Students at the University of Delaware are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. It is the official policy of the University of Delaware that all acts or attempted acts of alleged academic dishonesty be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs for disposition within the University Undergraduate Student Judicial System.

Following is an explanation of the University's policy and general procedures for handling Undergraduate Student Cases of academic dishonesty. All Graduate Student infractions should be referred to the Administrator for Graduate Studies for Academic Affairs. For additional information, refer to the Student Guide to University Policies.

CONTENTS

• Proactive Strategies for Faculty
• Proactive Strategies for Students
• About the Internet
• Academic Integrity Quiz
• Campus Resources
• Forms of Academic Dishonesty
• Course of Action for Faculty When a Student is Suspected of Committing an Academically Dishonest Act
• University Sanctions
• Academic Integrity Seminar

Encouraging academic honesty among students

1. Include a statement in the course syllabus regarding academic honesty as it relates to that particular course.

2. Discuss the issue of cheating, academic misconduct, fabrication, and plagiarism at the beginning of eachsemester and before examinations.

3. In assigning term papers, discuss the issue of plagiarism, make certain that students understand referencing requirements, the specific extent of collaboration on class/term projects, assign specific topics and set a time limit.

4. Give essay tests, instead of multiple-choice tests, when appropriate and where class size permits.

5. When using proctors, more than one should be present for over forty students. Instruct proctors about their responsibilities during exams.

6. Require positive identification from students (University student identification card, driver's license) when students enter the classroom to take an examination or when they turn in their answer sheets if the students are not familiar to you. This is particularly important in large size classes.

7. Have each student sign his/her answer sheet. Signatures can be compared if a question arises over who actually took the examination.

8. Keep examinations in a secure location, e.g., locked desks, locked files, etc. Faculty offices may not be a secure location for examinations.

9. All waste copies of an examination should be destroyed.

10. Number exams and count the number distributed and returned.

11. Alternate forms of the same examination, particularly with short answer examinations, should be administered during the test period. Color-coding of the alternate forms will emphasize the difference.

12. When bluebooks are used for examinations, faculty should collect the bluebooks from students and redistribute them before the examination begins.

13. The question of whether or not students may have materials in their possession, e.g., books, notes, scrap paper, calculators, programmable portable computers, should be specified before the examination by the faculty member. Scrap papers should be turned in with the examination so that information related to the examination may not be taken from the classroom. Faculty members may wish to supply the scrap paper as a part of the examination packet.

14. Design a pre-arranged seating plan or sign-in sheet by seat number, so that the location of each student may be determined.

15. Students should be seated so that at least one seat exists between students during an examination, if possible.

Protecting oneself from being charged with academic dishonesty

1. Familiarize yourself with the University's Code of Conduct, especially for information regarding academic dishonesty.

2. Check each course syllabus for information regarding academic dishonesty. Faculty members may have additional information beyond the University's standards. If you cannot find a written section in the syllabus, ask the faculty member what his/her expectations are.

3. Prepare yourself thoroughly for examinations and assignments.

4. Take the initiative to prevent other students from copying your exam or assignments by shielding your work. In exams, if you feel someone is trying to copy from you, ask the proctor if you may move.

5. Do not look around, particularly in the direction of other students' papers, during an exam since it may appear you are trying to copy from others.

6. Do not make any marks on a graded exam if there is any chance you may submit it for a re-grade. Make notations on a separate paper.

7. Do not share assignments you have finished to other students. Do not leave your finished assignments in a place where another student might be able to copy them.

8. Do not share your current or former assignments, projects, papers, etc. with other students to use as guides for their work. Such a practice could lead to claims of collaboration if another student lifts part of all your work. Sometimes friendly assistance may escalate into claims of blatant dishonesty.

9. If you are allowed to take materials into a testing site, make sure no notes or materials are exposed or accessible that could cause one to believe you are using unauthorized aids.

10. Should there be any doubt, clarify with your instructor how much collaboration, if any, is permitted or expected when working on projects or assignments with other students.

11. When working on a collaborative exercise, complete all written assignments individually unless the instructor specifically tells you otherwise.

12. Acknowledge the contributions of other students on collaborative projects by citing their name(s) on all written work turned into the instructor.

13. When completing take-home exams, do not collaborate with other persons unless approved by the instructor.

14. Consult with the University Writing Center, talk with your professor, or use a recognized handbook for instruction on citing source materials.

15. Protect your computer login identifications and passwords. Other students could use them to access your work and subsequently implicate you in a cheating case.

16. Know that it is risky to electronically copy or transmit a computer program or file to other students. You could be implicated in a cheating incident if someone alters that program and submits it as their own work.

17. Do not allow anyone to copy or use your computer diskette.

18. Check with your instructor and get permission before turning in a paper or project you submitted in another course.

19. Do not use previous papers, lab reports, or assignments used in a course with the intention of copying parts or all of the material.

