My professor gave me a failing grade because I wrote his lecture notes on the discussion board. I didn’t copy-paste; I reworded them, but I didn’t add a citation because I thought it wasn’t needed. I’m feeling super stuck. Does anyone know how to appeal or handle this?
Wow, that’s rough. Did the syllabus or guidelines specifically say you had to cite lecture notes?
Zuri said:
Wow, that’s rough. Did the syllabus or guidelines specifically say you had to cite lecture notes?
Yeah, it was mentioned, but I didn’t realize rephrased stuff still needed to be cited. Rookie mistake, I guess.
Zuri said:
Wow, that’s rough. Did the syllabus or guidelines specifically say you had to cite lecture notes?
Yup, even rewording counts as plagiarism without a citation. A lot of students get caught by that.
Most schools have an appeal process for academic disputes. Have you reached out to anyone in the administration?
Jaime said:
Most schools have an appeal process for academic disputes. Have you reached out to anyone in the administration?
Not yet. I’m not even sure who to contact first—maybe an advisor?
Jaime said:
Most schools have an appeal process for academic disputes. Have you reached out to anyone in the administration?
Yeah, start with your advisor or the academic dean. They’ll know the next steps.
You should also explain that it wasn’t intentional. Professors might reconsider if they see it was a misunderstanding.
Wren said:
You should also explain that it wasn’t intentional. Professors might reconsider if they see it was a misunderstanding.
True, I should probably email him again. Worth a shot, right?
If you’re in Sacramento, check for local education laws. Some protect students in situations like this.
Kai said:
If you’re in Sacramento, check for local education laws. Some protect students in situations like this.
Interesting, I didn’t even think of that. I’ll look into it, thanks!
For next time, just drop something like ‘Professor [Name]’ in there. Doesn’t have to be fancy, but it covers your bases.
Harlem said:
For next time, just drop something like ‘Professor [Name]’ in there. Doesn’t have to be fancy, but it covers your bases.
Yeah, I’ll definitely do that moving forward. Learned this lesson the hard way.
Harlem said:
For next time, just drop something like ‘Professor [Name]’ in there. Doesn’t have to be fancy, but it covers your bases.
What does citing even mean here? Just saying it’s from the professor?
Harlem said:
For next time, just drop something like ‘Professor [Name]’ in there. Doesn’t have to be fancy, but it covers your bases.
Exactly. Just mention where it came from—like ‘Prof’s lecture from [date].’ Simple but avoids trouble.