Retaking a class & reusing written assignments?

[cookderosa]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this -- forgive me if it doesn't fit in with other topics here.

Is it ethical or right to reuse written assignments when retaking a class? The assignments were written by the student, just used in another semester when the class was previously taken but not completed.

Thanks in advance!

I think we can take the course withdrawal out of the scenario since it isn't relevant. Whether or not you received a grade for the final course has no bearing on the question in my view. The OP asks the question "is it ethical or right" not whether or not it violates school policy or plagiarism guidelines. Since ethics are not black and white, in other words, they are the self-imposed rules we apply to our own lives, whether or not it's ethical or right doesn't really matter. We all have opinions as we see it, but it comes down to what the OP believes.
Regarding school policy, I'd simply look. If it's not there, then you're not violating a rule.
A sub category of that question is whether or not there is anything in the instructor's syllabus or assignment instructions addressing the requirements of the assignment.
Regarding plagiarism, since you own the copyright to your own words, then there is no violation. If your work were published ANYWHERE (even on an informal blog, etc.) then you simply cite it.

This isn't a foggy issue, it's pretty black and white.

[clep3705]

If your work were published ANYWHERE (even on an informal blog, etc.) then you simply cite it.

Taking a tangent here, I have published works. I cited myself in graduate school whenever I could. A friend still in graduate school cites her published work whenever she can. We're still wondering if our instructors ever realized that we were citing ourselves. Did they actually read the references section? Doubtful.

[sanantone]

Taking a tangent here, I have published works. I cited myself in graduate school whenever I could. A friend still in graduate school cites her published work whenever she can. We're still wondering if our instructors ever realized that we were citing ourselves. Did they actually read the references section? Doubtful.

I just learned in my PhD program that researchers cite themselves all the time.

[cookderosa]

I just learned in my PhD program that researchers cite themselves all the time.

I've caught this too. One of the papers I'm using in my thesis has numerous personal citations lol.

[JBtesc]

You did not receive credit for the course, it was not completed, therefore the work is still in a sort of limbo.

You wrote it, it is yours. You wrote it specifically for the very assignment you are going to turn it in for.

So, A, it technically has NOT been used before because as you did not complete the course , your submission of the paper is a moot point. It didn't happen. (like a manuscript that was never published, whereas if you had earned college credit with it, it effectively becomes "published".)

and B, you did not write it for one course and are trying to use it again for a different course, in a sense "double dipping". It was originally written for the very assignment you are using it for. (although in high school...lol... we were allowed to and even encouraged to submit our History papers for our English assignments as well)

C. Citing yourself is irrelevant to this question because he's not asking about citing himself, but plagiarism.


So, you're all good here. lol.

You wrote it, you did not steal it.
It was never acknowledged or credited for academic or other purposes.


(My only concern would be, did you just quit the course or did you fail it? Because if you failed it then you should probably rewrite the paper.)