Severity of an Unintentional Plagiarism IA

[dynami13]

I have an institutional action for plagiarism in an online lab course I took this summer (I am an incoming junior). The professors provided the class with a set of experimental data to measure using a software. I was having technical difficulties accessing the software, so I used another student’s measurements. The professor encouraged student collaboration, but they reported me to student conduct for neglecting to cite my classmate.

I understand that it was my responsibility to clarify the citation protocol. I was admittedly unfamiliar with my professor's expectations for online labs, and these expectations were enforced according to a "zero-tolerance" policy.

- In terms of IAs, how severe is this? This is my first offense, and I understand that I will have to report it whether or not it is expunged from my record.

- Can I expect adcoms to be understanding of the unintentional nature of this incident, or will I need to apply more broadly to compensate for having an IA? Will my application be reviewed with less priority just because I will be checking "yes" for the IA box?

- How should I explain this on my application? Would it be best to keep the explanation of the incident short and simple with a greater focus on what I learned from it?


EDIT: There was no other way I could have completed the assignment without access to the software. The IA was not for using my classmate's data, it was for neglecting to cite it.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[KnightDoc]

I have an institutional action for plagiarism in an online lab course I took this summer (I am an incoming junior). The professors provided the class with a set of experimental data to measure using a software. I was having technical difficulties accessing the software, so I used another student’s measurements to complete the analysis portion of the assignment. The professor encouraged student collaboration, but they reported me to student conduct for neglecting to cite my classmate.

I understand that it was my responsibility to clarify the citation protocol. I was admittedly unfamiliar with my professor's expectations for online labs, and these expectations were enforced according to a "zero-tolerance" policy.

- In terms of IAs, how severe is this? This is my first offense, and I understand that I will have to report it whether or not it is expunged from my record.

- Can I expect adcoms to be understanding of the unintentional/minor nature of this incident, or will I need to apply more broadly to compensate for having an IA? Will my application be reviewed with less priority just because I will be checking "yes" for the IA box?

- How should I explain this on my application? Would it be best to keep the explanation of the incident short and simple with a greater focus on what I learned from it?

Search SDN for threads on this topic. Frankly, it doesn't get much worse than plagiarism and cheating when it comes to IAs for med school.

 

[lacrossegirl420]

ia's in general are bad, but plagiarism is REALLY bad in terms of an ia. its very hard to overcome even with good stats/ec's

 

[candbgirl]

So have you been through the judicial process? What was the outcome? Plagiarism is very serious and you have to start by owning it and not trying to blow it off as minor!

 

[dynami13]

ia's in general are bad, but plagiarism is REALLY bad in terms of an ia. its very hard to overcome even with good stats/ec's

Search SDN for threads on this topic. Frankly, it doesn't get much worse than plagiarism and cheating when it comes to IAs for med school.

I've searched through SDN, but the posts I've found were mostly about deliberate cheating. I haven't seen much about unintentional citation errors. I would imagine that's different than deliberately cheating or stealing ideas in an attempt to gain an academic advantage.

 

[dynami13]

So have you been through the judicial process? What was the outcome? Plagiarism is very serious and you have to start by owning it and not trying to blow it off as minor!

I plan on taking responsibility for not citing the data correctly, but this was not an intentional attempt to undermine academic integrity.

 

[Goro]

I have an institutional action for plagiarism in an online lab course I took this summer (I am an incoming junior). The professors provided the class with a set of experimental data to measure using a software. I was having technical difficulties accessing the software, so I used another student’s measurements to complete the analysis portion of the assignment. The professor encouraged student collaboration, but they reported me to student conduct for neglecting to cite my classmate.

I understand that it was my responsibility to clarify the citation protocol. I was admittedly unfamiliar with my professor's expectations for online labs, and these expectations were enforced according to a "zero-tolerance" policy.

- In terms of IAs, how severe is this? This is my first offense, and I understand that I will have to report it whether or not it is expunged from my record.

- Can I expect adcoms to be understanding of the unintentional/minor nature of this incident, or will I need to apply more broadly to compensate for having an IA? Will my application be reviewed with less priority just because I will be checking "yes" for the IA box?

- How should I explain this on my application? Would it be best to keep the explanation of the incident short and simple with a greater focus on what I learned from it?

Hmmmmmmm....I'm a bit skeptical on reading this.

