#pending grade

[yorkulife]

Hi A few weeks ago I checked my grade which got grade C, but it only shows PDG right now and received the email that a professor suspected me of PDG. I swear I did not cheat in my final exam (even though I did not finish and write random numbers in some questions). What can I do now? Can someone help me?

Hello Anon,

You can contact your professor about this or your course department, other than that you can’t do much and must await further instructions from your course department. Normally, in plagiarism situations the student will have a chance to explain their side as well.

— H

[yorkulife]

Hi is PDG beside a course is automatically a bad thing??? Should I jump to conclusions yet? The prof never responds to emails and I have no idea what is going on.

PDG means your grade is pending and you need to contact your prof or your faculty right away.

You should only jump to conclusions if you plagiarised. If you didn’t, then you’ll be fine and have nothing to worry about.

— H

[yorkulife]

Hi, one of my course grades has appeared a PDG. And I am sure that I didn't do anything about plagiarism or academic dishonesty. I sent my prof email but no reply… What should I do now… Thank you for help.

I don’t think there’s anything else you can do besides waiting for your professor to reply.

— H

[yorkulife]

I have been marked for PDG on my transcript. I know what i had done. I am very shameful for this and i will never do this again, it was a stupid decision to copy a paper for a 3rd year class . What is going to happen, I am not a bad student, this is my first time doing something like this. I had a lot going on, i am not trying to excuse myself with personal excuses, i just want to resolve ASAP. Could i take a zero and drop the course with the extended deadlines? Or could i just drop it now?

PDG means your grade is pending.

Has your professor contacted you regarding plagiarism? Normally, there’s a formal procedure in place when students are caught plagarising. A letter is mailed to your house asking you to attend a mandatory meeting with the dean where you can defend yourself and you’re allowed to bring a witness. I would recommend contacting your professor. From what I know, it is the dean’s decision as to what penalty you will get. Penalties can range from getting a zero on the plagarised work, to a permanent statement on your transcript. In extreme cases they can expel you. If I were you I would just drop the course because there’s no way you’ll get a mark for the assignment/essay you copied on anyway. However, I don’t know if dropping the course will make the plagiarism issue go away. Again, I’d say to discuss this with the professor if you can.

I guess treat this as a learning experience, better to get a zero on your assignment than to plagiarise. By third year you should be smarter than this anon.

Good luck.

— H

[yorkulife]

Hi, I currently know someone who just found the the letters pdg beside their grade. I know it means that their grade is pending because it is being investigated. They are very scared because this is the last class they need to pass before they graduate. I'm learning that the person paraphrased a citation because the task was to summarize it so she did not cite anything for it. Can this lead to expulsion?! What can they do to prevent this from affecting their grade/record??

Hi anon,

As long as the person paraphrased and did not copy word for word then they should be fine and wouldn’t have anything to worry about. Normally, having no citations listed just means that you will lose marks on your paper (it happens to a lot of us), it does not lead to expulsion or an investigation as far as I know.

I don’t know who this person is to you or how close you are, but if they are being investigated then that means they plagarised, which can lead to a failed mark (zero) for the assignment/essay that they plagarised on. In cases of plagarism, the student needs to have proof that they did not plagarise and it is their own work. I doubt they will be expelled (that penalty is a last resort and usually for worse offences), but their final grade for that course will definitely be affected. When students are being investigated for plagiarism they are sent an official letter in the mail and are given the opportunity to present their case in front of the dean, the student can also bring a witness with them.

- H

P.S I only know this because I was a witness to another student’s plagiarism mistake, and trust me you never want to plagarise at university.