The SCSU Journalism Department Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Truth, honesty and integrity are important in any field, but particularly the field of journalism where ethics and the public’s ability to trust what they read, hear, and see are important in a democratic society.  The following is presented to ensure students understand what constitutes plagiarism and academic dishonesty, and what we expect of you as students.  These 12 points are not exclusive. See, also, the university definition of academic dishonesty in the student handbook. Updated August 2024.

The Acts:

1. If you include a passage that is word-for-word from any other source, including artificial intelligence, without attribution, that is plagiarism.

2. If you include a passage that is word-for-word from any other source, including artificial intelligence, with attribution that comprises the bulk of your assignment, that is plagiarism.

3. If your interviews are not original, or are from another source, including artificial intelligence, that is, for all intents and purposes, plagiarism

4. If you use another news organization’s story to produce an assignment that you did not cover, but are producing it as if you were there and did cover it, that is plagiarism.

5. If you create characters, images or visuals that do not exist or were the result of artificial intelligence prompts, and use them as material for your story, that is fabrication, which is academic and journalistic dishonesty.
6. If you produce an assignment -- including text, photos or video -- for class work, campus media, a job or internship, and use that same story in another class without both instructors' approval, that is double dipping, which is academic dishonesty.
7. If you produce an assignment for one class that is corrected, edited or graded, then hand in that assignment to another class, that is considered academic dishonesty.
8. If you hand in a story with your name on it that someone else, including artificial intelligence, produced, that is academic and journalistic dishonesty.
9. If you produce an assignment with authorized collaboration, all names should be credited. If collaboration is not authorized for the assignment, then you must produce your own work, otherwise it is academic and journalistic dishonesty.
10. If you hand in a story with your name on it for which someone else, including artificial intelligence, did the research or interviewing, that is academic and journalistic dishonesty.
11. If you submit an assignment with your name on it that includes unauthorized editing or writing assistance, that is academic and journalistic dishonesty.
12. If you use a photograph, image or song without permission and/or without credit to the source, that is a copyright violation, which is a form of plagiarism.

The Consequences:

• Acts of suspected plagiarism or academic dishonesty may be reported to the journalism chair, and the appropriate deans offices and may be referred to the university Office of Student Conduct.
• An act of plagiarism or academic dishonesty may result in failure on the assignment, failure of the class, as well as other possible sanctions outlined in the Faculty Senate, university and Board of Regents policies.