You had trouble with the software, so you asked a classmate for help...but it wasn't actually help..it's was "give me your data". That doesn't sound like collaboration.

So, this doesn't look good.

I suggest that you own this, and see if you can atone and get your professor to write a LOR.

Otherwise, your medical career just went into deep stasis.

Would like to hear from my wise colleagues!
@gyngyn
@gonnif
@LizzyM
@Catalystik
@Angus Avagadro
@lord999
@Mr.Smile12

 

[penguinsfan71]

I've searched through SDN, but I haven't seen much about unintentional citation errors. I would imagine that's different than deliberately cheating or stealing ideas in an attempt to gain an academic advantage.

Forgetting a citation is definitely not as bad as deliberately cheating on a test, but it's still not great. Adcoms can't tell whether or not your plagiarism was intentional, and they aren't likely to give you the benefit of the doubt. If you own up to this mistake, you could be okay. Don't try to downplay it by saying that the class encouraged cooperation, because that clearly doesn't mean that you're allowed to copy another student's work.

 

[dynami13]

Hmmmmmmm....I'm a bit skeptical on reading this.

You had trouble with the software, so you asked a classmate for help...but it wasn't actually help..it's was "give me your data". That doesn't sound like collaboration.

So, this doesn't look good.

I suggest that you own this, and see if you can atone and get your professor to write a LOR.

Otherwise, your medical career just went into deep stasis.

Would like to hear from my wise colleagues!
@gyngyn
@gonnif
@LizzyM
@Catalystik
@Angus Avagadro
@lord999
@Mr.Smile12

I understand that it sounds complicated. I was allowed to use my classmate's data because I had technical difficulties. The IA itself was for neglecting to cite my classmate's data, not for the collaboration.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Schools have policies on plagarism and citation. If you received an IA, then you have violated the policy. If not, there must be a mechanism for due process to determine if indeed you deserved the IA. @Goro and I are both parents and our Spidy senses are tingling just a little on this one. If there is no avenue for due process, then you must own and attempt to explain it in the most accurate and concise terms. My gut reaction is you get put in a pile for evaluation later in the admission process, if your stats are good. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[dynami13]

Schools have policies on plagarism and citation. If you received an IA, then you have violated the policy. If not, there must be a mechanism for due process to determine if indeed you deserved the IA. @Goro and I are both parents and our Spidy senses are tingling just a little on this one. If there is no avenue for due process, then you must own and attempt to explain it in the most accurate and concise terms. My gut reaction is you get put in a pile for evaluation later in the admission process, if your stats are good. Good luck and best wishes!

Thank you for your advice. My original post has a lot of complicated details, but to put it simply - the IA is for not citing experimental data.

I can try to appeal, but my professor reported me under a "zero-tolerance" policy, so I am planning for the worst case scenario.

If I do have to report this as an IA when I apply, would you recommend that I apply more broadly to compensate?

 

[KnightDoc]

Schools have policies on plagarism and citation. If you received an IA, then you have violated the policy. If not, there must be a mechanism for due process to determine if indeed you deserved the IA. @Goro and I are both parents and our Spidy senses are tingling just a little on this one. If there is no avenue for due process, then you must own and attempt to explain it in the most accurate and concise terms. My gut reaction is you get put in a pile for evaluation later in the admission process, if your stats are good. Good luck and best wishes!

Maybe a stupid question, but, I'll shoot anyway!

If the app is placed aside until later, assuming good stats, what happens later that might result in an II over someone with slightly lower stats? The IA and the explanation are still there.

I was under the impression that all schools had an infinite number of applicants with more than acceptable stats, and that if there is a deficiency (stats, ECs, IAs, etc.) that causes an application to be put aside, it doesn't end well. Are you implying that OP would have a chance on a second trip through the apps after everyone with comparable stats and no IAs has been reviewed?

 

[lord999]

I frankly don't believe the explanation. I can't see a circumstance that failing to cite another student's measurements would have been an issue unless you did not volunteer the information, but the lab instructor found out some other way. How did the instructor find out that you were using someone else's measurements unless you stated that?

If you did say so ahead of time, incorrect citation isn't plaigiarism. Something else is involved or the professors are not going to have it stick. If you didn't say so a priori and the instructors found out afterwards, plaigiarism and cheating are different ways to look at it but still derogatory.