20. Keep rough drafts and copies of your work since other students may get access to your work and attempt to claim it as their own.

21. Keep your student identification card in your possession or secured. Never loan your identification to anyone.

22. Encourage honesty among other students.

23. Refuse to assist students who cheat.

24. Verify that the work you submit is the work you want to be graded. Inadvertently submitting the "wrong" version of an assignment does not exonerate you from being charged with academic dishonesty.

As faculty and students may already know, students can purchase, borrow, steal, and re-use various papers, essays, and other materials from the Internet. With today's technology and resources, faculty and staff are easily able to find information on the Internet and determine if assignments have been plagiarized. Therefore, students should never use documents off of the Internet without properly citing their sources.


ACADEMIC INTEGRITY QUIZ

Test your knowledge and understanding of academic dishonesty by answering the following questions. If you have questions about academic integrity please consult any of the campus resources listed in this brochure or the Office of Judicial Affairs.

Read each scenario below and the possible choices. Choose the most appropriate answer.

1. You are given a take home exam and are given strict instructions not to use your notes and not to collaborate with anyone on the assignment. You are having difficulty figuring out the answer to a couple of problems. Your roommate is in the class as well, and you discuss the problems with him/her.
   1. Your behavior constitutes academic dishonesty but since it's so unlikely that you will get caught, your actions are no big deal.
   2. There is no problem with this scenario.
   3. You are guilty of cheating for collaborating with another person without authorization.
   4. The exam was extremely difficult, and you know that everyone worked on the test together so you feel that your actions are justified.

2. You are working on an exam in class when the professor says the exam is finished. You continue to work on the exam.
   1. You are guilty of academic misconduct for continuing to work on an assignment after the allotted time has elapsed.
   2. You arrived to class 10 minutes late and plan to continue to work for an extra 10 minutes so that you have the same amount of time as everyone else. After all, this is only fair!
   3. The person next to you continued to work so you felt entitled to do the same! What is good for one should be good for all.
   4. This is not academic misconduct.

3. You are working on a paper and the majority of the research you've done is from the Web. You find a paper that is very similar to the on you are working on. You decide to use one full page from the internet paper, word for word. The rest of your paper is original work.
   1. Technically this is plagiarism but since it is only one page, it is not that big of a deal. You should not be punished.
   2. This is not academic dishonesty.
   3. You are guilty of plagiarism.
   4. This would not have been a problem if you simply listed the source on the works cited page.

4. You are preparing a lab report and are not coming up with what you know to be the correct answers. You continue to figure out your calculations hoping that you have just made a calculation mistake. After a few tries, you determine that the problem just isn't working out. You decide to fudge some of the numbers so that you get what you know to be the correct answer.
   1. You are not guilty of academic misconduct.
   2. You believe that if the professor realizes that you falsified the numbers to get the correct answer, he/she will understand that you at least tried and that is all that counts. You should not be punished.
   3. You are guilty of fabrication.
   4. This course has nothing to do with your future career goals so what is the sense of mastering the course!

It is the student's responsibility to understand the expectations of faculty members. If students require assistance with a course, contact:

• Course professor, TA, or academic department

• University Writing Center, 016 Memorial Hall, 831-1168

• University Writing Center Grammar Hotline, 831-1890

• Academic Enrichment Center, 148-150 S. College Avenue, 831-2805

• Student Services for Athletes, Delaware Field House, 831-4294

• Disability Services (ADA Ofifce),413 Academy Street, Room 165, 831-3670

• Office of Judicial Affairs, 218 Hullihen Hall, 831-2117

• Center for Counseling and Student Development, Perkins Student Center, 831-2141

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own. When a student submits academic work that includes another’s words, ideas, or data, whether published or unpublished, the source of that information must be acknowledged with complete and accurate references and, if verbatim statements are included, with quotation marks as well. By submitting work as his or her own, a student certifies the originality of all material not otherwise acknowledged. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

1. The quotation or other use of another person’s words, ideas, opinions, thoughts, or theories (even if paraphrased into one’s own words) without acknowledgment of the source; or
2. The quotation or other use of facts, statistics, or other data or materials that are not clearly common knowledge without acknowledgment of the source.

Fabrication

Fabrication is the use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings. Fabrication includes, but is not limited to:

1. The false citation or acknowledgment of a direct or secondary source, including the incorrect documentation of a source;
2. The citation, in a bibliography or other list of references, of sources that were not used to prepare the academic work;
3. The inclusion in an academic work of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or information, or the deliberate and knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or information; or
4. The unauthorized submission of an academic work prepared totally or in part by another.

