Myth: It's okay to copy material from a source so long as you give credit to the source.

Fact: If you actually copy the language, then it is not enough to simply acknowledge your source. In addition, you must also use quotation marks around any words or phrases that aren't your own.

Myth: It wouldn't be right to copy a whole paper or even a whole page of a paper. But it's okay to copy small amounts, like single sentences or phrases, especially if you copy bits and pieces from different sources and combine them in your own original way. Another good strategy is to use a thesaurus to help you make changes in wording.

Fact: Students have been expelled from college or deprived of their degrees for a single distinctive phrase or term that has been stolen. What's more, small changes in wording, like the kind you use a thesaurus to make, are not enough to make a paper original. You haven't written a passage unless you were not even looking at the original when you summarized it.

Myth: If you list a work on your "Works Cited" list, you can't copy from it. But if you don't list it on your "Works Cited" list, it's okay to copy as much as you want, since no one has any way to trace the material.

Fact: If you try to conceal your plagiarism by doctoring your "Works Cited" list, you show deliberate intent to cheat, and can no longer pretend to ignorance. There are ways to catch this kind of cheating. And if you're caught, you should expect no mercy.

Myth: It's okay to borrow all or part of a paper from a website that sells college papers or "paper tips". If this were wrong it would be illegal, and the sites wouldn't exist.

Fact: Some of these sites publish disclaimers that say, in effect, "of course you shouldn't be submitting all or part of our papers as your own work." There's a reason why they do this. But whether they do it or not, you are 100 % responsible for the use you make of this work.

Myth: A teacher can't refuse to accept your paper unless he/she has proof that you didn't write it. The only way a teacher can prove you didn't write it is to independently find a copy of the exact same paper. As long as your teacher can't do that, he has to accept your work.

Fact: The burden of proof is on the student to prove that he did write the work, not on the teacher to prove he did not. If a teacher questions a student about a paper and the student is unable to answer reasonable questions in a knowledgeable and intelligent way, the student fails.

Myth: It's okay if friends help you write a paper or even give you a paper. There's nothing wrong with sharing ideas, and there's nothing wrong with having someone edit your paper or make suggestions.

Fact: There are strict limits that determine what sort of help is appropriate, even when you're being tutored on campus. Helpers can ask questions, tell you what they don't understand, or circle errors. They can't give you ideas or make corrections.

Myth: Prevailing standards of academic honesty can be judged by the behavior of students and teachers in most situations. If your friends have gotten away with it, you will too.

Fact: Life is not fair, and two wrongs don't make a right. When the honor code breaks down, sanctions against dishonesty may be randomly applied. But whenever they are applied, they're valid. They stick.