best of scruples
DESCRIPTION
Game to teach how to avoid plagiarismTRANSCRIPT
WRONG
maybe
WHITE
LEFT
RIGHT
never
RIGHT
RIGHT
LEFT
WRONG
maybe
WHITE
maybe
maybe
maybe
maybemaybe
maybe
RIGHT
maybe
black and white
WRONG
wrong
absolute
justice
the right thing
what
is
the
question?
AND
maybe
IT’S A QUESTION OF
S C R U P L E S
EXPLORING THE GRAY AREA
You find a library copy card
with $5 on it and no name.
Do you turn it in to the
library?
YES
Consider if you lost the card.
Wouldn’t you want to be
able to retrieve it after you
discover it missing?
Your instructor grades your
test wrongly. You get five
extra points by mistake.
Do you tell her about the error?
YES
You certainly would correct
her if you lost five extra
points. She might even give
you the extra points for being
honest!
A friend must take a test
he missed. He asks you
to tell him what topics
were covered on the test,
so he knows what to
study. Do you tell him?
NO
He would have an unfair
advantage knowing what
subjects were covered. Or
the instructor might be using
several different versions of
the test and you may be
giving out wrong information.
You have a direct quote from
a respected source. You
rewrite it (paraphrase) using
your own words. Do you need
to cite the source?
YES
Yes, always give credit for
someone else’s work, even if
you paraphrase rather than
quote it.
You and a fellow student
swapped papers and helped
each other edit and rewrite
certain sections.
Is that cheating?
MAYBE
You need to clarify with your
instructor just what kinds of
collaboration are acceptable.
You wrote a paper last year in
a history class which you
could use for an English
presentation.
Is it okay to use the paper in
this way?
MAYBE
Ask the teacher if it’s okay to
rework the paper. However,
you may need to research the
topic again and rewrite quite a
bit. Also, some professors may
consider your using a paper for
another class as “self-
plagiarism. ”
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., section 2.7.1, p.
74 (Reusing a Research Paper)
You know a friend did a paper
on a topic you can use for one
of your classes. You get
permission from her to rewrite
her paper. Are you plagiarizing
your friend’s work?
YES
This is plagiarism even with
her permission because you
didn’t do the work. You just
copied it and changed it
slightly.
You want to use a photo from a
web site for a class
presentation. Can you use it
without citing it?
NO
You must give credit to the
photographer.
You are taking a test and you
suspect a student might be
cheating, but you can’t be sure.
Do you report her?
YES
You can do so anonymously,
but it’s a good idea to do so.
Sources
Dilemmas written by Claire Gunnels and Monica
Norem. Contributing ideas from Prof. Julie
Wilbur, Tracy Williams and Rose Botkin, Cy-Fair
College.
Power Point design by Barbara Gunnels, Studio
Magic.org
Bonham, Tracy. “Up to the Roof.” Perf. Tracy Bonham
and Blue Man Group. The Complex. Lava, 2003.
Influenced in part
http://www.sheldonoberman.com/scruples.html
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