Provide information for students on the correct way to give credit to others' ideas. A great starting point is the Honor Council's page on proper citation and documentation . Many faculty members at Duke elect to handle cases of suspected violations on their own. While some of these reasons are understandable, there is a fundamental fairness problem if one student is merely reprimanded for plagiarism while another is reported to the Office of Student Development and undergoes the required judicial process. If all violations are reported via the proper channels, not only will the above problem be solved, but it will underscore the message that offenders have violated a bond of mutual trust.
Some faculty fear the possibility of a lawsuit following an accusation of student cheating.
It is ironic but true that faculty members who handle dishonesty issues on their own invite lawsuits rather than avoid them. If you find yourself confronting a case of possible cheating, the following resources may prove useful. We have compiled excellent information on proper citation and documentation of sources used in research papers and other intellectual property. All documents are in MSWord format. All cases courtesy Duke University Undergraduate Judicial Board.