 

[dynami13]

I frankly don't believe the explanation. I can't see a circumstance that failing to cite another student's measurements would have been an issue unless you did not volunteer the information, but the lab instructor found out some other way. How did the instructor find out that you were using someone else's measurements unless you stated that?

If you did say so ahead of time, incorrect citation isn't plaigiarism. Something else is involved or the professors are not going to have it stick. If you didn't say so a priori and the instructors found out afterwards, plaigiarism and cheating are different ways to look at it but still derogatory.

Yes, the IA was for the citation error. I wasn't sure what exactly to call it, "plagiarism" was a misnomer on my part, my university considers the under the same umbrella.

Turnitin was able to identify the data because the measurement software is accurate to multiple decimal places. My professor had a "zero-tolerance" policy, which is why the citation error was escalated to student conduct. I've read other SDN threads about students who have been reported to student conduct for missing citations/citation errors, but I couldn't find any info about how this would affect my application.

 

[Goro]

Thank you for your advice. My original post has a lot of complicated details, but to put it simply - the IA is for not citing experimental data.

I can try to appeal, but my professor reported me under a "zero-tolerance" policy, so I am planning for the worst case scenario.

If I do have to report this as an IA when I apply, would you recommend that I apply more broadly to compensate?

Why do you believe that some med schools will not take this as seriously as other schools?

 

[Goro]

Maybe a stupid question, but, I'll shoot anyway!

If the app is placed aside until later, assuming good stats, what happens later that might result in an II over someone with slightly lower stats? The IA and the explanation are still there.

I was under the impression that all schools had an infinite number of applicants with more than acceptable stats, and that if there is a deficiency (stats, ECs, IAs, etc.) that causes an application to be put aside, it doesn't end well. Are you implying that OP would have a chance on a second trip through the apps after everyone with comparable stats and no IAs has been reviewed?

Why do you believe that stats are the only thing that matter to med schools???

 

[dynami13]

Why do you believe that some med schools will not take this as seriously as other schools?

I'm not exactly sure how the process works. Do schools auto-reject all academic IAs?

 

[penguinsfan71]

I'm not exactly sure how the process works. Do schools auto-reject all academic IAs?

No, but it presents a big hurdle that you'll need to overcome. A plagiarism IA calls your entire GPA into question; typically an academic IA isn't the first time the student tried to cheat the system, it's just the first time that they caught. If you have great EC's that include a significant amount of community service hours, it'll be easier to explain this as a one time mistake.

Medical schools receive thousands of applications each year, so your app has to convince adcoms to take you over hundreds of other people with similar stats and no academic IA's.

 

[KnightDoc]

Why do you believe that stats are the only thing that matter to med schools???

I don't. I was asking @Angus Avagadro why his "gut reaction is you get put in a pile for evaluation later in the admission process, if your stats are good." I was wondering why good stats would drive a second look while not so good stats wouldn't, since an IA for cheating is an IA for cheating, regardless of stats.

 

[LizzyM]

As I've said many times, adcoms are going to ask themselves, "Do we want someone in our student body who did that??" Now let's take an extreme case, someone who charged a fee to other students in exchange for hacking a faculty member's gradebook and changing test scores. Someone with such an IA might get a big "no way! nothing else about the application even matters."
At the other extreme, someone reports having loaned their laptop to their roommate and the roommate took a document from the laptop and submitted it under their own name thus triggering the plagiarism software. Date stamps show who wrote the paper first but the school throws the book at both students. An adcom may take pity on the generous student who loaned their laptop and ended up the victim of a theft of intellectual property.

Ok, in between there is a lot of gray zone. This might be in this gray zone such that some schools would give this person a chance and look at the rest of the application and perhaps make an interview invite based on the rest of the application and despite the IA. Other schools might decide that the IA makes the applicant inadmissable and others will choose not to make an interview invite based on the rest of the record and not because of the IA.

 

[candbgirl]

Thank you for your advice. My original post has a lot of complicated details, but to put it simply - the IA is for not citing experimental data.

I can try to appeal, but my professor reported me under a "zero-tolerance" policy, so I am planning for the worst case scenario.

If I do have to report this as an IA when I apply, would you recommend that I apply more broadly to compensate?

Why wouldn’t you have to report this as an IA?

