The following reports are real cases adjudicated by the Emory College Honor Council. Any personally identifiable information has been omitted to protect the privacy of all parties involved.
• A senior in an upper-level social science course consulted his phone to jog his memory on the central subject of his test essay. The professor noticed the student using his cell phone during the test and confronted him. The student, who admitted to the violation, received an F in the course and a two-year mark on his record.
• The Honor Council determined that, due to a international transfer student’s lack of experience in writing courses or writing assignments, she would receive an educational program, rather than a mark on her record or a failing grade, for committing plagiarism. After she was accused of plagiarism, the student, a junior, told the Honor Council that she had consulted friends, tutors and online advice while writing the paper. Still, several passages contained minimal paraphrasing of sources without quotations, while other passages referenced incorrect sources and some references were missing altogether. The educational program recommended by the Honor Council included work with English as a Second Language (ESL) support and the opportunity to submit the paper again for a passing grade in the class.
• While grading a junior student’s paper, an upper-level foreign language class professor believed the work had been generated from an online translator. After an internet search, she found the original source, which was written in English online and not cited in the paper. She pasted the text into an online translator, which generated a text nearly identical to the student’s paper. The student admitted to plagiarism, but said that he had made the decision at a difficult time in his personal life. The Honor Council, which believed the student’s personal situation had played a role in his violation, gave him a two full-letter grade deduction in the course and a two-year mark on his record.
— Compiled by Lydia O’Neal, Asst. News Editor
Honor Council | 2.13.15
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons/ Brian Turner
