Homework Assignment questions grade "0"

[Isaac86]

My professor gave me a 0 for asking for help for this assignment that it was supposed to do independently. when the professor was grading my paper the professor told me that 1 of the answers was from a previous semester. I told my professor that i asked for help with that question and my classmates gave me the website where I found the answer later by reading the entire article. So I used the website to answer the question which still answers my question from this semester. apperantly i shouldn't have used the website which i stated on my answer sheet. I dont have any knowledge of the previous assignment questions. I'm not sure if i'm getting punished for asking for help or for answering the answer. i didn't know asking for help was not right or was wrong. Yes i asked for help to answer the question but they gave me the wrong answer. i didn't want to leave the question in blank.

what do you all think?

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

You were told to do the assignment independently, and then you openly admit to the professor that you did indeed ask for and received help on the assignment. I'm thinking that there is no defense here, take the zero and lesson learned.

Sorry -- but remember that one assignment grade will not make or break your final grade.

[LimeintheCoconut]

I apologize if my interpretation of your post is incorrect. It seems you are saying you asked for help via classmates and they gave you an article that you used for your assignment. Since I am unsure what the context of you assignment included, here are my thoughts:

Depending on the requirements for the course, it's ok to use a website to provide substance for your assignment. However, a string of >3 words that are not normally used together is considered plagiarism unless cited (APA manual, 6th ed.) NOTE: My citation may be incorrect since I am writing this on the fly, but my point is the string of >3 words considered as plagiarism was not my idea, as the information is based on another source, so it must be cited. I hope that makes sense and helps! :)

Even though you expressed to your professor you should not have used the website, he or she may have viewed this as plagiarism or lack of independent study. Remember to cite your sources and give credit if any opinions or data used in the assignment is not based on your personal knowledge. Take all criticism from professors in stride. Just as nurses are supposed remain objective with assignments, professors must remain objective with feedback. Keep on truckin! You can do it!

[BrendanO, MSN, RN]

What you did is cheating, both asking a classmate for help and submitting an answer you found on the web. Much better to leave a question blank or to make an incorrect guess than to cheat. Academic honesty policies are strict for a reason; you're not demonstrating learning by getting the answer from someone else. Always assume you have to produce all answers yourself, unless the professor explicitly says otherwise. Don't ask classmates, don't ask Google, don't look in the textbook. If it's not clear to you what resources you can use to complete an assignment, ask your professor. These kinds of policies are practically universal in academia, so absorb that lesson now and do your best on future assignments without cheating. As 203bravo said, one zero on an assignment is not going to ruin your academic career.

Good luck to you!

[LimeintheCoconut]

I meant to put my "citation format" may be incorrect since I am writing this on the fly. This is a case in point. I learned from my post mistake and corrected it. Nobody is perfect and I agree with 203bravo, one poor grade early in the semester can be made up.

[Isaac86]

I meant to put my "citation format" may be incorrect since I am writing this on the fly. This is a case in point. I learned from my post mistake and corrected it. Nobody is perfect and I agree with 203bravo, one poor grade early in the semester can be made up.

On this assignment we were using websites to find the answers. we cited all of our sources on the last page. I didn't do any plagiarism.

[BrendanO, MSN, RN]

You should talk to the professor and get a clear understanding for yourself why they assigned you a grade of "0". If you were allowed to use websites to find your answers, then you might be getting penalized only because you asked a classmate for help. The assignment also might have specific guidelines for what websites are allowed and which are prohibited.

Bottom line: you should be asking your professor, not strangers on the internet who don't know your class' policies.

[LimeintheCoconut]

My apologies Issac86. If plagiarism is not a factor, the advice BrendanO gave sums it up nicely. Ask professors first. Never assume anything (like everyone, I've learned lessons from mistakenly assuming). If you have even 1% uncertaintly about anything, ask your professor even if you think your concerns are asinine. You will be able to make up the grade. Cheers!