Academic Integrity Resource Guide for Students

Academic Integrity Resource Guide for Students

The following Academic Integrity Resource Guide for Students has been assembled to equip Eller students with necessary information on academic dishonesty, academic misconduct, helpful resources, and tips for success.

You are attending a college that competes competitively with many top-ranked Universities around the country. The Eller College offers six academic degrees, and supports a student body of more than 5,000 declared undergraduate majors and nearly 500 graduate students. In addition, over 100 distinguished faculty are part of the Eller College community whom are all engaged in a full range of teaching, research, publishing and professional service activities.

Life in the Eller College

Life in the Eller College will be both challenging and time-consuming. Making the best decision will often times come at demanding moments. The temptation to take shortcuts will always exist. Everyone will face this reality differently. It is how you resolve this matter that counts the most. Finding best practices to utilize, while avoiding all forms of academic dishonesty, can also be challenging. The Eller College has identified this concern and has come up with many various resources and methods to help you through the easiest and most trying times.

The following briefly defines various forms of academic dishonesty, academic misconduct, helpful resources, and tips for success.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic Dishonesty occurs whenever any action or attempted action is pursued that creates an unfair academic advantage or disadvantage for you and/or any member or members of the academic community. All forms of academic dishonesty are subject to sanctions under the Code of Academic Integrity. Sanctions include: written warning, reduction in grade for work involved, disciplinary probation, loss of credit for work involved, failing grade in the course, suspension, and/or expulsion. Various forms of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and/or plagiarism.

Cheating

Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids. Some examples include:

  • Submitting the same assignment for more than one course without prior approval of all the instructors involved.
  • Using unauthorized materials, prepared answers, written notes, or concealed information during an exam.
  • Preprogramming a calculator to contain answers or other unauthorized information for exams.
  • Copying or attempting to copy from others during an exam or on an assignment.

Fabrication

Intentional or unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation. Some examples include:

  • Furnishing false information in the context of an academic assignment.
  • Fabricating or altering information or data and presenting it as legitimate.
  • Providing false or misleading information to an instructor or any other University official.
  • Forgery of an instructor’s signature on a letter of recommendation or any other document.
  • Submitting an altered transcript of grades to or from another institution or employer.
  • Altering a previously graded exam or assignment for purposes of a grade appeal or of gaining points in a regarding process.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty

Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to violate any provision of the Code of Academic Integrity. Some examples include:

  • Taking an exam for another person or having someone take an exam for you.
  • Collaborating on an exam or assignment with any other person without prior approval from the instructor.
  • Allowing others to do an assignment or portion of an assignment for you, including the use of a commercial term-paper service.
  • Communicating answers with another person during an exam.
  • Selling or distributing course lecture notes, handouts, readers or other information provided by an instructor, or using them for any commercial purpose without the express permission of the instructor.

Plagiarism

Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own. Some examples include:

  • Wholesale copying or passages from works of others into your homework, essay, term paper, or dissertation without acknowledgement.
  • Using the views, opinions, or insights of another without acknowledgment.
  • Paraphrasing another person’s characteristic or original phraseology, metaphor, or other literary device without acknowledgment.

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct is defined as any behaviors not conforming to prevailing standards or rules within the academic community. All forms of academic misconduct are subject to sanctions under the Code of Conduct. Sanctions include: classroom conduct, interim action, program/support, organizational sanctions, restricted access to university property, administrative hold, warning, probation, suspension, and/or expulsion. Various forms of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to disruptive behavior, threatening behavior, and/or the theft or damage of University property.

Disruptive Behavior

Refers to any conduct that interferes with or obstructs the teaching or learning process in the context of a classroom or educational setting. Some examples include:

  • Cell phone use
  • Refusing to be seated
  • Talking during lectures
  • Sleeping
  • Eating
  • Newspaper reading
  • Entering the classroom late or leaving early without authorization

Threatening Behavior

Prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to one’s self. An example includes:

  • Any written or oral statement, communication, conduct or gesture directed toward any member of the University community, which causes a reasonable apprehension of physical harm to self or others.

Theft or Damage of University Property

Theft or Damage of University Property includes the following activities:

  • Sabotaging or stealing another person’s assignment, book, paper, notes, experiment, project, electronic hardware or software.
  • Improper access to, or electronically interfering with, the property of another person or the University via computer or other means.
  • Misuse, theft, misappropriation, destruction, damage, or unauthorized use, access, or reproduction of property, data, records, equipment or services belonging to the university of belonging to another person or entity.

Helpful Resources

The following are services provided within the campus which can assist you towards your academic endeavors.

Self-improvement:

Class reports, exams, and assignments:

Assisting those with learning and/or physical disabilities:

Tips for Success

The following tips will assist you with protecting yourself from getting involved with academic dishonesty and overall exam preparation (e.g., before, during, and after).

Protect yourself from getting involved in academic dishonesty:

  • Obtain permission before working collaboratively or re-using an assignment written for another course.
  • Be prepared for exams and assignments; preparing for a test can be an anxiety-producing experience. It helps to study over a period of time and not cram the night before.
  • Take the time to produce quality work that you can be proud of.
  • Take the initiative to shield your work to prevent other students from copying.
  • Do not allow others to use your computer programs. Keep your computer password secret to avoid unauthorized access.
  • When using class notes for an assignment, ask yourself: Did this information come from me? Always document where and from whom you got your information (e.g. other students, professor, journal article, textbook, web site).
  • Refuse to allow others to copy your answers or assignments.
  • Ask each instructor for a statement on academic dishonesty.
  • Cite all source materials used in written assignments.
  • Always do and turn in your own work.
  • Keep your class materials in a 3-ring binder.
  • Form a study group.
  • Establish a regular study routine.
  • Prepare for exams from the first day of class
  • Everything you do is exam preparation. Watch and listen for potential exam questions. Use the week before the exam to review, not to learn.

Preparing for an exam:

  • Review and/or rewrite your notes after each class. Reading them soon after class will make remembering them easier.
  • Try condensing your notes to one page. This exercise will help you to organize the main ideas and to select the most important concepts and facts.
  • If you don’t understand the material, see your professor or the teaching assistant(s) during office hours or make an appointment. The longer you wait, the less time you will have to prepare.
    Prepare for the style of the exam being given. Multiple choice, matching, and true-false questions tend to test for recognition of facts; short answer and “fill-in-the-blank” questions tend to test your ability to recall material; essay and oral exams tend to test your ability to recall material, synthesize material, and create your own conclusions (from Karen Martin, “Organizing Examinations,” UCLA, 1987).
  • Write some questions as if you were the professor. This exercise may help you to focus on the most important material under examination.
  • Budget your time. Include time to watch your favorite television program as your schedule your time—chances are you’ll watch it anyway. If you budget time for it, you’ll be able to watch it and still have adequate time to study (suggested by the Learning Resource Center, Miami University).

Taking an exam:

  • Avoid looking in the direction of anyone else’s work during an exam.
  • Do not sit next to your friends. Choose a spot in the room that is as remote as possible from students whom you know. It decreases distraction as well as the chance that copying may occur or be suspected. This is particularly important if you studied together.
  • Bring into the room only those materials, if any, which the instructor has expressly indicated are allowed. Bringing in unauthorized materials, whether utilized or not, leaves you vulnerable to an allegation of cheating.

After taking an exam:

When your exam is returned, see what you can learn by reviewing your incorrect answers. If you wish to submit your exam for re-grading do not alter the original answers, since that could be interpreted as a dishonest attempt to receive additional credit. Remember, instructors often photocopy your original exams and quizzes before returning them in order to compare them with those submitted for re-grading.