Academic Conduct & Dishonesty

The University holds that all work for which a student will receive a grade or credit shall be an original contribution or shall be properly documented to indicate sources. Abrogation of this principle entails dishonesty, it defeats the purpose of instruction, and undermines the high goals of the University. Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Students shall be held responsible for knowing the acceptable methods and techniques for proper documentation of sources and to avoid cheating and plagiarism in all work submitted for credit, whether prepared in or out of class.

Cheating, in the context of academic matters, is the term broadly used to describe all acts of dishonesty committed in taking tests or examinations and in preparing assignments. Cheating includes but is not limited to such practices as gaining help from another person or using unauthorized notes when taking a test, relying on a calculator if such an aid has been forbidden, and preparing an assignment in consultation with another person when the instructor expects the work to be done independently. In other words, cheating occurs when a student makes use of any unauthorized aids or materials. Furthermore, any student who provides unauthorized assistance in academic work is also guilty of cheating.

Plagiarism is a specific type of cheating. It occurs when a student claims originality for the ideas or words of another person, when the student presents as a new and original idea or product anything which in fact is derived from an existing work, or when the student makes use of any work or production already created by someone else without giving credit to the source. In short, plagiarism is the use of unacknowledged materials in the preparation of assignments. The student must take care to avoid plagiarism in research or term papers, musical compositions, science reports, laboratory experiments, and theses and dissertations. View writing resources. 

View the University’s Academic Honesty policy.

To report academic dishonesty, use the online Academic Dishonesty Form and follow instructions for submitting.