The Joliet Junior College Student Handbook states that plagiarism “includes but is not limited to the use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person, without full and clear acknowledgement, or the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency, engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials” (29).  The Holt Handbook provides a detailed explanation of plagiarism in Chapter 15, and The Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers provides a detailed explanation of plagiarism on pages 540-544.  The minimum penalty for students who plagiarize will be a zero on the assignment.  More severe penalties may be implemented by the instructor, including failure of the course, and a referral to the dean of student development for academic misconduct.