Accused of Plagiarism

[Arelian]

So today as I went to turn in my final for a class, my professor accused me of plagiarism. I denied it - since I didn't - and she said she'd toss me to the Honor Board.

My professor told me that I used the website sparknotes.com (I wasn't even aware the site had more than basic summaries) and I had direct quotes from them and my paper followed the general outline the website had laid out.

So right now I'm feeling like a witch on trial, because as far as I know there is no way for me to prove I didn't use the website and from what my professor told me, she has pretty strong evidence in favor of my plagiarism. I'm pretty nervous here, as I'm in my junior year at college and being convicted of plagiarism could easily get me kicked out. It'd be one thing if I did it and got caught, but I haven't looked at the website since High School English class.

Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom for this scenario?

[vagus]

Maybe you took a quote or line without citing it properly. If you honestly didn't use plagiarism then you have nothing to worry about. But if you're trying to lie to the internet, karma will hit you with a ban hammer.

[Arelian]

The way the professor made it sound, my entire paper was taken directly from the website. I've no reason to lie on the internets, shits dumb.

EDIT: The paper was also on a novel, so she specifically said no citations were necessary if we quoted the book.

[Demosthenes11]

The way the professor made it sound, my entire paper was taken directly from the website. I've no reason to lie on the internets, shits dumb.

EDIT: The paper was also on a novel, so she specifically said no citations were necessary if we quoted the book.

dumb professor

[Mertron]

EDIT: The paper was also on a novel, so she specifically said no citations were necessary if we quoted the book.

what

[Jefe]

What is this 'strong evidence' you speak of? Did you use material and didn't provide any sources? How many sources did you use?

[Eliseos]

I'd try to sit down with your professor with your paper and make sure she has the right person. If it is your paper, ask to see where on sparknotes the sentences in question are.

[Arelian]

Yeah, I dunno. I guess she would know that we were citing the book? All I know is I followed the guidelines and this shit happened.

She also kept the paper. She showed me the lines where I took them from the website, but I was in too much of a panic to really notice.

[Mertron]

ALSO WHAT BOOK WAS IT

WAS IT GOOD?

[isladar]

You have a copy of your own paper, go to the professor and talk to them about it. Don't freak out, why should you? If you didn't plagiarize you've nothing to worry about.

[Callisto]

These can be really tricky, the turnitin.com-type websites have tagged people I know for plagiarism as well, 3 of them had it happened and only 1 was able to successfully clear their name. Good luck with it.

[Arelian]

The book was Huckleberry Finn, and yes this is a real college assignment, the professor is notoriously bad. We had to write a paper saying how one of the novels we read this semester showed "Americanism". We were not allowed to use outside sources, so I had to leave any primary sources out of the paper. It was all supposed to, "come from your head."

I'm freaking out because of stuff like Callisto said. It's my word versus her supposed "facts." I don't trust the honor board at my school enough, basically.

[aurik]

If you didn't plagiarize then definitely don't say you did just because she says she has evidence that you did and is threatening you. Ask to see your paper and the paper(s) that she claims you plagiarized from, along with details of what parts she feels were plagiarized. And definitely take her up on her offer of taking it to the honor board.

If you did plagiarize, then you'd better make any deal you can. Including sleeping with her.

[Arelian]

I'm not saying I did and I'm perfectly willing to go to the honor board. There's no way I'm getting in this much trouble for something I did not and would not do.

[warc]

I'd try to sit down with your professor with your paper and make sure she has the right person. If it is your paper, ask to see where on sparknotes the sentences in question are.

Do this. Sit down and talk with your professor and have her explain again which parts were plagiarized and why she thinks they were copied. Up to you to convince the professor otherwise, or you'll be talking with the Honor board or whatever. Plagiarism is running rampart through our education system. See that thread about the professional writer who does masters theses and doctoral dissertations etc. It's not something to take lightly, and you need to show your professor or board that your work is your own.

[Arelian]

I attempted to talk to her after she accused me, but she refused by simply saying "It's not up to me, it's up to the honor board." So she's convinced I did it.

[Jefe]

Sometimes my tutees were guilty of using material they had seen but it was more attributed to an unconscious level. If you didn't cheat, don't worry about it, although you sweating as if you just had eaten some kung pow chicken ain't helping either. Don't freak out and just tell them you didn't copy jack shit.

[*Shinzon*]

If the professor is going to be a D-bag there's nothing you can do. That said you should always, regardless of what a professor tells you, cite materials that are quoted or taken from any source. If you can sit down with this professor and actually get some where through the discussion, then do it, but really without citations it's hard for you to fight claims of plagiarism. Some schools are really tough when it comes to it.

[Acturus]

These can be really tricky, the turnitin.com-type websites have tagged people I know for plagiarism as well, 3 of them had it happened and only 1 was able to successfully clear their name. Good luck with it.

That cite measures two criteria: What words/phrases are used in other documented sources, and how close to those other document sources are your words/phrases.

I've had papers light up 20-30% of "copied" words, but none of the individual offenses were more than 1% similar to other material.

Also, turn-it-in.com doesn't recognize citations, just copied material. So your paper could be properly cited, but the website will still flag it. It takes a competent professor to understand what that website actually does.

Also, dumb teacher is dumb. Students should be taught from the start to always give credit to other works.

[Demosthenes11]

you should be worried, idk why people are telling you not to be. people get fucked by this all the time, and pretending that nothing will happen to you since you did nothing wrong is stupid. ask the board what you would be able to do that would prove you did not copy it. Perhaps submit similar writings and compare the styles of both papers