Accused of plagiarism. Help?
(not sure where else to post this, apologies if it's in the wrong place)
A few months ago I submitted an essay. I was going through a very rough time (I'll explain later) so submitted the essay knowing it was pretty rubbish, but was glad to get it out of the way. Today I received a letter telling me that there has been suspected plagiarism in this essay. It doesn't say which part of the essay or why I've been accused, but I am, so I need to attend some official meeting with the senate of my university.
Now, I haven't done anything like stolen someone else's work or paid someone to write the essay for me. I've reread the essay and noticed that I haven't correctly cited one of the academics I've discussed, so for example, I'm saying that "...Smith argues that blah blah blah" instead of "...Smith (2010: 45) argues that blah blah blah". I can't really see much more than that. Everything else is cited correctly and my bibliography is all fine.
Like I say, I was going through a rough time. My grandfather was very ill and I was visiting him everyday, which is why I wrote this essay as quickly as possible without really putting much effort/thought into it. He died a week after I submitted it. My mind was all over the place. I was under a lot of stress and was suffering from frequent migraines with confusion and slight memory loss. I know this isn't an excuse, but it explains my state of mind at the time. I was struggling to write it due to the constant migraines and would write a paragraph or two then say I'd come back to it when I felt better. I messed up and forgot to correctly cite one specific paragraph because I didn't go back over it when I should have. My professors know about my medical and personal problems. I'm a final year student and have never been accused of plagiarism before. I graduate in 3 months. I'm terrified I'm going to be kicked out of uni or something.
Can anyone tell me what may happen? I know it's different for every university/college but hopefully someone can give me some kind of idea. I will admit to making a stupid mistake and am fully aware it's my own fault - I know I should have properly checked my in-text citations, but I didn't. I just want to know what I should expect to happen.
A few months ago I submitted an essay. I was going through a very rough time (I'll explain later) so submitted the essay knowing it was pretty rubbish, but was glad to get it out of the way. Today I received a letter telling me that there has been suspected plagiarism in this essay. It doesn't say which part of the essay or why I've been accused, but I am, so I need to attend some official meeting with the senate of my university.
Now, I haven't done anything like stolen someone else's work or paid someone to write the essay for me. I've reread the essay and noticed that I haven't correctly cited one of the academics I've discussed, so for example, I'm saying that "...Smith argues that blah blah blah" instead of "...Smith (2010: 45) argues that blah blah blah". I can't really see much more than that. Everything else is cited correctly and my bibliography is all fine.
Like I say, I was going through a rough time. My grandfather was very ill and I was visiting him everyday, which is why I wrote this essay as quickly as possible without really putting much effort/thought into it. He died a week after I submitted it. My mind was all over the place. I was under a lot of stress and was suffering from frequent migraines with confusion and slight memory loss. I know this isn't an excuse, but it explains my state of mind at the time. I was struggling to write it due to the constant migraines and would write a paragraph or two then say I'd come back to it when I felt better. I messed up and forgot to correctly cite one specific paragraph because I didn't go back over it when I should have. My professors know about my medical and personal problems. I'm a final year student and have never been accused of plagiarism before. I graduate in 3 months. I'm terrified I'm going to be kicked out of uni or something.
Can anyone tell me what may happen? I know it's different for every university/college but hopefully someone can give me some kind of idea. I will admit to making a stupid mistake and am fully aware it's my own fault - I know I should have properly checked my in-text citations, but I didn't. I just want to know what I should expect to happen.
Just say it was a citation problem and you will probably get let off.
Just stay calm, for go in talking about your stress, just wait for them to tell you what they have to say and you will tell them you have family issues, rush through your work to submit in time and you must have missed reconstructing the words of something.
Don't think you would be expelled though.
Good luck
Posted from TSR Mobile
Don't think you would be expelled though.
Good luck
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by little_tom
Just say it was a citation problem and you will probably get let off.
I hope so. I can't see any other issues with the essay after going through it apart from that. I guess I'll have to see what they say is the issue, though.
Original post by Cyndy
Just stay calm, for go in talking about your stress, just wait for them to tell you what they have to say and you will tell them you have family issues, rush through your work to submit in time and you must have missed reconstructing the words of something.
Don't think you would be expelled though.
Good luck
Posted from TSR Mobile
Don't think you would be expelled though.
Good luck
Posted from TSR Mobile
Thanks. I hope they'll understand. I truly just didn't re-read what I wrote and probably told myself I'll cite this properly at another point, but completely forgot.
It is very unlikely you'll be kicked out. I'd be really suprised if they do after hearing your full story. In the meantime, don't panic you sound like a good guy so hopefully they'll see that.
(edited 10 years ago)
So I have a situation where ive been accused of plagiarism.
What I've actually done is use (and adapt slightly) an answer I submitted for a previous piece of coursework and used it in a new piece of coursework which asks a very similar question. The new question asks the skills required for a programme manager and the old question asked what skills a general manager needed in a joint venture company. The copied question was entirely my own ideas and work as was the adaptation of that question.
Am I right in assuming that's I can't be do e for plagiarism because the work I copied was entirely my own work?
Stressful times 😩
What I've actually done is use (and adapt slightly) an answer I submitted for a previous piece of coursework and used it in a new piece of coursework which asks a very similar question. The new question asks the skills required for a programme manager and the old question asked what skills a general manager needed in a joint venture company. The copied question was entirely my own ideas and work as was the adaptation of that question.
Am I right in assuming that's I can't be do e for plagiarism because the work I copied was entirely my own work?
Stressful times 😩
Original post by Anonymous
So I have a situation where ive been accused of plagiarism.
What I've actually done is use (and adapt slightly) an answer I submitted for a previous piece of coursework and used it in a new piece of coursework which asks a very similar question. The new question asks the skills required for a programme manager and the old question asked what skills a general manager needed in a joint venture company. The copied question was entirely my own ideas and work as was the adaptation of that question.
Am I right in assuming that's I can't be do e for plagiarism because the work I copied was entirely my own work?
Stressful times 😩
What I've actually done is use (and adapt slightly) an answer I submitted for a previous piece of coursework and used it in a new piece of coursework which asks a very similar question. The new question asks the skills required for a programme manager and the old question asked what skills a general manager needed in a joint venture company. The copied question was entirely my own ideas and work as was the adaptation of that question.
Am I right in assuming that's I can't be do e for plagiarism because the work I copied was entirely my own work?
Stressful times 😩
Self plagiarism is a grey area, but usually frowned upon.
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