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Message: [QUOTE="Scott Ellsworth, post: 578677"] You hopefully knew going in that going to a forum was risky, just like asking for a copy of someone else's program source would have been risky. This is the same problem that all academics face when they have a chance to find information that will call their efforts into doubt. (For example, if you are running a drug trial and you have a chance to unblind the results early, you do not want to even if it would help other research and would not make a difference in your current work, as objective onlookers have no way of knowing that.) What you should have done before, and now need to do under a cloud of suspicion, is to find a way to prove your innocence. Since you did make what you claim was a copy and paste error, you are going to have a hard time. Under most circumstances, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, but if they have clear evidence that you went to a public forum for help with homework, then it is up to you to prove that you did not actually cheat. Frankly, I would see if the professor would accept a "no contest" penalty, given how hard it will be to prove that you mistake was incompetence rather than malice. Essentially, you state that you will not contest the 5% hit to your grade in return for not admitting guilt. You lose the points, but you have not been branded dishonest. If you do go before a group, you might want to lose the defensive attitude. Point out that you know the risks of going to a public forum with homework, but thought that you could keep the help from the public separate from your own work. Admit any mistakes you made, such as copy and paste errors, but hold forth that the intent was not dishonest. I suspect you will still lose the points, given that you _did_ mix outside code and your own. Scott [/QUOTE]

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