Academic Plagiarism: A Case Study and Its Consequences

Question 1: Were the Consequences Appropriate in This Situation?

Read the following case study and then respond to the questions at the end.

Denise came from a small town, where she was raised very strictly by her father. He was reluctant to allow her to come to Winthrop University for college. He feared the big and diverse university would corrupt her small town morals. As he left her on campus the day the residence halls opened, he warned her of many things including, "If I ever find out that you've been cheating, I'll be really disappointed in you and embarrassed.” 

Denise loved her dad and wanted to make him proud. Her goal was to become a medical doctor. Her first two years of classes went OK. She was making progress towards obtaining her degree and had a 78 UGPA. Although this GPA was good, she realized she probably needed higher grades to get into medical school. In September of her third year, Denise began her organic chemistry class. Denise had never experienced such a demanding class and was barely achieving a 60 as finals approached.

In addition to the stress of the course, Denise had over $2000 in credit card debt and no way to pay it. She found a job working as a security assistant at nights to pay off her debt. The anxiety caused by her academic course demands, the increasing amount she owed towards her credit card debt due to the banks interest , and her lack of sleep from her night job began to push her towards depression as final exams approached.

As the semester was winding down, her organic chemistry professor offered the class an opportunity for extra credit by writing a short research paper on “foreseeable breakthroughs in chemistry in the next decade.” Denise thought this would be the opportunity she needed to raise her grade in the class. However, as the semester began to wind down, there was just too much going on and she couldn’t find the time to devote to the research paper.

Two nights before the paper was due Denise’s co-worker, Susan, suggested that Denise check out a great web site called FREE-ESSAY.COM. Denise did so and quickly found a paper with the same title. Pressed for time and wanting to avoid plagiarizing, she pasted the essay from the website into her word processor. She intended to use it only as a guideline for the format of her essay. She then went on-line to the three sources referenced in the FREE-ESSAY.COM paper and fortunately was able to read all the sources within a matter of hours. While reading she tried to paraphrase the wording from the original essay. She also cited the original sources in her paper, but she never cited FREE-ESSAY.COM

After work that night, Denise mentioned to her boyfriend, Larry, how she was able to get the paper done online and asked him if it seemed like plagiarism.  Larry replied, “I don’t think so; besides, you’ve worked so hard you deserve this one break.” 

When reading the paper, the professor noticed a particularly well expressed paragraph and placed it in Turnitin.com, an internet plagiarism site. Within seconds Turnitin returned 5 hits including FREE-ESSAY.COM and the original sources, which Denise had referenced in her paper. The professor decided this was a case of academic plagiarism where a student presented the ideas or words of another person as one’s own for academic evaluation without proper acknowledgment. The professor gave Denise a 0 in the course as an academic consequence.

Denise maintained that she thought she had properly referenced the original sources and requested a hearing before the University’s Council Discipline Committee, comprised of three faculty members and two students. The Committee heard the case a few days before Denise’s remaining finals began and decided that Denise had committed academic misconduct by plagiarizing for failing to cite the FREE-ESSAY.COM assistance. A grade of 0 for the entire organic chemistry course was posted on her transcript, and she was also placed on disciplinary probation for the next semester. 


Question 1: Do you think the consequences Denise experienced were appropriate in this situation? Why/why not? (Respond in 1 to 2 paragraphs. Paragraphs can be no shorter than 3 sentences each)


Question 2: Please write at least one paragraph for each of the following characters discussing their involvement and responsibility in the Case Study. Note: the following questions are guidelines, please feel free to incorporate other analysis where it is appropriate.

The Professor, Larry (boyfriend), Susan (Co-worker), Father

Guiding Questions:

?What level of responsibility does the character have in Denise’s decision to plagiarize and the consequences she faced?
?What role does the character play in the 0 she received in Organic Chemistry?
?What could the characters have done differently in this scenario that might have supported Denise to making better decisions?


Question 3: Please write at least two paragraphs addressing Denise’s involvement and responsibility.

Guiding Questions (Please address each question in your paragraphs):

?What could Denise have done in advance of the situation to avoid committing academic dishonesty?
?What could she have done different during the situation?
?What resources could have helped Denise?
?What should she do now that the situation is over?


