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What Should I Do If I’m Accused of Plagiarism?

If your instructor expresses concerns about the originality of your work or the manner in which you’ve documented information, ideas, and arguments from sources, ask for a meeting to discuss the situation. To prepare for the meeting, do the following:

Review your document to identify passages that might have raised suspicions.
Collect the materials you used in your writing project, such as copies of your sources, responses to surveys, interview transcripts, and so on.
Collect materials you wrote during the project, such as the results of brainstorming and freewriting sessions; any outlines, clusters, or maps; and drafts of your document.
Reflect on your writing process.

During the meeting, listen to your instructor’s concerns before responding. It’s natural to feel defensive, but you’ll probably be more comfortable if you take notes and try to understand why your instructor has questions about your document. Once your instructor is finished expressing his or her concerns, think carefully about what has been said and respond as clearly as possible. Your instructor might ask follow-up questions, most likely about the sources you’ve used, your writing process, and the document you’ve written.

If you find that you have engaged in unintentional plagiarism, ask your instructor for guidance about how to avoid it in the future, and ask what sort of penalty you will face. If your instructor determines that you have plagiarized intentionally, ask what consequences you will face.

If you and your instructor are unable to resolve the situation, you might face a disciplinary process. To prepare for that process, learn as much as you can about the academic integrity policies at your institution.