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Plagiarism and Academic Integrity for Students: Resources

This guide presents resources related to academic integrity and plagiarism and was created specifically for students a guide created specifically for faculty is also available).  Here you'll find general information about plagiarism, resources to help you cite your sources, and best practices for research and writing to help you avoid plagiarism. More help is available: Ask a Librarian.

You are in college to learn. Teachers give you tests and ask you to write papers and make presentations so that they can assess your learning. In order to understand your progress, the work you hand in must be your own. When a student hands in work done by someone else, he or she is plagiarizing. It is academic dishonesty and can result in consequences ranging from a failing grade to suspension from Tompkins Cortland.

To understand the College's policy, and your rights if you are accused of plagiarism, visit the College's Statement of Academic Integrity Policy and Violation of Academic Integrity Policy.  This guide will help you understand plagiarism and the tools and support available to help you avoid it. 

What is plagiarism?

Helpful resources

TC3 Library Resources

Here you'll find answers to specific questions related to academic integrity and plagiarism. For more help, please Ask a Librarian. 

Suggested Websites

 

At a Glance

decision tree for plagiarism

Strategies for research and writing

As a student, you can follow some best practices in your research and writing to help avoid plagiarizing. 

Start your work early.

  • Writing is a process. It takes time. You need to do some writing, maybe some reading, some thinking...then put it away for a day or two and come back to it with fresh eyes. For a good essay, a student might go through this process multiple times. You can't do that if you're starting a day or two before the paper is due.
  • Procrastinating may create the temptation to find some information online, paste it together and call it a paper. You can't learn much that way, and it won't earn you a good grade. In fact, it's likely to result in a failing grade if the teacher determines you didn't write the paper.
  • Don't forget... your teachers know how to Google, too.

Talk to your teacher.

  • Keep your teacher up-to-date on your progress. Check in. Make sure you're on the right track.
  • If the assignment is given in stages with a little bit due every week or two - do the stages as suggested. This structure is for your benefit.
  • If you follow the assigned timeline you'll have your teacher's feedback each step of the way. You might even get a do-over on a part you didn't understand at first.
  • If you need extra help with a certain concept or don't understand the assignment, visit your teacher during office hours. However you do it, try to stay away from that last-minute crunch that creates the temptation to cheat.

Take advantage of the support and help available from librarians and tutors. 

  • The librarians and tutors at Tompkins Cortland can help you every step of the way.  We can help you: 
    • come up with an original idea that is interesting to you;
    • find sources to learn more about the topic;
    • evaluate sources for credibility;
    • use sources to identify good focus points for the structure of your paper;
    • fine-tune grammar, paragraphs, and transitions;
    • figure out when you need to give credit for an idea—and we can teach you how to do it.
    • Don't wait until your paper is done to come to see us. Come at the beginning when we can help you the most.
    • Use this resources mentioned on this page to learn more about how to avoid plagiarism, create citations using tools available in the library's catalog and databases, and cite your sources appropriately. 

Tompkins Cortland Community College Library 170 North St, P.O. Box 139, Dryden, NY 13053
607-844-8222, ext. 4360 | 1-888-567-8211, ext. 4360 (toll free)
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