How do I handle being accused of plagiarism in college?
I go to the University of Nevada Reno. I was accused of plagiarism for a paper and my teacher gave me an F on the assignment and reported it to the school. They sent me a letter as a warning. My teacher is also accusing me of plagiarizing an extra credit paper. The assignment was to draw from concepts from the book and lecture, which is what I did. I didn't put quotations around the material from the book because I stated in my sentence that i was going to draw concepts from the book, so I assumed it was okay. I'm not sure if he is going to report this to the school again, so what should I do if he does? I heard that I could be expelled from the school and I don't want that to happen.
Very quickly, speak to the administration, the dean or whoever is appropriate at your school and see if you can get a quick resolution. If not, you should, as the other attorneys suggest, prepare to take legal action very soon in order to preserve your rights.
Please note that I do not warrant that this is legal advice. This is not a solicitation for, nor is that an establishment of any attorney-client relationship. For any legal advice, you should consult an attorney.
Christine provided you with a good resource. You should also review the student handbook that sets forth the requirements to challenge an accusation of academic dishonesty. You are probably under some type of time line that you will need to abide by to preserve your right to challenge.
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If the school notifies you of any disciplinary action such as expulsion or restriction of your transcripts, you will need to engage an administrative law attorney to challenge the school's action.
Here is the link for your university's detailed statement of your rights and a description of the process by which any allegations against you will be investigated and resolved: http://www.unr.edu/student-conduct/policies/university-policies-and-guidelines/academic-standards/resolving-charges
My responses to questions on Avvo are never intended as legal advice and must not be relied upon as legal advice. I give legal advice only in the course of an attorney-client relationship. Exchange of information through Avvo's Questions forum does not establish an attorney-client relationship with me. That relationship is established only by individual consultation and execution of a written agreement for legal services.
