Plagiarism

<aside> 🚨 We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding cheating. The work evaluated in this course should be your own.

</aside>

If plagiarism is detected, and the source (original author) and the copier (the one who copied) can be clearly identified, the source will receive 0 points for the relevant submission. The copier will be removed from the lecture series and evaluated for attempted deception – this is significantly worse than receiving a failing grade ("Nicht Genügend").

If we are unable to determine the source of the copied code, all those involved will be assessed for attempted deception. We use specialized software to check all submissions and every semester, we discover more plagiarism cases than we would like. Please ensure that you are not one of those affected by following our first piece of advice:

"Do not copy without permission!"

By the way, it often happens that students share their code with other students, believing that the code won't be copied. Unfortunately, all too often, good faith is exploited, and the code is indeed copied. This not only results in a downgrade for the source of the code (even up to a failing grade), but it also damages collegial relationships. Therefore, we'd like to give you a second piece of advice to ensure you don't become one of the far too many plagiarism cases:

"Never share your code!”

If you don't believe that our software detects many cases of plagiarism every semester, feel free to ask your student representation. They will undoubtedly confirm that it's not worth taking this risk.

ChatGPT and other Large Language Models

We treat the involvement of ChatGPT and similar tools the same way as the involvement of another natural person. That is, for involvement that qualifies as plagiarism or an impermissible level of assistance, the consequences will be the same in both cases to the strictest extent possible.

Citations

<aside> ✅ Now, let's move on to some more positive rules:

It is allowed to refer to algorithms or code fragments to a certain extent that you obtain through research in books, the Internet, large language models (like ChatGPT or Github CoPilot), or explanations from colleagues. However, the following conditions must always be met:

The source is mentioned, and the adopted code/algorithm is clearly marked.
The used code/algorithm must be understood and can be explained in detail during the assignment interview.
The total length of all parts sourced from external sources must not exceed 1/5 of the total length of your program. </aside>

Example for marking a code snippet from an external source

Write a short description and link at the beginning of the section:

// K. Schmaranz, Softwareentwicklung in C, ISBN 3-540-41958-6
// from: <http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/clibrary/cstdlib/rand.html>

Mark the lines you copied:

// begin
...
// end

An “external source” might also be a fellow student. The assignments in ESP are individual work. If you discuss code or an idea with a colleague that has to be indicated (otherwise it is classified as plagiarism for both):