Every registered student at the Faculty of Health Sciences is given a copy of this document at registration (1st year). We realise you were probably too confused at that stage to either read the document, or keep it in a safe place for future reference.
If you can not find your document, or registered at Wits after the first year of your degree, please obtain a copy of this document from the Faculty Office (Undergraduate Studies: Ms Henda van der Walt) or download a copy above.
Read it!
Plagiarism has long term consequences!
In 2012, Pal Schmitt was forced to resign as President of Hungary after his doctoral degree was revoked by his university when it was discovered he plagiarised his thesis.
References
1. Kessler, S. 1 Jun 2012. Students cite YouTube, Google, Wikipedia the most. Mashable Lifestyle Blog post. Graphics courtesy of EasyBib and ALA.
2. Parker, K. 2011. The digital revolution and hgher education. Pew Social & Demographic Trends, Pew Research Center.
3, Karasz, P. 2 Apr 2012. Hungarian president resigns amid plagiarism scandal. New York Times.
Plagiarism is a form of copying. Copying is cheating.
The penalties for plagiarism at Wits are extremely harsh.
Students have been suspended, their exam results have been withheld, or they have not been allowed to proceed to the following year of study until remedial action has been satisfactorily undertaken.
It's quite simple. Do NOT plagiarise!
If you are found to have plagiarised, or made "unfair use" of e-books or e-journals, you will be subject to disciplinary action, in terms of the Wits student disciplinary rules and regulations.
This is an example of an actual disciplinary notice where a student was suspended for plagiarising someone else's work. Note that plagiarism extends to copying a fellow student's work, as well as a lack of proper referencing.
A useful guide on how to paraphrase, based on material from the Writer's Handbook, produced by the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
Use TurnItIn to check your writing for plagiarism before handing it in. This can be accessed only on Ulwazi where access has been set up on your specific courses. For help, please phone Wits ICT 0117171717 or email for assistance