SZABIST ANTI-PLAGIARISM POLICY

Introduction
Definition and Scope
Applicability
Responsibility of SZABIST
Reporting
Investigation and Implementation
Degrees of Plagiarism and The Levels of Punishment
Appeal
Penalty for False Allegation
Annexure-1
Annexure-2

 

1. Introduction

The Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) is a fully Chartered Institute established through a Legislative Act of the Pakistan Assembly (Sindh Act No. XI of 1995) and is approved and recognized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, as a degree granting institution

SZABIST is a non – profit, publicly and privately funded, independently chartered, graduate institute of science and technology. It has been established with the objectives of producing highly qualified scientific and technical personnel to meet the country’s requirement; of conducting state-of-the-art- scientific and technological assistance to the Pakistan industry to enable it to technological assistance to the Pakistan industry to enable it to compete with the world industries in global trading; of providing highly trained scientific and technological personnel to be able to attract the growth of high-tech industries and foreign and Pakistani investment; and of providing a sound socio-economic and scientific base and infrastructure to Pakistan to be able to meet the economic and technological challenges of the 21st century. 

To realize its objective, SZABIST is committed to the quality excellence in all the areas of its intervention as SZABIST strongly believe in the knowledge creation through the original work. In order to promote the culture of quality research at SZABIST, it is necessary to discourage the tendency of plagiarism through a stringent anti plagiarism policy.

2. Definition and Scope

Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the ‘Plagiarism’ as “taking and using the thoughts, writing and inventions of an other person as one’s own”.The scope of plagiarism covers the act of using someone else’s writings, ideas, insights, analyses and arguments in various forms without giving proper credit and acknowledgement to the original source. This act is a serious offence, equated with cheating at examinations. It is a theft or expropriation of someone else’s intellectual property. Plagiarism applies to copying not just the text from the published books and journals, but also materials downloaded from websites or drawn from other media; unpublished works, lecture handouts, work of other students, and even allowing someone else to copy one’s personal work. HEC - Pakistan in its ‘Plagiarism Policy’ has identified the following types of plagiarism from various sources.
http://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/Documents/Plagiarism/Plagiarism%20Policy.pdf

 Verbatim copying, near-verbatim copying, or purposely paraphrasing portions of another author's paper or unpublished report without citing the exact reference:

  • Copying elements of another author's paper, such as equations, models or illustrations that are not common knowledge. 

  • Copying or purposely paraphrasing sentences without citing the source

  •  Verbatim copying portions of another author's paper or from reports by citing but not clearly differentiating what text has been copied (e.g. not applying quotation marks correctly) and /or not citing the source correctly

  • The unacknowledged use of computer programs, mathematical / computer models / algorithms, computer software in all forms, macros, spreadsheets, web pages, databases, mathematical deviations and calculations, designs / models / displays of any sort, diagrams, graphs, tables, drawings, works of art of any sort, fine art pieces or artifacts, digital images, computer-aided design drawings, GIS files, photographs, maps, music / composition of any sort, posters, presentations and tracing.etc.

For further guidelines, see annexure 1

3. Applicability

The policy is applicable to the students only who are enrolled with SZABIST. However, in case of staff and faculty, HEC policies will be applied.

4. Responsibility of SZABIST

SZABIST is responsible to take steps to create awareness amongst the students, researchers and staff of the implications and resulting punishments if they are found guilty of plagiarism, such as:

  1. Posting of ‘SZABIST Anti Plagiarism Policy’, on its website

  2. Promotion and teaching of anti plagiarism practices by all faculty members

  3. Getting ‘Anti Plagiarism Declaration Form’ (annexure 2) signed by the students on the research proposals for their Class Projects, ISs, Dissertations and Thesis to be submitted

 

To implement the anti plagiarism policy, SZABIST constitutes an ‘Anti Plagiarism Committee’ (APC) which consists of:

      • Two Senior Faculty Members of SZABIST (at the level of Assistant Professors at least), one of them to be appointed as a Chairperson and nominated by the concerned HoD or PD.

      • Examination Controller SZABIST (to work as a Secretary)

      • One Subject Specialist nominated by the concerned HoD (if required)

      • One Technical Person (if required to run the anti plagiarism software)

5. Reporting

Complaints against plagiarism committed be made to the concerned Coordinator/HoD by emailing, post, fax or other means. Following information needs to be provided in their written complaint:

  • Complete reference of the allegedly plagiarized paper

  • Name, designation, address, email address and telephone number/s of the complainant.

6. Investigation and Implementation

Complaints against plagiarism committed be made to the concerned Coordinator/HoD by emailing, post, fax or other means. Following information needs to be provided in their written complaint:            

•   Complete reference of the allegedly plagiarized paper

•   Name, designation, address, email address and telephone number/s of the complainant.

7. Degrees of Plagiarism and The Levels of Punishment

Degrees of Plagiarism

  1. Paraphrasing [rather than copying actual words]

b. Copying only the portion
c. Copying the whole assignment
d. Copying from single source
e. Copying from unpublished source
f. Same Material /Assign of two different Students
g. Copying from the web or purchasing it from webetc

Levels of Punishment
Penalty depends upon the seriousness of the offence. For example, the levels of punishment can be:

  1. Course work marks at zero

  2. All courses are set at zero

  3. Student may be rusticated

8. Appeal

The affected person/s will have the right to appeal to the Graduate Directors through the concerned Coordinator/HoD for a review of the findings. The mercy/appeal should be submitted within 15 days from the date of notification and be disposed off within 10 days of receipt in consultation with the APC, if required.

9. Penalty for False Allegation

In case if the allegation is not proved, the APC will inform the complainant’s organization and will recommend a disciplinary action against the complainant, as per their own rules and regulations. In case if the complainant is internal student/faculty/staff of SZABIST, APC will recommend a disciplinary action against him/her depending on the nature of allegations made.

Annexure-1

Guidelines on protection from Plagiarism

The following guidelines on plagiarism are designed to protect students from unintentional offence:

 

  1. Course work, essays, dissertations and thesis submitted for assessment must be original work by the individual student, except in the case of group projects where the report may be a joint effort and indicated as such.

  1. All exact word for word quotation should be indicated by quotation marks followed by the reference.Failure to provide a source or put quotation marks around material, that is taken from elsewhere, gives the appearance that the comments are the author’s own. 

  1. A close paraphrase of argument or conclusion from another person’s work should always acknowledge the source of the material by giving the name of author, the name of the book or article, and the page numbers.  It is not acceptable for the student to put together acknowledged passages from the same or from different sources linking these together with a few words or sentences of his/her own and changing a few words from the original text. This is regarded as over-dependence on other sources, which is a form of plagiarism.

  1. Provide a full "note" about your source, either at the bottom of the page as footnote or as endnotes at the end of the chapter or the piece of work.

 

  1. The bibliography should also include all other texts, which have been consulted but not directly quoted.

  1. The reference should contain information adequate enough to enable the reader to locate the reference easily.

Annexure-2

Anti Plagiarism Declaration Form for Student

Declaration
"I/we certify that this is my/our own research work. The work has not, in whole or in part, been presented elsewhere for assessment. Where material has been used from other sources, it has been properly acknowledged. If this statement is untrue and if I am found guilty of the plagiarism, the punitive actions against me be taken as per the SZABIST Anti Plagiarism Policy. 

Name/s of the student/s                     
Registration No:          
Class: 
Program:

Signature

Revised 3/05