Accused of cheating

So basically I am being accused of cheating on an exam. I don’t want to hear any thoughts on how cheating is wrong etc etc, just looking for best steps to take at this point.

Essentially I was taking an online test, and my answers are very similar to (but not the exact same as) answers that are found online on a site such as gradesaver, chegg, quizlet etc. The test was open book

What is my best defense?

  1. The test was open book open note and I was under the impression that this meant online searches were fair game as well?

  2. I had stumbled upon this online resource before even taking the test, and modeled my approach to the problem after what I remembered from following that questions process while studying

  3. I did not even know that website was out there (my answer is very very similar, but not the exact same as what is online) For example, online shows limited steps, whereas I show additional steps and explanations.

5 Comments
 

What you've done is simply plagiarism. While it is not as bad as cheating, for most schools/universities if you get caught it'l most certainly means a fail on the test/assignment. It depends how much did you copy from the source. If you did it verbatim or 90%+, well I don't really see a way out. If you used the main points/arguments of the source and used some input of yours, scenario 2 you made in the question is actually not a lie, but a defendable statement. If it is the former, just take it on the chin, because it could easily spill to something more bigger. If it is the latter then go for it and reason your way out. The line is blurred, but it is either the or the other. Either way, I've seen similar situations, it's not end of the world and 5 years down the line it will be just another thing.

 
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