Plagiarism and Mydropbox.com FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
Originally composed by
Corbin Covault, (cec8) Spring 2005 Lab Instructor
Edited by
Daniel Schultz (daniel dot b dot schultz at case dot edu), Lab Director
(updated June 02, 2006)
In an effort to address widespread confusion and concern about these issues, I have collected all information in this one “FAQ” document.
Important: Every student must read this document and sign and submit the last page along with their hard-copy lab paper for the third mechanics lab (CME) or second E&M lab (EPF).
Table of Contents:
Q01: What is this document and why was it written?
Q02: What is plagiarism and how does it apply in this lab?
Q03: Am I allowed to work together with my lab partner on a lab paper?
Q04: Am I allowed to copy material from my lab partner’s paper?
Q05: Am I allowed to use material from my lab partner’s lab notebook?
Q06: Am I allowed to copy material from any other source?
Q07: Why are we using MyDropBox.com?
Q08: What is the procedure for submitting papers to MyDropBox.com?
Q09: When are electronic submission to MyDropBox.com due?
Q10: What will happen if I fail to submit my paper to MyDropBox.com?
Q11: What should I do if something goes wrong with MyDropBox.com?
Q12: How is a determinism of plagiarism made?
Q13: What are the penalties for correctly attributed copying?
Q14: What are the penalties for plagiarism?
Q01: What is this document and why was it written?
Although material on plagiarism and the procedure for using MyDropBox.com is available to Introductory Physics students in several places (the web page, the lab manual appendix, etc.) it has been the experience of several instructors that many students seem worried and confused by the policy and the procedure. Therefore I have decided to collect all information in one document so that students will have this handy. Please read this document in its entirety and plan to keep it with your other lab materials. Be sure to sign and date the last page and submit this with your hard-copy paper for your first lab paper.
Q02: What is plagiarism and how does it apply in this lab?
Plagiarism is defined as presentation of someone else’s work as one’s own.
Specifically, for Physics lab papers, plagiarism is defined as copying (by any means: electronic, reading and retyping, taking dictation, etc.) all or parts of a lab paper from another source, including – but not limited to – your lab partner’s lab paper, the lab paper of any other student in the class, past or present, and any material that is available from any source on the web, without attributing the copied material to the original source.
Q03: Am I allowed to work together with my lab partner on a lab paper?
The answer here is “Yes, but...”
Your signature on the cover page indicates that the paper is your own work. While your lab partner(s) and you will normally have identical data and perhaps very similar or the same analysis of that data, you must write your own paper. We permit (and even encourage) partners to work together to analyze the data; such collaboration needs to be properly acknowledged or referenced. However, you need to write the words to your paper yourself. Making direct or edited copies of your partner’s or someone else’s text (without attribution) is considered a serious breach of ethics and will be dealt with harshly.
More specifically: You are allowed to talk about any aspect of the lab, data, or analysis with your lab partner. You are allowed to examine and discuss any material that either of you have collected in your notebooks. You are allowed to discuss conclusions and to share general strategies for composing lab papers.
What you are not allowed to do is write one lab paper together and submit this for the both of you. You must each write your own separate lab paper.
Q04: Am I allowed to copy material from my lab partner’s paper?
Basically, no.
You are expressly forbidden from copying any part of any other lab paper – your partners or anyone else. This applies to any section and any result.
In particular you must not take a copy of your partner’s lab paper which you subsequently edit and submit as your own work. You must not cut and paste sections of your partner’s paper into your lab. Essentially you are required to start every lab “from scratch”. You are not allowed to take any other paper and edit/change this and then submit this as your own.
Q05: Am I allowed to use material from my lab partner’s lab notebook?
Yes, but....
In principle, you should have already written in your own lab notebook all information you need to generate your paper. If there is an occasion where some data or other critical information is not available to you and it is in your partner’s notebook you can use this in your paper as long as you provide an attribution (footnote) that indicates what you did. For example, if you relied on your lab partner to determine the mass of a cart, you might include a footnote that says: “Information on mass of the cart obtained from laboratory notebook of my lab partner, John Doe.” When in doubt, attribute.
Q06: Am I allowed to copy material from any other source?
Mostly no.
There are exceptions. If you wish to include a figure from the lab manual or another source, you may do so. If you wish to quote a physical constant or a law of physics you may do so. In these cases you must properly attribute (footnote) the source of the material. You must do this. Figures or other materials copied from outside sources that are not properly attributed constitute plagiarism.
Note that you are expressly forbidden from cutting and pasting and substantial portion of text from any outside sources and putting this material in your lab paper. In particular you must not cut and paste sections of your lab manual into your paper. This rule applies whether you use a footnote or not.
