To create academic awareness about responsible conduct of research, study, project work, assignment, thesis, dissertation, promotion of academic integrity- and prevention of misconduct including plagiarism in academic writing among students, researchers, faculty- and other members of academic staff as well as any employee of institution.

To establish institutional mechanism through education and training to facilitate responsible conduct of research, study, project work, assignment, thesis, dissertation, promotion of academic integrity and deterrence from plagiarism.

To develop systems to detect plagiarism and to set up mechanisms to prevent plagiarism and punish a student, faculty, or staff of institution committing the act of plagiarism.

Although the general consensus is that plagiarism is a bad idea, it can be difficult to avoid it or discuss it if we have different understandings of the definition:

• To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own.
• To use (another’s production) without crediting the source.
• To commit literary theft.
• To present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

Plagiarism could be of two types

• Negligent OR unintentional plagiarism: It means innocently or carelessly presenting another person’s work as one’s own without acknowledging the Source.
• Dishonest OR intentional plagiarism: It means knowingly and deliberately presenting another person’s work as one’s own work without acknowledging the Source.

There is software’s available to check the plagiarism.

1. https://turnitin.com

It is the prime responsibility of an institute or research guide to distinguish between original and plagiarized work. In order to detect the plagiarism well known softwares/ tools (Turnitin, Grammerly, Dupli checker, Copyleaks, Paperrater, Viper, Plagiarisma, Plagiarism Checker, Plagium, Plagscan, PlagTracker etc) can be used.

• Somaiya Institute uses plagiarism software so as to ensure that documents such as thesis, dissertation, term papers, reports, publications or any other such documents are free of plagiarism at the time of their submission.
• Every student submitting a thesis, dissertation, technical papers or any other such documents to the supervisor/guide shall submit an undertaking indicating that the document has been prepared by him or her and that the document is his/her original work and free of any plagiarism.
• Every faculty- researcher submitting a thesis, dissertation, technical papers or any other such documents to the IEC shall submit an undertaking indicating that the document has been prepared by him or her.
• The undertaking shall include the fact that the document has been duly checked through a Plagiarism detection tool approved by the institution.
• Each supervisor/guide shall submit the application indicating that the work done by the researcher under him/her is plagiarism free.

• All applications should be submitted in the prescribed form (2 copies).
• All relevant documents (one copy each) should be enclosed with the application form.
• Required number of copies of the application along with the documents in prescribed format duly signed by the Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-investigators should be forwarded by the Head of the Departments / Centres to the IEC.
• The date of meeting will be intimated to the applicant, who will be expected to give clarifications to the Committee, if necessary.
• The decision of IEC will be communicated to the applicant(s) in writing. If revision is to be made, the revised document in required number of copies should be submitted within a stipulated period of time as specified in the communication.