 

[Osminog]

You should have emailed the professor before submitting the assignment and explicitly asked if you could use a classmate’s data. The fact that the professor only found out about it when you were caught by TurnItIn makes the situation sound sketchy. Also, whether you were aware of the rules surrounding plagiarism at your institution is irrelevant. Ignorantia juris non excusat.

If the situation is as you describe it (and I’m not sure that it is, given that there are two sides to every story), your school’s administration might cut you some slack and let it go. If the school decides to discipline you, whether that be through a strongly worded warning email or through academic probation, suspension, etc., you’ll have to report it as an IA. I would fight tooth and nail to avoid getting an IA, or to have it expunged from your record if you end up getting one.

 

[LizzyM]

Why wouldn’t you have to report this as an IA?

If the OP goes before a school judicial body and is found not to have broken a school rule, then there would be no IA to report.

Even if

I would fight tooth and nail to avoid getting an IA, or to have it expunged from your record if you end up getting one.

Even if expunged later, it must be reported if it happened. The best approach is to avoid getting the IA.

 

[Osminog]

Even if expunged later, it must be reported if it happened. The best approach is to avoid getting the IA.

I suspect that there are a lot of people with expunged IAs who answer “no” after making sure that there’s no trace of it in their dean office files, transcripts, LoRs, etc. Everybody knows that IAs are an application killer, and nobody wants to wreck an otherwise solid application by reporting an IA. I know somebody who’s a fourth-year at a top medical school who was formally censured for weed possession as a college freshman. He performed some community service, got it expunged, and didn’t report it on his application. I obviously don’t condone that sort of deceptive behavior—and personally, I wouldn’t be able to do it because I’d constantly feel paranoid about the prospect of getting caught... but I think it’s something that’s more common than one would think.

Do you know of a lot students who have gotten caught with expunged IAs from undergrad while applying to or being enrolled in medical school? Goro talks about LoRs mentioning IAs that students failed to report... but I can’t imagine that that happens all that frequently.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

How would anyone know about expunged IAs?

 

[LizzyM]

Character test
If you are an honest person and you are told that you have an obligation to report a situation where you were found to be dishonest, you report it. If you are a dishonest person in the same circumstances, you will not report it.
Are you fundamentally a honest person or a dishonest one?

 

[KnightDoc]

How would anyone know about expunged IAs?

As @Goro likes to use as an example (and as @Osminog just referenced above), since it's kind of a big deal when it happens, it is possible someone writing a LOR could say something stupid like "@srk2021's son has been a delight to have in class, especially since his plagiarism IA freshman year. He really learned a lot from that act of academic dishonesty."

I'm sure something like that might have happened once upon a time, but, as @Osminog said, it's just hard to imagine that today, given how crazy competitive things are, that someone would reference something that negative in a LOR. Of course, it's possible some dick who is out to get you might. It's also possible that it's such a small world that people just end up hearing things, so there is always a chance of getting caught.

But I agree with @Osminog -- I'm not advocating it, and will hopefully never have to cross this particular bridge, but the risk/reward seems to favor not disclosing something bad that is expunged, given the high probability of disclosure being a problem and the low probability of being caught.

 

[dynami13]

As I've said many times, adcoms are going to ask themselves, "Do we want someone in our student body who did that??" Now let's take an extreme case, someone who charged a fee to other students in exchange for hacking a faculty member's gradebook and changing test scores. Someone with such an IA might get a big "no way! nothing else about the application even matters."
At the other extreme, someone reports having loaned their laptop to their roommate and the roommate took a document from the laptop and submitted it under their own name thus triggering the plagiarism software. Date stamps show who wrote the paper first but the school throws the book at both students. An adcom may take pity on the generous student who loaned their laptop and ended up the victim of a theft of intellectual property.

Ok, in between there is a lot of gray zone. This might be in this gray zone such that some schools would give this person a chance and look at the rest of the application and perhaps make an interview invite based on the rest of the application and despite the IA. Other schools might decide that the IA makes the applicant inadmissable and others will choose not to make an interview invite based on the rest of the record and not because of the IA.

Is the IA evaluated separately from from the rest of the application (stats/EC/etc)? Is it the case that if my IA "passes through", the rest of my application will be evaluated like any other candidate? Please correct me I am misunderstanding.

Another question - would gap years be necessary in my case to distance myself from this incident?