Adapted from: www.collegesuccess1.com/InstructorManual4thEd/NotesWriting/CaseStudyDenise.doc
And http://www.colby.edu/academicintegrity/wp-content/uploads/sites/179/2017/08/Case-Studies-For-Students.pdfRead the following case study and then respond to the questions at the end.

Denise came from a small town, where she was raised very strictly by her father. He was reluctant to allow her to come to Winthrop University for college. He feared the big and diverse university would corrupt her small town morals. As he left her on campus the day the residence halls opened, he warned her of many things including, "If I ever find out that you've been cheating, I'll be really disappointed in you and embarrassed.” 

Denise loved her dad and wanted to make him proud. Her goal was to become a medical doctor. Her first two years of classes went OK. She was making progress towards obtaining her degree and had a 78 UGPA. Although this GPA was good, she realized she probably needed higher grades to get into medical school. In September of her third year, Denise began her organic chemistry class. Denise had never experienced such a demanding class and was barely achieving a 60 as finals approached.

In addition to the stress of the course, Denise had over $2000 in credit card debt and no way to pay it. She found a job working as a security assistant at nights to pay off her debt. The anxiety caused by her academic course demands, the increasing amount she owed towards her credit card debt due to the banks interest , and her lack of sleep from her night job began to push her towards depression as final exams approached.

As the semester was winding down, her organic chemistry professor offered the class an opportunity for extra credit by writing a short research paper on “foreseeable breakthroughs in chemistry in the next decade.” Denise thought this would be the opportunity she needed to raise her grade in the class. However, as the semester began to wind down, there was just too much going on and she couldn’t find the time to devote to the research paper.

Two nights before the paper was due Denise’s co-worker, Susan, suggested that Denise check out a great web site called FREE-ESSAY.COM. Denise did so and quickly found a paper with the same title. Pressed for time and wanting to avoid plagiarizing, she pasted the essay from the website into her word processor. She intended to use it only as a guideline for the format of her essay. She then went on-line to the three sources referenced in the FREE-ESSAY.COM paper and fortunately was able to read all the sources within a matter of hours. While reading she tried to paraphrase the wording from the original essay. She also cited the original sources in her paper, but she never cited FREE-ESSAY.COM

After work that night, Denise mentioned to her boyfriend, Larry, how she was able to get the paper done online and asked him if it seemed like plagiarism.  Larry replied, “I don’t think so; besides, you’ve worked so hard you deserve this one break.” 

When reading the paper, the professor noticed a particularly well expressed paragraph and placed it in Turnitin.com, an internet plagiarism site. Within seconds Turnitin returned 5 hits including FREE-ESSAY.COM and the original sources, which Denise had referenced in her paper. The professor decided this was a case of academic plagiarism where a student presented the ideas or words of another person as one’s own for academic evaluation without proper acknowledgment. The professor gave Denise a 0 in the course as an academic consequence.

Denise maintained that she thought she had properly referenced the original sources and requested a hearing before the University’s Council Discipline Committee, comprised of three faculty members and two students. The Committee heard the case a few days before Denise’s remaining finals began and decided that Denise had committed academic misconduct by plagiarizing for failing to cite the FREE-ESSAY.COM assistance. A grade of 0 for the entire organic chemistry course was posted on her transcript, and she was also placed on disciplinary probation for the next semester. 


Question 1: Do you think the consequences Denise experienced were appropriate in this situation? Why/why not? (Respond in 1 to 2 paragraphs. Paragraphs can be no shorter than 3 sentences each)


Question 2: Please write at least one paragraph for each of the following characters discussing their involvement and responsibility in the Case Study. Note: the following questions are guidelines, please feel free to incorporate other analysis where it is appropriate.

The Professor, Larry (boyfriend), Susan (Co-worker), Father

Guiding Questions:

?What level of responsibility does the character have in Denise’s decision to plagiarize and the consequences she faced?
?What role does the character play in the 0 she received in Organic Chemistry?
?What could the characters have done differently in this scenario that might have supported Denise to making better decisions?


Question 3: Please write at least two paragraphs addressing Denise’s involvement and responsibility.

