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Academic Honesty and Student Conduct

Part One: Definitions of Academic Honesty Violations

1. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the misrepresentation of words, ideas or data that are not your own work as being your own work. Students should be advised to state the source of ideas when these are known, since this lends strength to their answers and is part of the ethics of scholarship. The following acts constitute plagiarism.

No student shall:

  • Intentionally represent as one’s own work the work, words, ideas or arrangement of ideas, research, formulae, diagrams, statistics, or evidence of another.
  • Paraphrase, quote or “paste in” material without citing the source in the text.
  • Submit as one’s own a copy of or the actual work of another person, either in part or in entirety, without appropriate citation (e.g., term-paper mill products, internet downloads, etc.).
  • Reproduce another professional or student’s work so closely that any reasonable person would conclude plagiarism had occurred.
  • Share computer files and programs or written papers and then submit individual copies of the results as one’s own individual work.
  • Copy another student’s test answers.
  • Copy, or allow another student to copy, a computer file that contains another student’s assignment, homework, lab reports, or computer programs and submit it, in part or in its entirety, as one’s own.
  • Submit substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization from each instructor involved.
  • Take sole credit for ideas that result from a collaboration with others.
  • Use content generated by an artificial intelligence program or website in one of your assignments and present it as your own work.

The following do not constitute plagiarism:

  • The use of ideas which are judged to have become common knowledge. It would, however, constitute plagiarism if the student, being aware that the idea was not his or her own, expressly claimed authorship for the idea.
  • Instances in which the idea came from informal discussions with other members of the academic community which were not initiated with the deliberate intent of providing information on the topic in question. However, if the source of an idea is remembered, the source must be acknowledged.
  • Instances when students are specifically instructed by the instructor of that course that the borrowing of another’s or others’ work is considered appropriate.

2. Cheating
Cheating is an act or an attempted act of deception by which a student seeks to misrepresent that he/she has mastered knowledge on a test or evaluation that he/she has not mastered.

No student shall:

  • Knowingly procure, provide, or accept examination materials or descriptions of such materials, except when authorized by the instructor.
  • Complete, in part or in total, any examination or assignment for another person.
  • Knowingly allow any examination or assignment to be completed, in part or in total, for himself or herself by another person (e.g., take-home exams which have been completed in full or in part by someone else).
  • Copy from nearby student’s test, paper or lab report.
  • Use unauthorized sources of information such as: crib sheets, answers stored in a calculator or unauthorized electronic devices.
  • Store answers in electric devices and allow other students to use the information without the consent of the instructor.
  • Employ aids excluded by the instructor in undertaking coursework.
  • Look at another student’s exam during a test or use texts or other reference materials (including dictionaries) when not authorized to do so.
  • Alter graded class assignments or examinations without the full knowledge and consent of the instructor, and then resubmit them for regrading or reconsideration.

3. Fabrication
Fabrication is the intentional use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive.

    The following cases constitute fabrication:

  • Citing data or information not actually presented in the source indicated.
  • Listing sources in a bibliography not used in the academic exercise.
  • Submission in a paper, lab report, or other academic exercise, of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or evidence, or deliberate and knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or evidence.
  • Submitting as one’s own any academic exercise (e.g., written work, printing, sculpture, etc.) prepared totally or in part by another.
  • Taking a test for someone else or permitting someone else to take a test for you.
  • Providing fraudulent excuses for absences.
  • Claiming that work was “lost” by a faculty member when it was never completed.

This list is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of offenses. Students should consult their instructor if in doubt about the honesty of an action.

Part Two: What Constitutes Proof of Plagiarism?

Supporting evidence, such as: turnitin.com, or a Google search that provides citation references; an inability to explain or replicate the assignment in an alternative setting; a report from an A.I. content detector tool; or a copy of the original document that functioned as the in source of the plagiarism, etc.

Part Three: Penalties for Academic Honesty Violations

First Offense

  • Failing Grade on Assignment*
  • Report Filed with the Dean of the Undergraduate College or the Dean of the College of Professional and Graduate Studies
  • Required meeting with the Dean of the Undergraduate College or the Dean of the College of Professional and Graduate Studies
  • Required meeting with professor or advisor regarding the underlying reasons for the offense

*Exception: If the grade-weight of the specific assignment is not significant enough to affect the student’s final grade, a heavier penalty may be assessed.

Multiple Offenses
(Prior offense has been reported and is part of the student’s record/or multiple offenses are reported simultaneously.)

  • The student will be given an FX grade* in the course indicating failure due to a violation of the College’s Academic Integrity Policy
  • Report filed with the Dean of the Undergraduate College or the Dean of the College of Professional and Graduate Studies
  • Required conference with the Dean of the Undergraduate College or the Dean of the College of Professional and Graduate Studies
  • Loss of Honors

*REMOVAL OF X: During the final semester of enrollment at the college, the student may petition that the X designation be removed from the transcript. Undergraduates petition the Academic Review Committee which will establish conditions that the student must meet for the X to be removed. When the Committee is satisfied that the student has met the stipulated conditions, it will notify the Dean of the College who will see that the X is removed. The F will remain on the transcript. Removal of the X designation does not indicate that the violation did not occur but rather acknowledges that the student has come to understand the importance of academic integrity and should not carry the X designation on the transcript in perpetuity.

Third Offense

  • Dismissal from the College

A student will not be allowed to Withdraw from a course in which there is a charge of violating the college’s Academic Integrity Policy.

The Dean of the Undergraduate College or the Dean of the College of Professional and Graduate Studies has the authority and responsibility to enforce the plagiarism policy of the College.

Part Four: Preventing Academic Honesty Violations

Key elements in Preventing Academic Honesty Violations

A.  Campus Culture

  1. A culture in which all violations are reported, and penalties are levied consistently is crucial. Professors should be sure to follow the official policy, rather than simply confronting students on their own, so that penalties are not seen as arbitrary when they are handed out.
  2. FYE 101 lecture and discussion of plagiarism helps ensure that all understand the policy.
  3. English classes should devote a full period early in the semester in order to reinforce the students’ understanding of the definitions, ethics, and consequences of plagiarism.
  4. Professors in all courses should reinforce the message, by including a reference to the academic honesty policy on their syllabi, and clarifying the specific standards and requirements of the discipline.

B.  In Individual Classes

  1. All course syllabi should clearly state the college’s academic honesty expectations.
  2. Providing frequent short writing assignments as well as requiring preliminary steps (abstracts, drafts, annotated bibliographies, outlines, etc. …) at earlier stages will help students avoid last-minute panics and ease the transition from preliminary work to final paper, as well as helping professors recognize students’ writing, which will discourage plagiarism.
  3. Working with students individually (via conferences) to help them choose and develop topics for their papers will help to prevent plagiarism by helping to foster ownership in their ideas and arguments.
  4. Faculty have the option to require student papers in both hard-copy and electronic formats so that the latter may be used at the instructor’s discretion, e.g., in conjunction with turnitin.com. Annual demonstrations in the use of turnitin.com should be conducted.