St. Patrick’s College, Thurles
Plagiarism Policy
Approved by Academic Council September 2013
Plagiarism Policy:
Any reference to examinations in this document includes summative work such as
continuous assessment, written examinations, presentations, etc and formative work as
outlined in the plagiarism rubric.
Plagiarism is a major offence in the College and it constitutes a serious breach of
examination regulations.
Definition:
Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work (whether or not in the public domain) and
passing it off as one’s own, or inappropriately resubmitting one’s own already graded
work and passing it off as original. A good summary of different types of plagiarism is
available on the following link:
http://turnitin.com/assets/en_us/media/plagiarism_spectrum.php
Students must cite accurately, the sources of all quotation, paraphrases, summaries,
tables, diagrams and any other material which has been used from the work of others. The
referencing systems to be used for written assignments are published in the student
handbook. Departments may have specific referencing systems which students are
required to adhere to.
In addition, students are required to provide a complete bibliography of all works and
sources used in the preparation of all assignments, essays, projects, presentations etc.
A signed declaration, stating that the material submitted is entirely the work of the
student, and has not been taken from the work of others, except where this has been
acknowledged, must accompany each piece of work presented for examination.
Assignments are not acceptable without this signed declaration. In the case of a group
assignment, it is the responsibility of each student to ensure that the work submitted for
assessment is their own work. The onus is on the student to retain a copy of their
assignment, for reference.
Plagiarism Process:
Ongoing records of offences will be retained by the Head of Department in order to
establish a student’s plagiarism history.
Where there is suspicion of plagiarism, an investigation will be undertaken by the lecturer
to establish the extent of the plagiarism as per plagiarism rubric supplied in the guidelines
for academic staff.
The lecturer will consult with the Head of Department to establish if there have been any
previous offences of plagiarism by this student.
The lecturer then completes the plagiarism offences form as per the plagiarism rubric
supplied in the guidelines for academic staff.
If the offence relates to the assignment (as per plagiarism rubric) then it will be resolved
within the Department. The lecturer must meet with the student and the available
Approved by Academic Council September 2013
penalties that relate to assignments must be decided upon at the discretion of the lecturer.
Once the penalties have been decided the lecturer submits the plagiarism report form to
the Head of Department. The official outcome of the investigation will be communicated
with the student in writing by the Head of Department and a record of the offence will be
filed within the Department.
If the offence relates to the module of more severe penalties (as per plagiarism rubric)
then the lecturer must submit the plagiarism report form to the Head of Department
without meeting the student. Once the lecturer has referred the issue as a disciplinary one,
it is a matter solely for the disciplinary process.
In this case the Head of Department will refer the matter to the Registrar who will then
contact the student in writing detailing the alleged offence, copies of the plagiarised
material and any supporting documentation will be provided to the student. The student
may be requested to attend a meeting with a Disciplinary Committee. The student will
have the right to be accompanied to this hearing by one other person. The facts of the
case will be presented to the student who will have an opportunity to respond to the
allegation and to either accept or deny responsibility.
Where the Disciplinary Committee is satisfied that the offence occurred they may
recommend penalties as per plagiarism rubric.
The Disciplinary Committee may impose sanctions other than those in the plagiarism
rubric or in addition to those in the plagiarism rubric which it deems appropriate.
Communicating the Plagiarism Policy:
The policy and procedures with regard to plagiarism are published in the student
handbook (available on the student share drive), the ‘Student Downloads’ section of the
College website and the staff handbook.
The onus is on each student to ensure that they are familiar with the College policy on
plagiarism. Students who have queries regarding this policy are urged to seek
clarification from a member of academic staff.
Each Head of Department will encourage academic staff to promote academic integrity in
their Department and ensure that they are adequately briefed to provide clarification to
students with regard to plagiarism.
Approved by Academic Council September 2013