Guiding Questions (Please address each question in your paragraphs):

?What could Denise have done in advance of the situation to avoid committing academic dishonesty?
?What could she have done different during the situation?
?What resources could have helped Denise?
?What should she do now that the situation is over?


Adapted from: www.collegesuccess1.com/InstructorManual4thEd/NotesWriting/CaseStudyDenise.doc
And http://www.colby.edu/academicintegrity/wp-content/uploads/sites/179/2017/08/Case-Studies-For-Students.pdfRead the following case study and then respond to the questions at the end.

Denise came from a small town, where she was raised very strictly by her father. He was reluctant to allow her to come to Winthrop University for college. He feared the big and diverse university would corrupt her small town morals. As he left her on campus the day the residence halls opened, he warned her of many things including, "If I ever find out that you've been cheating, I'll be really disappointed in you and embarrassed.” 

Denise loved her dad and wanted to make him proud. Her goal was to become a medical doctor. Her first two years of classes went OK. She was making progress towards obtaining her degree and had a 78 UGPA. Although this GPA was good, she realized she probably needed higher grades to get into medical school. In September of her third year, Denise began her organic chemistry class. Denise had never experienced such a demanding class and was barely achieving a 60 as finals approached.

In addition to the stress of the course, Denise had over $2000 in credit card debt and no way to pay it. She found a job working as a security assistant at nights to pay off her debt. The anxiety caused by her academic course demands, the increasing amount she owed towards her credit card debt due to the banks interest , and her lack of sleep from her night job began to push her towards depression as final exams approached.

As the semester was winding down, her organic chemistry professor offered the class an opportunity for extra credit by writing a short research paper on “foreseeable breakthroughs in chemistry in the next decade.” Denise thought this would be the opportunity she needed to raise her grade in the class. However, as the semester began to wind down, there was just too much going on and she couldn’t find the time to devote to the research paper.

Two nights before the paper was due Denise’s co-worker, Susan, suggested that Denise check out a great web site called FREE-ESSAY.COM. Denise did so and quickly found a paper with the same title. Pressed for time and wanting to avoid plagiarizing, she pasted the essay from the website into her word processor. She intended to use it only as a guideline for the format of her essay. She then went on-line to the three sources referenced in the FREE-ESSAY.COM paper and fortunately was able to read all the sources within a matter of hours. While reading she tried to paraphrase the wording from the original essay. She also cited the original sources in her paper, but she never cited FREE-ESSAY.COM

After work that night, Denise mentioned to her boyfriend, Larry, how she was able to get the paper done online and asked him if it seemed like plagiarism.  Larry replied, “I don’t think so; besides, you’ve worked so hard you deserve this one break.” 

When reading the paper, the professor noticed a particularly well expressed paragraph and placed it in Turnitin.com, an internet plagiarism site. Within seconds Turnitin returned 5 hits including FREE-ESSAY.COM and the original sources, which Denise had referenced in her paper. The professor decided this was a case of academic plagiarism where a student presented the ideas or words of another person as one’s own for academic evaluation without proper acknowledgment. The professor gave Denise a 0 in the course as an academic consequence.

Denise maintained that she thought she had properly referenced the original sources and requested a hearing before the University’s Council Discipline Committee, comprised of three faculty members and two students. The Committee heard the case a few days before Denise’s remaining finals began and decided that Denise had committed academic misconduct by plagiarizing for failing to cite the FREE-ESSAY.COM assistance. A grade of 0 for the entire organic chemistry course was posted on her transcript, and she was also placed on disciplinary probation for the next semester. 


Question 1: Do you think the consequences Denise experienced were appropriate in this situation? Why/why not? (Respond in 1 to 2 paragraphs. Paragraphs can be no shorter than 3 sentences each)


Question 2: Please write at least one paragraph for each of the following characters discussing their involvement and responsibility in the Case Study. Note: the following questions are guidelines, please feel free to incorporate other analysis where it is appropriate.

The Professor, Larry (boyfriend), Susan (Co-worker), Father

Guiding Questions:

?What level of responsibility does the character have in Denise’s decision to plagiarize and the consequences she faced?
?What role does the character play in the 0 she received in Organic Chemistry?
?What could the characters have done differently in this scenario that might have supported Denise to making better decisions?