Just what is plagiarism is a complicated and at times troubling subject. . . . On May 22, 2003, the Board on Judicial Affairs, having at hand a number of sources concerning plagiarism (see below) and believing it would be helpful to adopt a statement on the subject, resolved as follows:
For purposes of the Stanford University Honor Code, plagiarism is defined as the use, without giving reasonable and appropriate credit to or acknowledging the author or source, of another person's original work, whether such work is made up of code, formulas, ideas, language, research, strategies, writing or other form(s).
In considering the subject of plagiarism for purposes of Stanford's Honor Code, it is also imperative to consult the Intent/Reasonable Person Standard.
When in doubt — in the context of any particular course at Stanford — about whether something is or is not plagiarism, ask the faculty member in charge.
Sources on Plagiarism
- Bedford/St. Martins: “Strategies for Teaching with Online Tools – Plagiarism”
- Council of Writing Program Administrators: “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices”
- Dartmouth College: “Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement”
- Georgetown University: “What is Plagiarism?”
- Northwestern University: “How to Avoid Plagiarism”
- Purdue University Online Writing Website: “Avoiding Plagiarism”
- University of California, Davis: “Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art of Scholarship”
Plagiarism in Computer Science
- Stanford's Dept. of Computer Science utilizes MOSS (Measure Of Software Similarity), among other things, to detect software plagiarism.
- The Honor Code statement of Stanford's Dept. of Computer Science
Resources for Writing and Citing in Different Disciplines
- See “Citation Styles” for a complete list
