11. Policy on the Submission of Student Papers

Any instructor may require student assignments to be submitted in both written and electronic (computer-readable) form, e.g., a text file or as an email attachment, as defined by the instructor. Use of third-party originality checking software does not preclude instructor use of alternate means to identify lapses in originality and attribution. The results of such assessment may be used as evidence in any disciplinary action taken by the Dalhousie Senate.

Procedures:

If an instructor plans to use originality-checking software in a course, students shall be informed in the course syllabus that their written work may be submitted to a text-matching software service, which is meant to assure students that everyone will be evaluated on the basis of their own work and to warn students that plagiarism is likely to be detected. The planned use of originality checking software will also be included in the oral presentation of the course syllabus in the initial course meeting.

Students shall also be informed in the course syllabus that they are free, without penalty of grade, to choose an alternative method of attesting to the authenticity of their work.

Students shall inform instructors no later than two weeks after the commencement of courses of their intent to choose an alternate method.

Instructors shall provide students with at least two possible alternatives that are not unduly onerous and that are appropriate for the type of written work. Alternatives shall be chosen from the following:

1. Submitting copies of multiple drafts demonstrating development of the work;
2. Submitting an annotated bibliography;
3. Submitting photocopies of sources; and
4. Other alternatives devised by the instructor, provided that they are not unduly onerous.