Undergradute Resources

Academic Integrity Policy

Plagarism Definition:

The American Historical Association defines plagiarism as the "expropriation of another's author's work, and the presentation of it as one's own." Plagiarism also includes "the limited borrowing, without sufficient attribution, of another person's distinctive and significant research findings or interpretations" The word plagiarism derives from Latin plagiarus (abductor) and plagiare (to steal). Plagiarism does not need to be intentional to be punished. The failure to acknowledge the work of others always constitutes plagiarism, regardless of whether it is the result of a deliberate act or of sloppy and careless work (full definition)

Forms of Plagiarism:

Plagiarism takes many forms. The most common forms are:

(a) verbatim copying of words, sentences, paragraphs or entire sections or chapter without quotation and proper attribution. This is the most obvious form of plagiarism. You must use quotation marks even if you only borrow several words in sequence from a source. If you cite a specific term that encapsulates an author's original idea, you must use quotation marks even if you only cite one word.

(b) paraphrasing (i.e. changing some of the wording) of a passage without acknowledging the source. Even if you change all of the words but retain the author's basic idea, you must cite the original source.

(c) properly citing a source in an earlier note and then continuing to use the source without citing. You must cite the source every time you adopt an idea or a specific wording.  This may mean a footnote at the end of every sentence, or if the other author's ideas are uninterrupted by yours for a whole paragraph (generally not a good idea for a paper), you may have a footnote at the end of the paragraph.

(d) citing a primary source as if you have looked at it yourself, when you simply found the primary source quoted or cited in a secondary work. If you have not seen the primary source yourself or if you found the source only because you saw it referenced elsewhere, you also must cite the secondary work in which it was cited originally. Example: Julius Caesar, The Gallic Wars, p. 12, cited in Gerbil Munchkin, Caesar's Life and Times, p. 2345.

(e) common knowledge: You do not need to cite information that is part of common knowledge, i.e. information that an educated person can be reasonably expected to know before engaging in research. If you are in doubt about what qualifies as common knowledge, consult your instructor.

Related Forms of Academic Misconduct

Dual or Overlapping Submissions

The UC San Diego Student states that "no student shall submit substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization." This means that you cannot submit even parts of one assignment for an assignment in another course without prior consent of both instructors.

Improper Collaboration

Some assignments require discussion and cooperation between several students. This kind of intellectual exchange is an essential part of academic life. But you cannot assume that you can simply collaborate in completing assignments and then submit virtually identical assignments. Check with your instructor about the extent of permissible collaboration in a given course. A good guideline is that a classmate can read your paper and tell you where it needs fixing (where it is unclear), but cannot tell you how to fix it.

Completing 

Completing, in part or in total, someone else's exam or assignment or having one's exam or assignment completed, in part or in total, by someone else.

Failure to Cite Electronic Sources

The same rules for plagiarism and academic misconduct apply to online-sources. You must follow the same rules for citing and acknowledging the work of others as with respect to printed sources. But electronic sources pose an additional problem of trustworthiness, especially if they are not part of established online-journals. Remember, anybody can post anything on the Internet, and non-journal online sources do not have to pass a review process that usually exists for print sources. If you cite non-journal online sources, include the date when you accessed the source and print a copy of the source for your records. In general, you should use extreme caution in using online sources. Individual instructors also may have different policies regarding the use of online sources.

History Major/Minor Requirement Petitions

Students who would like to petition a course to fulfill a requirement for the History major must submit:

1. an Undergraduate Student Petition (PDF), and
2. a History Major Worksheet/History Minor Worksheet
3. Supporting Documentation (course syllabus, papers, tests, etc.)

to the History Department's Undergraduate Student Affairs Office. Include supporting documentation like the course syllabus, papers, tests, etc. to help us determine whether or not the course content is appropriate, and whether the course itself was as academically rigorous as history courses offered by our department. The Undergraduate Vice-Chair will determine whether the course you are petitioning satisfies our requirements and approve or deny your petition on that basis.

The Transfer Students page has additional information about petitioning courses. 

Petitions will be entered into the degree audit system:

1. once the History major or minor has been declared
2. after the course has been completed, and 
3. after the course has been posted to the student's academic history

Course Equivalency Petitions 

Students who would like to petition a transfer course to fulfill a college requirement, university requirement, or another department or program's major or minor requirement by petitioning a similar History department course must submit:

1. an Undergraduate Student Petition, and
2. Supporting Documentation (course syllabus, papers, tests, etc.)

to the History Department's Undergraduate Student Affairs Office. Include supporting documentation like the course syllabus, papers, tests, to help us determine whether or not the course content is appropriate, and the course itself was as academically rigorous as History courses offered by our department. The Undergraduate Vice-Chair will determine whether the course you are petitioning meets our requirements and approve or deny your petition on that basis.

If your petition is approved:

1. you will be notified via the VAC
2. you may need to pick-up your petition and deliver it to your college advising office or other department/program office for entry.

Enrolling for more than 22 units requires an add card signed by the instructor of record, stamped by the department (see the Undergraduate Advisor), and submitted to the student's college. An add card may be picked up from the Undergraduate Advisor's office.

Grade Appeals

Submitting a grade appeal is a formal process that requires submitting an Undergraduate Student Petition. The following documentation should be attached to the petition:

1. A typed appeal letter written in a business letter format.
2. Documentation of the course syllabus, graded assignments, papers and any further documentation that supports the appeal.

Once completed, the grade appeal and all of the supporting documentation should be submitted to the Undergraduate Advisor's Office (RWAC 0856). Any questions regarding grade appeals should be directed to the Undergraduate Advisor.