Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is expected of all members of the SUA community. Failure to adhere to standards of honesty will result in sanctions.

The following definitions will help you understand the boundaries of academic dishonesty. The sanctions section, which follows, will help you understand the seriousness of various types of academic dishonesty. These definitions do not represent a complete list of possible infractions; rather, they are intended generally to reveal the range of conduct which violates academic honesty. Presentation of this list is prompted by the belief that education concerning improper conduct will help students avoid such practices, including those which, although innocently performed, may technically be classified as academically dishonest.

1. Plagiarism. Presenting the words or ideas of another person requires proper acknowledgement; failure to do so is plagiarism. This applies to direct quotations, paraphrases or summarized ideas.
2. Submission of the same work in two courses without explicit permission to do so. Presenting all or part of the work done for one course in another course requires permission of the instructors of the involved courses. A related point is that paired courses, by design, often require submission of the same work in the two associated courses.
3. Unauthorized collaboration. In many course activities, other than examinations, collaboration is permitted and encouraged. Course syllabi and in-class instructions will usually identify situations where collaboration is prohibited, but the student shares responsibility for ascertaining whether collaboration is permitted. In cases where a student receives tutoring on a course topic, the student should consult the professor of the course to understand the permissible limits of the tutoring help.
4. Cheating. This is a very broad category encompassing a variety of forms of misrepresentation and fraud. Examples include sharing exam answers, presenting work done by another as one’s own, changing in any way work which may be reviewed in response to a grade reconsideration request, having a falsely identified person take an exam, or using notes, books and the like in closed-book examinations.
5. Misrepresentation of experience or ability. Providing false information concerning academic achievement or background in an area of study; for example, false reporting the substance of an internship.
6. Falsification of records. Any attempt to change grades or written records pertaining to assessment of a student’s academic achievement.
7. Sabotage. Destruction of or deliberate inhibition of progress of another person’s work related to a course; this includes the destruction of shared resources such as library materials and computer software or hardware.
8. Complicity concerning any of the above. Any act which facilitates academic dishonesty is itself an act of academic dishonesty.