With such easy access to the Internet and the World Wide Web at Iowa State, it is no surprise that such a vast library of information would not be tapped — especially for the wrong reasons.

Plagiarism, which has become more popular with the Web, is not accepted at ISU.

Kathleen MacKay, dean of students, said plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty and is not tolerated on campus.

“Academic dishonesty is against university policy and will be enforced by faculty and staff,” MacKay said.

According to the Iowa State University Bulletin for 1997-99, plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use of information, ideas or phrasing of other writers.

Grace Weigel, program coordinator for Judicial Affairs, said this also includes the Internet.

“It doesn’t matter if it is a hardcopy or the Internet, it is still a violation of copyright,” Weigel said.

Violation of a copyright can be reported by an instructor to Judicial Affairs through the Dean of Students Office.

At ISU the number of reported cases is quite small, ranging around a dozen, Weigel said. But it is likely, Weigel said there are unreported cases of plagiarism.

For example, one cannot copy materials from the Internet and turn them in as an assignment for a course.

Brad Templeton, a publisher with Clarinet Communications, Inc. wrote an article on the Web called “10 Big Myths about Copyright Explained.”

According to Templeton, even if a site does not have a copyright, one should assume it is copyrighted.

“For example, in the U.S.A., almost anything created privately and originally after April 1, 1989 is copyrighted and protected whether it has a notice or not,” Templeton said.

Templeton also said in the article items posted on Usenet are not necessarily public domain. He said the subject is still under debate, but unless the author/owner states the material is public domain, it should be assumed the material is not for public usage.

The United States Library of Congress Copyright Office also has materials pertaining to copyrighted information.

According to the U.S. Library of Congress Copyright Office, there are standards on how to avoid violating a copyright and getting permission to use the information.

The U.S. Library of Congress stated under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting and scholarly reports.

“You can only use a percentage of someone’s work. If you use a large percentage you should be presenting their work,” Weigel said. “It has always been in the plagiarism policy.”