The Georgetown University website, one of many sources that defines plagiarism, states that Plagiarism is "the act of passing off as one's own the ideas or writings of another." In the Appendix to the Honor Council pamphlet called "Acknowledging the Work of Others" (which is used by permission of Cornell University), three simple conventions are presented for when you must provide a reference:

1. If you use someone else's ideas, you should cite the source.
2. If the way in which you are using the source is unclear, make it clear.
3. If you received specific help from someone in writing the paper, acknowledge it." [1]

The Guide to CCC/CCE Certification states "The primary purpose of the technical paper is to determine a candidate’s ability to communicate a professional topic clearly and effectively."[2] The guide further states; "All statements of fact or information taken from secondary sources should be denoted with a reference number and the referenced material listed in detail in a footnote at the bottom of the page or in a list of references that immediately follows the end of the paper. (See “References" and “Bibliography," below.)"[2]  And it goes on to say "The term reference applies when material is used from a secondary source by either a statement of fact, a direct quotation, indirectly by paraphrasing, or through graphic presentation. Ethics and common courtesy require that the source be referenced. This gives proper credit to the source and provides the reader with enough information to search out the secondary source for further study."[2] In short, AACEI asks each candidate to not only demonstrate that you can communicate, but you must communicate such that you are always avoiding what is known as plagiarism.

As early as high school and in college, English teachers and professors taught that plagiarism was wrong and every time it was discovered our scores were reduced often resulting in a failing grade. In the workplace, deadlines have to be met; and work must be completed on time, which causes many to toss aside what was taught to do what ever it takes to complete the assignment.

This is often accepted by our employer because we all work in the same group; help one another when ever possible, share thoughts and ideas, etc. However, when asked to write, for example, a white paper and collaborate with a colleague, that colleague may or may not be given credit for his/her thoughts, ideas, and efforts.

When faced with the challenge of writing a paper that is not directly related to the present work assignment or project, the habits formed at the office are not acceptable for a published work product. The AACE International (AACEI) certification paper often will become a published document.

The AACEI Certification Board is using the following definition of plagiarism as provided by academia. It occurs when an author:

• Quotes another without using a footnote (or other reference).
• Quotes another without enclosing the author’s words in quotation marks, even if you give credit.
• Fails to use your own words and sentence structure in paraphrasing.
• Uses the ideas expressed by others, without giving credit, even if you don’t quote the original source.