Cite sources or face the penalty.

Leigh Ann Meyer, Director of The Writing Center at IU Southeast, presented a plagiarism workshop at The Writing Center on Monday.

The workshop covered when and how to cite sources, and the repercussions of plagiarizing. According to Meyer, the plagiarism workshop is the most popular workshop offered to students through The Writing Center.

“Maria Accardi [Coordinator of Library Instruction at IUS] and I devolved this workshop to create a proactive approach to educate students about plagiarism,” said Meyer.

According to Meyer, this workshop takes place three times each fall and spring semester and once during the summer classes.

The next workshop will be held on February 26 at 7 p.m. 

If a student is reported for plagiarism it is mandatory for them to attend the workshop.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, plagiarism is “the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person.”

Sydney Powell, graphic design sophomore said, “I think that plagiarism is bad and you should always give others credit for their work if you use it.”

Jamie Jarboe, environmental biology junior, said that she had to attend Meyer’s workshop on Monday because she plagiarized, and said that the workshop provided very good advice.

“I learned about going through my paper sentence by sentence,” Jarboe said.

Plagiarism can occur in many fashions. Sometimes students blatantly plagiarize, while others mistakenly forgot to cite a source.

Meyer explained what the different types of plagiarisms are:

1. Using the same paper in other classes
2. Forgetting to cite classmates in group projects
3. Using images without stating who took them
4. Stating common knowledge without citing a source
5. Paying others to write the assignment
6. Referencing a source multiple time but only citing it once

“[Students plagiarize] mostly because they wait until the last minute and they get in a hurry and don’t have time to look over the paper with fresh eyes,” Meyer said.

According to Meyer, if a teacher suspects plagiarism, the student will be confronted and a report will be filed if the student is found guilty. The report is then sent to Student Affairs with a note stating what the teacher thinks should happen to the student.

Lori Mundell, journalism sophomore said, “If a student plagiarizes an assignment they should fail that class, but not be expelled.”

Meyer is available to assist students who need help writing assignments, in the Writing Center, located in Knobview Hall, room 208.

“The best thing we offer is fresh eyes and an objective view on what’s in the paper. We want to be warm and welcoming to you,” Meyer said.