 

[LizzyM]

Is the IA evaluated separately from from the rest of the application (stats/EC/etc)? Is it the case that if my IA "passes through", the rest of my application will be evaluated like any other candidate? Please correct me I am misunderstanding.

Another question - would gap years be necessary in my case to distance myself from this incident?

Some schools will tell reviewers and interviewers that if the person with an IA has been chosen for further review or for interview, it is because the subcommittee that decides "would we want someone here who did that?" answered in the affirmative. In other words, it has already been determined that the IA should not be a deal breaker. That said, I do suspect that it can bias some reviewers and some interviewers. But it can also be a positive bias if someone has a soft spot for an underdog or someone who has made a sincere attempt to amend their life.

 

[proudofmykids]

Continue the Fight with your council until you get it reduced from IA (warning) or expunged!
Next best alternative is to Get a letter from the Professor who gave you the IA to corroborate the actual infraction.

 

[dynami13]

Some schools will tell reviewers and interviewers that if the person with an IA has been chosen for further review or for interview, it is because the subcommittee that decides "would we want someone here who did that?" answered in the affirmative. In other words, it has already been determined that the IA should not be a deal breaker. That said, I do suspect that it can bias some reviewers and some interviewers. But it can also be a positive bias if someone has a soft spot for an underdog or someone who has made a sincere attempt to amend their life.

thank you for your clarification

 

[dynami13]

Continue the Fight with your council until you get it reduced from IA (warning) or expunged!
Next best alternative is to Get a letter from the Professor who gave you the IA to corroborate the actual infraction.

That is my plan! I'm hoping for the best while planning for the worst

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Maybe a stupid question, but, I'll shoot anyway!

If the app is placed aside until later, assuming good stats, what happens later that might result in an II over someone with slightly lower stats? The IA and the explanation are still there.

I was under the impression that all schools had an infinite number of applicants with more than acceptable stats, and that if there is a deficiency (stats, ECs, IAs, etc.) that causes an application to be put aside, it doesn't end well. Are you implying that OP would have a chance on a second trip through the apps after everyone with comparable stats and no IAs has been reviewed?

Some apps clearly warrant an II. Some dont. Some are in the middle, let's call it the pretty good range. Which of those get an II? My point is that OP might not get an immediate rejection on the information they have provided. If they have a great app, more consideration might be warranted based on the circumstances surrounding the IA. My personal view is why hire a problem? We have lots of great apps with no IA's. But OP's explanation was somewhat nuanced in the way they presented it and I don't feel I could outright reject them based on the limited information given. To answer your question, if the IA was reduced during due process, or the Prof wrote OP a LOR explaining it was merely a technical IA and he didnt believe it was a violation of citation, I might consider giving OP an II. I think lots of other schools have 3 piles, so to speak. II now, reject, take a 2nd look later. If OP had mediocre stats and an IA, it would probably be put in the reject pile. Hope this clarifies my comments a little.

 

[dynami13]

Some apps clearly warrant an II. Some dont. Some are in the middle, let's call it the pretty good range. Which of those get an II? My point is that OP might not get an immediate rejection on the information they have provided. If they have a great app, more consideration might be warranted based on the circumstances surrounding the IA. My personal view is why hire a problem? We have lots of great apps with no IA's. But OP's explanation was somewhat nuanced in the way they presented it and I don't feel I could outright reject them based on the limited information given. To answer your question, if the IA was reduced during due process, or the Prof wrote OP a LOR explaining it was merely a technical IA and he didnt believe it was a violation of citation, I might consider giving OP an II. I think lots of other schools have 3 piles, so to speak. II now, reject, take a 2nd look later. If OP had mediocre stats and an IA, it would probably be put in the reject pile. Hope this clarifies my comments a little.

To clarify, should I expect to be granted leniency only if my stats are at the higher end of the school's range?

 

[candbgirl]

I’m not sure it should be called leniency! At some schools you might not be considered at all. At others there just might be something on your app that a reviewer thinks maybe we should look at this person again, despite his IA. I think much depends on your total application and who reviews it. I doubt you’d get an immediate interview but maybe later in the cycle someone will review your application again and agree with the first reviewer that maybe you should be granted an interview. It’s always good to put time between you and the IA so you can show growth and remorse and whatever else you can figure out! I’m not sure when you are planning to apply but if indeed this is an IA consider taking a gap year or two.
one question- was your professor aware of the issues you were having with the software? What was his suggestion on how to handle it? Where you aware that you needed to cite your friend? This whole situation just really confuses me!