Q07: Why are we using MyDropBox.com?
During academic year 2003-2004, the laboratory staff detected 42 plagiarized laboratory papers. In an effort to ensure fairness, we are using a plagiarism prevention service, MyDropBox.com, for the labs this year. Mechanics students must submit laboratory papers for Labs 3, 4, 5, and 6 to this web site; E&M students must submit laboratory papers for Labs 2, 3, 4, and 6 to this web site.
You agree that by taking this course, all required lab papers or other assignments submitted for credit may be submitted to MyDropBox.com or similar third parties to review and evaluate for originality and intellectual integrity and that if the results of such a review support an allegation of academic dishonesty, the course work in question as well as any supporting materials may be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies for investigation and further action. A description of the services, terms and conditions of use, and privacy policy of MyDropBox.com is available on its web site http://www.MyDropBox.com. Understand that all work submitted to MyDropBox.com will be added to its database of papers.
Q08: What is the procedure for submitting papers to MyDropBox.com?
Set your browser to http://www.mydropbox.com. Click on “Students” at the lower right.
Enter your class ID and password and hit the “Go!” button. Your Class ID is a five digit number and will be given to you during Lab 2 (E&M students) or Lab 3 (Mechanics students) by your TA. Your TA will also tell you the password.
Once you log onto the site, select the lab you are submitting from the “Assignment” pull-down menu and your name from the “Your Name” pull-down menu. If your paper is in a Microsoft Word document (.doc), you can upload it. If your document is not in Word format, you can either copy the text and paste it into the box on the left-hand side of the screen or convert the document to either html or text (.txt) format and upload it. Give the document an appropriate name in the “Document Name” box. If you wish to see a copy of the MyDropBox paper that your TA will receive, type in a valid e-mail address for you in the appropriate box. When all the appropriate information is typed in on the page, click “Submit Query” and then click “Log Out.” Note that the document you submit to MyDropBox.com must be the same as the document you drop off for grading in your TA’s box. You will get a summary report usually within a day or two.
Q09: When are electronic submission to MyDropBox.com due?
Electronic submissions are due within 48 hours (two days) of the deadline for hard copy. In other words, if your lab paper is due in the 4th floor mail slot on a Thursday at 6 PM you must submit the identical document electronically to MyDropBox.com no later than 6 PM Saturday. If you hard-copy paper is late, then you are required to have submitted your document to MyDropBox.com when you turn in your hard copy.
Q10: What will happen if I fail to submit my paper to MyDropBox.com?
If you fail to submit your document to MyDropBox.com within two day your paper will receive a five-point penalty. Your paper will not be graded and will not be returned to you until you submit your document to MyDropBox.
Q11: What should I do if something goes wrong with MyDropBox.com?
Do not submit your document more than once. If you discover after you submit that you submitted to the wrong section or under the wrong student name, contact your TA and tell him or her which section/student you submitted under.
If you have problems uploading your document, e-mail your TA and attach a copy of your document to the e-mail. Your TA can upload the file for you. Be sure to keep a record of doing this.
Q12: How is a determination of plagiarism made?
MyDropBox.com will assess your work and generate a report with a plagiarism score. The program does not decide if plagiarism has occurred. TAs will review papers from MyDropBox.com and will examine any papers that have an unusually high plagiarism score. Any papers that appear suspicious will be forwarded to the laboratory director. Determination of plagiarism is only made by the director and depends on the details of the paper and not the numerical score papered by MyDropBox.com.
In other words, MyDropBox.com is used to identify possible plagiarism. The determination of plagiarism is made by the director, not the web site. All determinations are subject to appeal.
Q13: What are the penalties for correctly attributed copying?
In general, copying appropriate figures from the lab manual or lab website and correctly attributing them is penalty-free. This is a course in Physics laboratory methods, not a course in technical drawing. Citing the manual or a textbook for an equation of physical constant is also penalty-free.
Copying text from an outside source with a correct citation and reference is penalized at 50% of the value of the copied text. However, a report that has text 100% copied from another report is worth 0 points, even if the copying is correctly attributed.
Q14: What are the penalties for plagiarism?
University regulations require that the minimum penalty for plagiarism is a zero for that paper and forwarding of the evidence of plagiarism to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Generally, any student who is twice found with evidence of plagiarism will receive and F for the course and will be scheduled for a disciplinary hearing.
All students must sign and submit this page along with the hard-copy of their first report:
I have read the document entitled “Plagiarism and Mydropbox.com FAQ” and I agree to abide by all of the policies and procedures outlined in this document.
Signature: ______________________________________________________
Printed Name:___________________________________________________
Date:____________________ e-mail address:_____________