The Problem :

The most common form of plagiarism and cheating behavior which I encounter is that in which two students turn in work which is derived from the same word-processed file. In most cases this is the result of one student giving a diskette or a copy of a file to another student, usually with full knowledge that the other student is going to use it as the basis of a report, essay, or exam. In this case both students earn a grade of "F", and will also receive an "F" for the course. They may also incur other penalties if I judge that to be appropriate.

In other cases one student will steal the file from another, usually by gaining access to the computer or disks of the student who did the work. If both students claim authorship of the document, both will receive a grade of "F" until authorship and innocence is proved to my satisfaction. In such cases it is often possible to deduce authorship of the original document by means which I do not make public. However, even though I can prove authorship of a file, I cannot prove that the author did not knowingly make the file available to the other student. So, unless the guilty student confesses to having obtained the file without the author's knowledge and consent, I have no option but to treat the case as if collusion occurred, and give grades of "F" to both students. A student who commits theft of intellectual property (such as stealing a file from another student) will receive a Course Grade of "F" and will be liable to other penalties and disciplinary action at my discretion.

Precautions to take :

1. Always save your work to a diskette in the "A" drive, never to the "C" (Hard) drive.
2. Keep your diskettes in a safe place, and NEVER share your diskettes with anyone else.
3. Remember that most word-processing software makes temporary and/or backup copies of work in progress. Find out where on the hard disk the program stores such copies - this can usually be found by opening a new file, then choosing File > Save As, and making a note of which directory is shown in the dialog box. After finishing your work and Saving the file to your diskette, remove the diskette and close the word-processing program.
   Then
   • Go to the directory used for temporary storage by the program, and Delete any copies of your work.
   • Go to the C>Windows>Temp directory and make sure there are no copies left there.
   • Go to the C>Temp directory and make sure there are no copies left there.
   • Go to C>My Documents and make sure there are no copies left there.
   • Go to the Recycle Bin and Empty It - always do this LAST.
   This is particularly important when using computers in the dorms, library, or computer labs.

I know this is a pain, and I'm sorry to have to ask you to do this. I don't want you to get paranoid and untrusting towards your fellow-students, but there have been cases of dishonest students stealing files from others, so this is for your protection. Having given you this warning, I expect you to guard the integrity of your work, and will take appropriate disciplinary action against any infringments.