 

[dynami13]

I’m not sure it should be called leniency! At some schools you might not be considered at all. At others there just might be something on your app that a reviewer thinks maybe we should look at this person again, despite his IA. I think much depends on your total application and who reviews it. I doubt you’d get an immediate interview but maybe later in the cycle someone will review your application again and agree with the first reviewer that maybe you should be granted an interview. It’s always good to put time between you and the IA so you can show growth and remorse and whatever else you can figure out! I’m not sure when you are planning to apply but if indeed this is an IA consider taking a gap year or two.
one question- was your professor aware of the issues you were having with the software? What was his suggestion on how to handle it? Where you aware that you needed to cite your friend? This whole situation just really confuses me!

I was having trouble with the software, so my professor told me that I could use my classmate's data. The problem is, I did not cite my classmate's data in the lab report that I turned in. I was not aware that I needed to cite my classmate, but it was my responsibility to know how to cite properly. I don't believe that ignorance can be used as an excuse.

The instructors for this class enforced a zero-tolerance policy because academic dishonesty has been a problem ever since classes went online due to covid. The IA is for improper citation, which is a form of plagiarism.

 

[KnightDoc]

To clarify, should I expect to be granted leniency only if my stats are at the higher end of the school's range?

That's probably another way to look at it. I wouldn't call it "leniency." Based on the way @Angus Avagadro described it, I'd think of it more as "worthy of a second look." Any IA, no matter benign, represents a potential, if not actual, red flag. Why should med schools deal with red flags when they have 50,000 applicants for 20,000 spots?

That said, the better your stats, and the better your IA explanation, and the less serious your IA, the more likely someone might be, not to grant you leniency, but to look past the IA because of the other positive attributes you might bring to the class. On the other hand, the lower your stats, the easier you are to replace with a comparable applicant without a potential red flag that needs to be explained away, and the more likely the adcom would be to just move on to other applicants.

Make sense? Nothing personal; it's just that in an environment this competitive, the lower your stats the less they feel a need to deal with it.

 

[dynami13]

That's probably another way to look at it. I wouldn't call it "leniency." Based on the way @Angus Avagadro described it, I'd think of it more as "worthy of a second look." Any IA, no matter benign, represents a potential, if not actual, red flag. Why should med schools deal with red flags when they have 50,000 applicants for 20,000 spots?

That said, the better your stats, and the better your IA explanation, and the less serious your IA, the more likely someone might be, not to grant you leniency, but to look past the IA because of the other positive attributes you might bring to the class. On the other hand, the lower your stats, the easier you are to replace with a comparable applicant without a potential red flag that needs to be explained away, and the more likely the adcom would be to just move on to other applicants.

Make sense? Nothing personal; it's just that in an environment this competitive, the lower your stats the less they feel a need to deal with it.

Yes this makes sense, thank you for your response. I don't blame schools for being risk-averse, especially since they have so many qualified candidates.

 

[Goro]

To clarify, should I expect to be granted leniency only if my stats are at the higher end of the school's range?

No, the whole app has to be good. Stellar ECs, especially those involving service to others less fortunate than yourself, can help.

 

[Goro]

I was having trouble with the software, so my professor told me that I could use my classmate's data. The problem is, I did not cite my classmate's data in the lab report that I turned in. I was not aware that I needed to cite my classmate, but it was my responsibility to know how to cite properly. I don't believe that ignorance can be used as an excuse.

The instructors for this class enforced a zero-tolerance policy because academic dishonesty has been a problem ever since classes went online due to covid. The IA is for improper citation, which is a form of plagiarism.

If you can get some other LOR writers to mention this in depth (assuming that you can't get an LOR from the prof), this will go a long way to helping you. You appear to have made a minor sin of omission rather than commission.

 

[deleted804295]

This really sucks. Usually my TAs encouraged us to use someone else's data for labs when there were technical difficulties or half the lab couldn't get data.

We never were required to cite our peers although looking back now that could be 'plagiarism' depending on what type of professor we had.

I think they should've explained it to you- particularly your TA- instead of giving you an IA

Plagiarism and cheating IAs are the worst.

