We all know stealing is wrong. Be it candy from a store or money from someone’s pension fund, stealing is stealing. Plagiarism is no different. By plagiarizing you are stealing someone’s thoughts, words or ideas. It is a crime in my opinion more reprehensible than most. You have stolen the essence of someone else’s hard work, the brainchild of their very conscious thought and that which gives credence to their own intellect. Not only is it morally wrong, it is also academically wrong. It goes against Penn States core principal of academic integrity. Without integrity your word and reputation will suffer and will likely follow you throughout both your academic and professional career. You will have lost the truth of your instructors and classmates as well as cast a shadow of doubt in regards to all further work you submit. With such a heinous, act the punishment if caught is strict and severe, ranging from a warning, to failure of the course. A simple way to remember when to cite, is to acknowledge anytime you use or incorporate any information that is not your own. It can be in the form of ideas, images or quotes. A safe and smart way to think is, “When in doubt, cite”. Unless you can be absolutely sure that what you are using is common knowledge, always err on the side of caution and give credit where credit is due. In addition to careful citing, there are many resources that will help with citing and even with the proper format when writing your bibliography, giving even more reason to cite when in doubt. The consequences outlined by the College of EMS academic integrity policy range from a simple warning, a reduced grade on a single assignment to failure from the entire course (SANCTIONING GUIDELINES for VIOLATIONS of ACADEMIC INTEGRITY.) It is of my own honest opinion that the punishments for violating academic integrity are completely fair. Instructors have the ability to determine if the offense was merely an oversight by the student or a complete, blatant theft of someone else’s work. Most offenses seem to carry the punishment of a reduced grade, but I have no doubt that a more harsh punishment such as failing the class would be dealt to those more inclined to cheat the academic integrity that Penn State University requires. Penn state produces some of the nation’s finest students and experts in their field. This is largely due to the fact that the bar is raised and kept high for all students. By having harsh and severe punishments in regards to academic integrity, you can be largely sure that students and graduates of Penn State University have given their personal best and have not stolen work from others in the form of plagiarism or other morally reprehensible acts.