences.

It is the belief at Moorpark College that students share a responsibility with their instructors for assuring that their education is honestly attained. In keeping with this belief, every instructor has the responsibility and authority to deal with any instances of plagiarism, cheating and/or fabrication that occur in the classroom. Examples of academic dishonesty include (but are not limited to) the following:

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work as one's own. Examples include:

• Copying and pasting text from websites or other electronic sources and presenting it in an assignment as your own original work
• Copying and pasting text from printed sources (including books, magazines, encyclopedias or newspapers) and presenting it in an assignment as your own original work
• Using another student's work and claiming it as your own original work (even if you have the permission of the other student).

Cheating

Cheating is the act of pretending (or helping others to pretend) to have mastered course material through misrepresentation. Examples include:

• Copying in whole or in part from another student's test or paper
• Allowing another student to copy from your test or assignment
• Using the textbook, course handouts, or notes during a test without instructor permission
• Stealing, buying or otherwise obtaining all or part of a test before it is administered
• Selling or giving away all or part of a test before it is administered; having someone else attend a course or take a test in your place
• Attending a course or taking a test for someone else
• Failing to follow test-taking procedures, including talking during the test, ignoring starting and stopping times, or other disruptive activity.
• Using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate content and presenting it as your own.

Fabrication

Fabrication is the intentional use of invented information. Examples include:

• Signing a roll sheet for another student
• Giving false information to college personnel
• Answering verbal or written questions in an untruthful manner
• Inventing data or sources of information for research papers or other assignments; this includes the use of false information provided by artificial intelligence (AI) generators.

As members of the Moorpark College learning community, students are not to engage in any form of academic dishonesty. Any act of academic dishonesty will be considered a very serious offense that is subject to disciplinary action.