Sample Plagiarism/Misconduct Letter

March 10, 2015

 

Lydia Bennet

1138 Residence Hall

University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT 06269

 

Email:lydia.bennet@uconn.edu

 

Dear Lydia:

This letter serves as a follow up to our meeting on Friday, March 7, 2015. After reviewing your work, I have determined that your second paper, turned in on 11 February 2015, written in fulfillment of the requirements for English 1011-031, contains plagiarized material, and constitutes a case of academic misconduct. Most of your paper is identical or nearly identical to portions of the website www.americanhitnetwork.com. For example, the website http://www.americanhitnetwork.com/ahn/decade-overview.cfm/decade/1960 reads:

[Excerpt from the website]

Your first body paragraph, for comparison, reads:

[Excerpt from student paper]

Most of your paper consists of similar, blatant cut-and-paste techniques, taken from this and other sections of the larger website, including the web pages on the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Your paper and the relevant plagiarized sources are attached to this document.

My syllabus states that the penalty for plagiarism is failure either for the assignment or for the course. In consultation with the directors of First-Year Writing Program, I have determined that the penalty will be failure for the course. In accordance with The Student Code, you may request a hearing with the Academic Misconduct Hearing Board. You have five business days to submit to me a written request for a hearing. If I have not received any communication from you by then, the said sanction will be imposed.

The Community Standards staff members are available to meet with you to review The Student Code and answer any questions that you may have regarding academic integrity or students rights as set forth under The Student Code. Please note that a copy of this letter is forwarded to Community Standards, who has the right to convene the Academic Misconduct Hearing Board to consider additional sanctions if you have a significant student misconduct history.

You may reach Community Standards at 860-486-8402 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., via email at community@uconn.edu, or visit online at http://www.community.uconn.edu.

 

Sincerely,

Anne Taylor

Instructor of First-Year Writing

 

cc:            Ashley Vrabely, Associate Director, Unit 4062

enclosed:                Paper 2, “The Mystery of Music”

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