 

[dynami13]

If you can get some other LOR writers to mention this in depth (assuming that you can't get an LOR from the prof), this will go a long way to helping you. You appear to have made a minor sin of omission rather than commission.

this is good advice! So basically I would need my LOR writer to explain that this was a case of a missed citation, and it was more of a technicality than an act of intentional academic dishonesty. Then they would write about my character and growth from the incident. Is there anything else that should be included?

 

[Goro]

this is good advice! So basically I would need my LOR writer to explain that this was a case of a missed citation, and it was more of a technicality than an act of intentional academic dishonesty. Then they would write about my character and growth from the incident.

yes and yes

 

[dynami13]

This really sucks. Usually my TAs encouraged us to use someone else's data for labs when there were technical difficulties or half the lab couldn't get data.

We never were required to cite our peers although looking back now that could be 'plagiarism' depending on what type of professor we had.

I think they should've explained it to you- particularly your TA- instead of giving you an IA

Plagiarism and cheating IAs are the worst.

This is exactly where my confusion came from. I've taken lab classes (when they were in-person) where technical issues happened, and I've had to share data, but I've never had to cite it. I guess the difference is that this lab is online? Or maybe my TA was just picky.

 

[deleted804295]

This is exactly where my confusion came from. I've taken lab classes (when they were in-person) where technical issues happened, and I've had to share data, but I've never had to cite it. I guess the difference is that this lab is online? Or maybe the professor is just picky.

I have no clue tbh.

Well you mentioned Turn It In. Did you copy an entire table from your lab mate?

If so that would've triggered the system and resulted in an IA.

Basically anything that turns up on TurnItIn above the 5% similarity is a big no no at my school and I've had friends get into big trouble because of it. This is treated differently than data sharing.

 

[dynami13]

I have no clue tbh.

Well you mentioned Turn It In. Did you copy an entire table from your lab mate?

If so that would've triggered the system and resulted in an IA.

Basically anything that turns up on TurnItIn above the 5% similarity is a big no no at my school and I've had friends get into big trouble because of it. This is treated differently than data sharing.

No, not a table, just data measurements that I used in the analysis portion of my report. Turnitin picked it up because the numbers were identical to multiple decimal places, but either way, my TA knew that I had to use my classmate's data because of my technical difficulties.

 

[deleted804295]

No, not a table, just data measurements that I used in the analysis portion of my report. Turnitin picked it up because the numbers were identical to multiple decimal places, but either way, my TA knew that I had to use my classmate's data because of my technical difficulties.

Analysis section? that's a harder sell.

Regardless it really sucks and you got good advice. If you haven't talked your case out yet explain to the professor. Hopefully they dont give you the IA. If the matter is settled try and redeem yourself by showing you're beyond that IA

 

[Angus Avagadro]

To clarify, should I expect to be granted leniency only if my stats are at the higher end of the school's range?

Dont expect anything. I am speaking for myself. As you know, you are a candidate with some baggage. Any consideration will be school dependant as other posters above have mentioned. YMMV. How you handle it will be important. You basically have to get the school to say " I want this person to be my doctor: Having stats above the schools average can only help you get them to look beyond the IA. I would be working very hard to get it removed. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[dynami13]

Dont expect anything. I am speaking for myself. As you know, you are a candidate with some baggage. Any consideration will be school dependant as other posters above have mentioned. YMMV. How you handle it will be important. You basically have to get the school to say " I want this person to be my doctor: Having stats above the schools average can only help you get them to look beyond the IA. I would be working very hard to get it removed. Good luck and best wishes!

Even if the IA is removed it will still have to be reported, correct? So what would be the advantage of working to get it removed?

 

[CliveStaples]

Even if the IA is removed it will still have to be reported, correct? So what would be the advantage of working to get it removed?

Because then your story about how the IA was simply for a missed citation and not for the actual act of using somebody else's laboratory results would be believed.

As it stands right now, if I saw somebody's application that had an IA and I heard your story, I would either believe that you were lying or incredibly unlucky. In either case, it takes more investigating. Having the IA removed offers a part of that explanation. If I have hundreds of qualified applicants, why do I need to go the extra mile to figure out what actually happened?

I'll say this as well. Some of the attitudes you are seeing stem from the fact that students often come here with stories about their IA and what to do about them/how to spin them and oftentimes it turns out that they have withheld crucial pieces of information. There is a healthy skepticism that comes with the "I got a frivolous IA" story.