Plagiarism, as defined by the University of Akron Office of General Counsel, “is the intentional or unintentional use of the words or ideas of another without acknowledging their source.” Deliberate and accidental plagiarism are treated the same by the University and the School of Law. The University places the responsibility on the students to know what plagiarism is and to avoid it.
Law students caught plagiarizing will be violating the Law School’s Student Disciplinary Code and will be subject to proceedings under the Code. Consequences can be severe and may include dismissal from the University. Find out what does and does not need citing, the purpose of citations and the many different categories of plagiarism by visiting the Law Library Plagiarism Guide. There is also a CALI lesson, Plagiarism – Keeping Out of Trouble, that will explain what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid plagiarizing, and offers opportunities for students to test their understanding of plagiarism.
Lynn Lenart, llenart@uakron.edu
Assistant Law Librarian for Reference Services
