The profession
of scholarship and the intellectual life of a university as well as the field
of public policy inquiry depend fundamentally on a foundation of trust. Thus any act of plagiarism strikes at the
heart of the meaning of
the university and the purpose of the School of Public Policy. It constitutes a serious breach of
professional ethics and it is unacceptable.
Plagiarism is the use of another’s words or ideas presented as one’s own. It includes, among other things, the use of specific words, ideas, or frameworks that are the product of another’s work. Honesty and thoroughness in citing sources is essential to professional accountability and personal responsibility. Appropriate citation is necessary so that arguments, evidence, and claims can be critically examined.
Plagiarism is
wrong because of the injustice it does to the person whose ideas are
stolen. But it is also wrong because it
constitutes lying to one’s professional colleagues. From a prudential perspective, it is shortsighted and
self-defeating, and it can ruin a professional career.
The faculty of
the School of Public Policy takes plagiarism seriously and has adopted a zero
tolerance policy. Any plagiarized
assignment will receive an automatic grade of “F.” This may lead to failure for the course, resulting in dismissal
from the University. This dismissal
will be noted on the student’s transcript.
For foreign students who are on a university-sponsored visa (eg. F-1,
J-1 or J-2), dismissal also results in the revocation of their visa.
To help
enforce the SPP policy on plagiarism, all written work submitted in partial
fulfillment of course or degree requirements must be available in electronic
form so that it can be compared with electronic databases, as well as
submitted to commercial services to which the School subscribes. Faculty may at any time submit student’s
work without prior permission from the student. Individual instructors may
require that written work be submitted in electronic as well as printed
form. The SPP policy on plagiarism is
supplementary to the George Mason University Honor Code; it is not intended to
replace it or substitute for it. (http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/handbook/aD.html)