Plagiarism Letter

Dear Parents,

The students in AP World History will be assigned several outside research writing
assignments over the course of the year. Teaching the students the writing style and
research methods expected of college students is one of the major goals of the AP
Program. Before we begin our projects, we want you and your student to be familiar
with what constitutes authentic work and what is considered academic fraud. In class,
we have discussed what constitutes plagiarism, along with the following guidelines.
Students will use the website “Turnitin.com” for any major assignments. Please sign and
return the bottom portion of this letter to affirm that you are aware of the plagiarism
policy. If you have any further questions, please email me at astark@houstonisd.org.

Writing Guidelines:
• Students are allowed to choose a project similar to others in class, but are
expected to do their own work and not collaborate on an assignment, unless it is
specifically designated as a group assignment.
• Parents and friends may assist the student by helping them understand what
he/she reads, clarifying the assignment, and offering suggestions. (See the
definition of plagiarism on the following page).
• Students may use grammar and spell check.
• All materials which are “borrowed” from other sources, whether paraphrased or
quoted directly, must be adequately given credit (we will use MLA standards).

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Ms. Stark

____________________________________________________________

Student’s Name: ____________________________ Period: _______________

Please sign below to indicate that you understand the definition of plagiarism as well as
the policies for researching and writing in the AP Program.

_________________________ _________________________
Student’s Signature Parent’s signature