[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Case Studies [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Case Study: Plagiarism
by Larry Harper
Humanities/Philosophy

Professor H. teaches an Honors writing course at the community college. Fall semester, she has one student, Nephi L., who has been struggling getting assignments in on time. The library research paper the student hands in is one day late, but it's fairly good, and receives a B, which is docked one full grade to a C. The student receives a C for the course.

The following summer, a young woman, Sara B., asks to speak with Professor H. She informs the good professor that her ex-friend, Nephi L., had borrowed a research paper she had written for another class-"just to get an idea on how to do this sort of thing"-and, she claims, had then just retyped the paper-changing the wording here and there-and handed it in to Professor H. last Fall as his own work, a fact she says she only recently learned. Sara then produces her own paper as "proof." Professor H. looks over the paper, vaguely remembers the topic (she reads hundreds of papers each semester), and thanks Sara for bringing the issue to her attention.

Questions:

What should Professor H. do?

Why did Sara come to Professor H. now?