What if I studied a little more? What if I did the extra credit? What if I went to the class lecture? What if I ran my paper through a plagiarism checker? This last “what if” is something that should be done with every paper in every class without question. Plagiarism is a serious issue that should not be taken lightly. It is an issue that can tremendously ruin your GPA, goals, or even your admission to your dream school. According to the University of Florida Policy: Student Conduct Violation, “Plagiarism is that a student shall not represent as the student’s own work all or any portion of the work of another.” When a student is plagiarizing, they are using someone else’s work and conveying it as their own for their benefit. Students plagiarizing are not taking their work at hand seriously. Either way it is an educational “crime” and should be dealt with accordingly. Plagiarism can be of many forms such as “quoting oral or written materials including but not limited to those found on the internet without proper attribution, unauthorized use of materials or resources, submitting a document or assignment which in whole or in part is identical or substantially identical to a document or assignment not authorized by the student, or even submission of papers that are purchased.”
Before beginning a class, many professors will have you sign an honesty form saying you will turn in your original and honest work. That signed document should stick with you forever, always thinking about the consequences of plagiarism and dishonesty. There a multiple ways to avoid plagiarizing and getting into a difficult situation. First, running your paper through a plagiarism checker online would help highlight what needs to be cited properly and given credit to. Another way is for someone to proofread your work or even asking your professor if you cited and wrote your work in the best way possible. These simple, yet effective steps can be a lifesaver in the end and should be taken through every pre-submission process.
Every student at UF upholds the reputation that embodies the entire school. It is our responsibility, as the students of this University, to take action and be socially responsible for what we do with our time here at UF. The University of Florida Student Conduct Code states, “The University strives to protect and to guide the educational community by establishing a Student Honor code, a Student Conduct Code, and a Student conduct system.” In this student conduct code, it states the principles of the University. One of these principles includes, “respect for academic integrity.” While every other principle is just as important, this principle stands out the most to me. Having academic integrity is crucial when belonging to a prestigious school such as the University of Florida. These principles are put into place to make sure the value of this education is not compromised by the irresponsible social actions of students.
After being in a situation where I misquoted and insufficiently paraphrased my own paper, I have learned a valuable lesson. There is no excuse in not taking the time to make sure every single sentence that is taken from a source is cited properly and accurately. I now see the affect this has on my education. I have created a mess that will follow me throughout the rest of my college career. This experience has made a detrimental mark on me. I have learned that nothing is more important than reviewing and making sure your work is accurate and 100 percent original. The carelessness of my actions has ruined my GPA and I will here on out, strive to fix the damage. Knowing that I have broken the principles of the University of Florida and have failed to uphold the standards, is a weight bearing feeling and one that I will never have again. I can assure this by always thinking about this mistake and learning from it. Life lessons are all around us and this is for sure one I will never forget. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to grow from this and move on with a positive outlook for the future University of Florida semesters. I could not be happier to be at the University of Florida and be able to promote positive social responsibility from this day forward.
