Hi, my friend told me about CC a while back, and I’m am really seeking people’s help. My English is very poor so please bear with me.
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In biology, we made brochures of infectious diseases. At the time, I was fairly new to the US, and my knowledge of the US laws and regulations were very limited. In my brochure, I say, Pinworm in an intestinal infection caused by white parasitic worms called Enterobius vermicularis. The worms are about 1cm in length and live in the rectum of humans. At night, female pinworms crawl out of the anus and lay eggs on the surrounding skin. Whereas my source stated, What is pinworm infection? This is caused by a small, white intestinal worm called Enterobius vermicularis (EN-ter-O-be-us ver-MIK-u-lar-is). Pinworms are about the length of a staple and live in the rectum of humans. While an infected person sleeps, female pinworms leave the intestines through the anus and deposit eggs on the surrounding skin. In (country), issues concerning intellectual property are rarely mentioned. I thought as long as I dont copy anything word for word, it would be ok. My teacher informed me that even though I reversed the structure of the sentence and changed a few words, it is still considered plagiarizing. She gave me no credit for the work but never informed the office because it was truly an unintentional mistake. Even thought my record is clear, I do not want to hide the fact that I was once accused of a crime. I consider it an important lesson. After all, it is better to learn it earlier than later. I dont want this to happen ever again, and in order to do so, I needed to learn more about the issue. It is for that reason that I decided to take Intellectual Property.
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I’ve already been accepted to Harvard SSP, and should I send them this anyways? I probably deserve to be rejected.
<p>I don't think you have to worry about it. I mean, I wouldn't, if I was you. It wasn't intentional, and it's not likey that your teacher is going to make a big deal out of it.</p>
<p>You have not been formally accused of anything at all if your teacher did not file a report with your school administration. He/she gave you a wake-up call about plagiarism and did you a favor. You are now aware of the situation and will do some more research into the correct way to write a research paper and in how to properly quote your sources. There is no need to tell anyone anything about it.</p>
<p>The idea of school is to learn things, and you just learned the meaning of plagiarism. You did NOT commit a crime, just committed an act of poor judgement. An act that, incidentally, many other students have committed as well.</p>
<p>Cut yourself some slack, ease your conscience, whatever terminology you wish to use for forget about it and be happy. Don't send anything to explain a non-issue.</p>
<p>Yes, listen to what the others on this board have said. It was an honest mistake many students make. You obviously had no intention to plagiarize, and have no intention to repeat your mistake now that you've learned your lesson. Your teacher did not report it because she believed you did not deserve to have your record blighted. From what I've read, I agree with that decision. Don't jeopardize your admission to Harvard because of this!</p>
<p>sadbunny - If you are explaining the situation accurately, you shouldn't worry one bit. I suspect many of us have made the same mistake at some point in our high school years. Your teacher knew you were just learning about plagiarism and that's why she didn't make a big deal about it. Forgive yourself for this little mistake and don't worry about it anymore. Enjoy your summer and feel proud of yourself for getting into Harvard! Congrats!!!!</p>