Plagiarism Policy

Department of Psychology 
Monroe Community College

1. Any part of your paper which contains the exact words of an author must either appear in quotation marks (“ ”) or set aside as a block quote, with the author’s name, date of publication, and page number of the source attached.

2. Material should not be adapted with only minor changes, such as combining sentences, omitting phrases, changing a few words, or inverting sentence order.

3. If what you have to say is substantially your own words, but the facts or ideas are taken from a particular author, then omit the quotation marks and reference with a bracketed citation, such as (Jones, 1949).

4. Only cite sources that you have actually read.

5. Every statement of fact and every idea or opinion that is not your own must be referenced, unless the item is part of common knowledge.

6. Do not hand in for credit a paper which is the same or similar to one you have handed in elsewhere without the permission of both instructors.

7. It is permissible to ask someone to criticize a completed paper before you submit it, and to bring to your attention errors in logic, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and expression. However, it is not permissible to have another person re-write any portion of your paper, or to have another person translate into English for you a paper which you have written in another language.

8. Keep rough notes and drafts of your work, and copies of the materials used in your work. In doubtful cases, your instructor may ask you to take a Cloze test of your written submission.

9. These guidelines apply to any work submitted at any time to an instructor whether for comments or for grading. Plagiarism in a draft is as serious as plagiarism in a final submission.

ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR FOR ADVICE IF YOU ARE NOT SURE THAT YOU COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THESE GUIDELINES OR THAT YOU HAVE FOLLOWED THEM CORRECTLY.

This policy is adapted from one used by the Psychology Department of Bishop’s University of Quebec, Canada, copyright 2004.