I'm in deep doo doo

[gundargundar]

So for a report I'm doing for history on FDR I just lifted a source off the wikipedia page because I didn't have enough sources. But today, my teacher asked me to bring in the book so we can double check some facts, trouble is neither I or the library actually own the book.
So fellow escapists, what do I do? Do I fess up and face possible suspension for academic dishonesty or is there a way around this?

 

[Veloxe]

You could go around the old internet and see if it's available in ebook format or a PDF format.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Can you find the source online? Or, failing that, just an extract...all sorts of stuff can be gotten online nowdays, even if it's just a sample chapter or two...and I've been ninja'd.

Alternatively, don't cite sources you didn't actually read.

 

[Pyode]

Sounds like you're fucked kid.

You may be able to check local bookstores to see if they have it, but otherwise it looks like you need to just fess up.

 

[Dastardly]

So for a report I'm doing for history on FDR I just lifted a source off the wikipedia page because I didn't have enough sources. But today, my teacher asked me to bring in the book so we can double check some facts, trouble is neither I or the library actually own the book.
So fellow escapists, what do I do? Do I fess up and face possible suspension for academic dishonesty or is there a way around this?

Your teacher already knows full well that you don't have this book. That's why they're asking you to bring it in--it's a way of giving you a way to be mature enough to admit to your mistake. It's like when you're little, and you hide something, and your parents give you the old, "Is there something you'd like to tell me?" They're giving you a chance to show your character.

Don't miss the point completely by trying to outsmart your teacher. You've already been outflanked, so just raise the white flag and offer to rewrite the paper.

 

[Jaeger_CDN]

I can't imagine any teacher (short of the archaic or computer/web iliterate ones) that don't know about Wiki and pre-read their offerings before grading papers.

Do what you can to find a copy of the source but if you can't, own up to it and use it as a learning experience (no pun intended). Once you finish school and try to do things like that it can cause you more trouble than detention.

 

[Griffolion]

They'll have more than likely submitted through a plagiarism checking process like Turn-It-In which electronically references all your sentences against a vast database of previous works to check for similarity. Usually anything above 15% similarity will get flagged. The software will even look at your writing style to see if it has changed from previous papers to see if you're plagiarised off other students.

If you've lifted something off Wiki, i'm afraid you're screwed as that's probably the first site the software checks.

Just admit it.

 

[ironduke88]

A google books search, plus the preview function should be a life saver; a local library could also be a quick port of call if your desparate.
To be honest using google for anything other than an initial understanding of a topic is a really bad idea; however, if it is just one reference your not in that much trouble.

 

[ramboondiea]

say you took it from another library or found an ebook version

 

[Liberaliter]

Fake your death, this is the only way.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

Use google scholar and find an online paper that cites the same source, then say you found your reference from that paper and don't have the original and so can't produce it. As long as you cite both sources then they can't hang you for foul play.

But you shouldn't have cited references you didn't use anyway, so you should probably just own up to it now rather than trying to lie your way out of it. It will make you look worse if they find out and you've been bullshitting them even further, but if you say you put it in by mistake and forgot to remove it during proof reading then they will probably not mind.

 

[Exterminas]

So for a report I'm doing for history on FDR I just lifted a source off the wikipedia page because I didn't have enough sources. But today, my teacher asked me to bring in the book so we can double check some facts, trouble is neither I or the library actually own the book.
So fellow escapists, what do I do? Do I fess up and face possible suspension for academic dishonesty or is there a way around this?

Your teacher already knows full well that you don't have this book. That's why they're asking you to bring it in--it's a way of giving you a way to be mature enough to admit to your mistake. It's like when you're little, and you hide something, and your parents give you the old, "Is there something you'd like to tell me?" They're giving you a chance to show your character.

Don't miss the point completely by trying to outsmart your teacher. You've already been outflanked, so just raise the white flag and offer to rewrite the paper.

This exaclty.

He would only have you doublecheck facts if he knew they were bullshit. That man has got better things to do than doublecheck FDRs birthdate.

Come clean, offer to do the report again. This time don't use wikipedia.

 

[Metal Brother]

I can't imagine any teacher (short of the archaic or computer/web iliterate ones) that don't know about Wiki and pre-read their offerings before grading papers.

Do what you can to find a copy of the source but if you can't, own up to it and use it as a learning experience (no pun intended). Once you finish school and try to do things like that it can cause you more trouble than detention.

Epic advice WIN!

The worst thing you can do is to make your existing laziness and deceit worse through more laziness and deceit. Man up and admit what you did, because it's 99% certain that your teacher already knows. Teachers are smart enough to look on wikipedia and see what's there, and if you cited a book that's not readily available, that's a flashing red light. If you think about it, what are the odds your teacher actually wants to "double check some facts"? Seriously.

Time to man up and face the music.

 

[lord.jeff]

I've never had a teacher ask this. I have two questions did you use any info from wiki that would have been in that book, or that you can prove from other sources that you can provide? If you have the sources that prove the facts you have your fine, just say you cant get that book. Second Did you copy paste anything from the wiki page other then the one source? Because that would cause a lot more problems, unless it's a quote or paraphrase.

 

[Dags90]

Say you used Google Books or something and don't have access to a physical copy. There's nothing wrong with citing from a Google Books preview (or shouldn't be) because it's the same as the published book. Lord knows I've done that for an Art History paper. As if I'm going to pay $80+ for a book about the Ghent altarpiece for one chapter that related to Hubert van Eyck.