In the Postgraduate Programs in Cognitive Sciences (PCC) plagiarism is considered a serious ethical breach that can be penalized with the definitive withdrawal from the Program. The characteristics of plagiarism are defined and indicated below. We recommend our students review the following text and become familiar with it.

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The PCCs base their plagiarism policy on the University of Pennsylvania Code of Academic Integrity, in the United States, which defines plagiarism as: "the use of ideas, data or any information from third parties without their acknowledgment specific or appropriate. We present this policy below:

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If someone's words, ideas or data are presented as your own, you will be committing plagiarism. The source of information is irrelevant when it comes to plagiarism, information from the internet is equivalent to information from a printed book or magazine. To avoid plagiarism, the original author must be cited every time that:

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• The exact written or spoken words of an author are used. In this case, you will need to identify the words in quotation marks or indented on both sides of the margin.

• Paraphrasing someone's written or spoken words.

• Data provided by someone else that is not common knowledge is used.

• Meaningful use is made of someone else's ideas or theories.

 

It is also plagiarism to pay someone or hire an internet service to write an article and pass it off as your own, or to copy and paste text from the internet into your article without citing the source.

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Consequences

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Students caught plagiarizing may face negative academic or disciplinary consequences. Professors who determine that an article contains plagiarized material may take academic action, such as giving a failing grade. If the instructor decides that disciplinary measures should be taken, the case may be referred to the Graduate Academic Commission. When a student is found guilty of plagiarism, they may face various sanctions – including permanent withdrawal. Whatever the sanction, the actions taken by the Graduate Academic Committee will form part of the academic record and may have an adverse impact on your academic future and your professional goals.