DMAC Plagiarism Definition and Sanctions

Plagiarism or academic dishonesty in any form is not tolerated at Digital Media Arts College. In order to avoid confusion on the part of the student, DMAC lists below what constitutes plagiarism.

Any information from any source (books, magazines, articles, newspapers, interviews, television programs, films web sites, paintings, images or other forms of original art or design, etc.) must be cited by providing the original author’s nme and appropriate reference information according to the Modern Language Association ( MLA) Style Book. These citations include anyone else’s ideas, concepts, theories, opinions, words, statements, images, photographs and artwork. Failure to cite any of the above noted information in visual or written works submitted to the College for a grade constitutes plagiarism on the part of the student.

Use of exact words from any source (three or more in succession copied exactly) must be placed within quotation marks. Use of quotation marks indicates that the phrase, sentence or paragraph was copied word for word from another source. Failure to use quotation in a written document submitted to the College for a grade constitutes plagiarism on the part of the student.

Summarization or paraphrasing ideas or words from any source must be cited in student works using MLA style. Copying word for word from a source and changing only one or a few words is not paraphrasing and constitutes plagiarism.

Use of any type of essay service (on-ground or online) or purchase of pre-written essays from any external source to be submitted to the College for a grade is clearly plagiarism.

Use of an original work that was previously written for another class and then re-submitted for a new course is not plagiarism, but is academic dishonesty and will be treated in the same manner as plagiarism.

DMAC students are required to read, know, and understand these definitions of plagiarism. The above definition is included on each DMAC syllabus so that students have easy access to it. Each student is given the opportunity to ask for assistance on all assignments from their course instructors. In addition, any confusion on what may or may not be plagiarism may be clarified by the student’s Department Chairperson, the Dean of Academic Affairs or the College Librarian. Making assumptions about works taken from any other source by a student is risky behavior and could result in academic sanctions.

Sanctions Resulting from Student Plagiarism

Any instance of plagiarism on the part of a DMAC student will result in immediate failure of the class in which the violation occurred. Students are notified of sanctions by their department chairperson who then places them on academic probation for the remainder of their studies while at DMAC. All relevant materials concerning the plagiarized material along with the College Plagiarism Incident Sheet will be placed in the student’s academic file by their Chairperson. A grade of “F” is placed on their transcript by the College Registrar. Any further infraction on the part of the student may result in academic termination from the College.

Extreme instances of plagiarism (multiple assignments plagiarized by one student, use of essay writing services, multiple student involvement to deceive instructors, etc.) may result in immediate academic withdrawal with a failing grade from all courses taken the College. A grade of “F” is given for all classes at that time. Students who are withdrawn from all classes by the College must go through a formal re-entry process, including a written letter of appeal for re-entry to the Dean of Academic Affairs.