Degrees of Plagiarism (Cheating) in Submitted Papers

1. First Degree Plagiarism (Cheating): Deliberately and intentionally offering large sections to an entire paper that was written by someone else (purchased or otherwise—as in getting too much assistance from a friend or tutor). Such a transgression will likely receive a zero grade with no revision option.
2. Second Degree Plagiarism (Cheating): Either deliberately or inadvertently offering sections of one's paper (individual sentences, significant parts of sentences, parts of paragraphs, entire paragraphs, etc.) that are 80 to 100 percent verbatim to a source, without properly crediting the source. Such a transgression, depending on the amount of material involved, may earn the paper a zero to a revision option, with the revision likely receiving a penalty up to 50%.
3. Third Degree Plagiarism: The likely inadvertent offering of small parts (sections of one or more sentences or less) of one's paper that are largely verbatim to a source, without crediting that source. Such a transgression, depending on the amount of instances, may earn from a warning to a required revision.
4. Fourth Degree Plagiarism: The likely inadvertent use of verbatim passages (could be as few as three to five words in a row) without using quotes (or block style quotation for long quotes) around the exact words or without paraphrasing the ideas EVEN IF CREDIT TO THE SOURCE IS PROVIDED. Such a transgression, especially if it is the first, will likely receive a warning.

If a student continues to commit plagiarism of any degree after a first instance, the penalty may increase up to and including this institution's provided disciplinary actions for cheating.

Bottom line: If you want to avoid plagiarism, remember to ALWAYS credit the source AND to either paraphrase into your own words OR use QUOTES.