Legal Writing

Honesty is the foundation of academic integrity. Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law students are expected to act with integrity in their educational pursuits and refrain from committing acts of academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism.

The Academic Integrity Code of the College of Law defines plagiarism as the following: 

Plagiarism is representing the words or ideas of another as one's own. Quoting or paraphrasing another's writing without acknowledging the author's identity is a form of plagiarism. Academic Integrity Code III(c)

Additional information on academic integrity at ASU can be found on the website of the Office of the University Provost.

• If you use someone else's idea, you need to credit that person for that idea. For example, if you take a position in a paper based on a particular author's idea, you must give that author recognition for the idea.  It was not your idea.
   
• Do not cite sources you didn't use.
   
• When conducting online research, write down the URL, and the date and time you retrieved the information online.  You will need this information to properly cite your source.
   
• When researching, put quotes around phrases you write in your research log to denote a direct quotation.  Again, write the citation for where you found the quote.  Mark your own ideas by some method such as using your initials to differentiate your ideas from those of others.  Some people use different ink colors or highlighters to differentiate between sources.
   
• When directly copying/quoting from a source/individual, you need to credit the source/individual by both putting the copied language in quotation marks and inserting a footnote to the source, including the relevant paragraph or page number.
   
• Understand and process the information you gathered through research so you can intelligently and honestly draft your memo, paper, or article in your own words.