Policies on Plagiarism and Cheating for any course taught by Daniela Castillo
Plagiarism of content of any type, be it images, text or other data is not only illegal but unethical. "Borrowing" material from online sources without properly quoting them has become a standard practice for many students since the Internet became a primary source of research. In the course outline of any of the classes that I teach (Digital Illustration, Digital Photography II, Web Design II, Multimedia Fundamentals) there is a section concerning Copyright and ethics when dealing with digital, printed or recorded content. Please refer to this material whenever you have a doubt or ask me or any other Multimedia instructor to guide you on this matter.
In the four courses that I teach creating all your source material from scratch is strongly encouraged. Or, as an alternative, stock photography, clipart and sounds are used from known sources to ensure the legality of their use.
The following points are considered plagiarism and/or cheating in my four Multimedia courses (Digital Illustration, Digital Photography II, Web Design II, Multimedia Fundamentals):
- Copying text (aka copy-pasting) from any web page, CD-ROM, software application without the author's knowledge and consent.
- Copying text from any book, research paper or printed source without properly citing the author and publication in the bibliography, quote or footnote.
- Scanning pictures or photographs from any printed source for use on your own work without the author's, artist's or copyright holder's knowledge and permission.
- Using any digital photograph or picture from a web page, CD-ROM or any other digital source without the author's, artist's or copyright holder's knowledge and permission. Think before you right-click on a web site to download pictures.
For the purpose of written exams and papers for the class the policies are as follows:
- Write your own content.
- Don't copy from fellow students during exams or take home assignments.
- Don't use books, notes or other sources to look at answers during written exams, unless otherwise instructed.
Should any student fail to follow these guidelines and procedures the infraction will very likely reflect upon the student's grades. Infractions will be dealt with on a per-case basis as well as appropriate action to correct them. If the infraction is commited more than once or the student has a serious offense it could lead to an F grade for the whole semester.
If there are any questions or comments about these topics please contact me so we can sort things out before they become a problem. I have lots of material that can answer your questions if you have any doubts about using certain material or not.
Here is a very useful link about basic copyright and the internet:
