The English Department has a very stringent policy regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism is academic dishonesty, cheating--especially that kind of copying/cheating born of intent to deceive. Plagiarism is willfully copying someone else's work, in part or in full, without acknowledging the source(s) and submitting it as your own or pretending that the work of a "ghost writer" is your own. Plagiarism is a very serious offense, and both the English Department and the University have stringent policies for handling offenders. If a student is found guilty of plagiarism, an instructor can record a failing grade for the particular paper, test, or assignment in which the offense occurred, or the instructor can fail the student in the course. The instructor also has the option of referring the charge of cheating or plagiarism to the Dean for adjudication by the Academic Standards Committee and the Student Conduct System.