Cheating is an act or an attempted act of deception by which a student seeks to misrepresent that he or she has mastered information that has not been mastered. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

1. Copying of all or any portion of another’s academic work and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one’s own;
2. Allowing another person to copy one’s own academic work—whether intentionally or recklessly;
3. The unauthorized use or possession of a class textbook, notes, or any other material to complete or prepare an academic work;
4. The unauthorized collaboration with any other person on an academic exercise, including collaboration on a take-home or make-up academic exercise;
5. The unauthorized use of electronic instruments, such as cell phones, pagers, or PDAs, to access or share information; or
6. The unauthorized completion for another person of an academic work, or permitting someone else to complete an academic work for oneself.

Academic misconduct is any other act that impugns or disrupts the educational process. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

1. The unauthorized possession, copying, distribution, sale, or other transfer of all or any part of an academic exercise, or the answers or solutions to an academic exercise, whether or not the exercise has been administered;
2. Changing, altering, attempting to change or alter, or assisting another in changing or altering any grade or other academic record, including grades or records contained in a grade book or computer file, that is received for or in any way attributed to academic work;
3. Entering any University building, facility, office, or other property, or accessing any computer file or other University record or storage for the purpose of obtaining the answers or solutions to an academic exercise or to change a grade;
4. Continuing to work on an academic exercise after the specified allotted time has elapsed; or
5. Bribing another person to obtain an academic exercise, including answers to questions of an unadministered academic exercise.

Other forms of academic dishonesty not described here but in violation of the Academic Honesty Statement of Policy.


COURSE OF ACTION FOR FACULTY WHEN A STUDENT IS SUSPECTED OF COMMITTING AN ACADEMICALLY DISHONEST ACT

Academic honesty and integrity lie at the heart of any educational enterprise. Students are expected to do their own work and neither to give nor to receive assistance during quizzes, examinations, or other class exercises.

Because faculty and students take academic honesty seriously, penalties for violations may be severe, depending upon the offense. Instructors will gladly explain procedures for taking tests, writing papers, and completing other course requirements so that students may understand fully their instructor's expectations.

When a faculty member suspects a student of academic dishonesty, he/she should:

1. Review the work to ensure that there is sufficient information to support a charge of academic dishonesty. If there are questions about the student's work, the faculty member should speak with the student to clarify any discrepancies. The Director of Judicial Affairs (ext. 2117) and Administrator for Graduate Student Academic Affairs (ext. 8697) are available to consult on aspects of academic dishonesty.

2. Contact should be made with the Office of Judicial Affairs prior to selecting an option under the sanctions. The original copy of the assignment, test, or examination should be kept by the faculty member. A photocopy of the work must be forwarded to the Office of Judicial Affairs so it may be shared with the student. Faculty members are encouraged to inform the student that a report of academic dishonesty has been filed with the Office of Judicial Affairs.

3. If the alleged violation occurs during the final examination period of a semester, the faculty member must assign the student an "I" grade to show incomplete work. This grade will remain until the alleged violation is adjudicated.

A range of possible sanctions exist for cases of academic dishonesty. Both an academic penalty and a judicial sanction will be determined, based on the severity of the academic violation and in consideration of any other violations (academic or otherwise) the student has incurred.

It is contrary to University policy for an instructor to assign a disciplinary grade (such as an "F" or zero to an assignment, test, examination or other course work) as a sanction for admitted or suspected academic dishonesty in lieu of formally charging the student with academic dishonesty under the University's Code of Conduct. Such an independent action violates the student's guaranteed legal right to due process and leaves the instructor vulnerable to a student grievance, an off-campus civil suit and possible disciplinary action by the University.

Similarly, students are prohibited from proposing and/or entering into an arrangement with an instructor to receive a grade of "F" or any reduced grade in a course or on an academic exercise in lieu of being charged with academic dishonesty under the Code of Conduct. Any student who commits, aids or attempts to commit any of the acts of misconduct listed in the Code of Conduct under Academic Honesty shall be subject to action under the Undergraduate or Graduate Student Judicial System.

It is important to understand that a hearing body cannot find a student guilty of academic dishonesty without a reasonable level of factual substantiation of the charge. The faculty member bringing the charge is responsible for demonstrating that a student was academically dishonest. A student who has been charged is not required to prove his or her innocence.

Listed below are the options under which academic dishonesty charges can be filed. The actions listed within each option will not preclude additional sanctions. Students with past judicial cases will be handled under Option C and in concert with other judicial policies.

Option A
The faculty member may require the student to repeat any work affected by the academic violation. When the faculty member chooses to have the student repeat affected work, the faculty member may impose a grade penalty on that work.

Option B
The faculty member may issue the student a lower or failing grade on all or any portion of the work affected by the academic violation or a lower or failing grade in the course; or the faculty member may require that the student be withdrawn from the course.

Option C
The student will receive a failing grade in the course in which the offense occurred, and an "X" will be placed next to the "F" on the student’s University transcript, with an explanation on the transcript that the failure resulted from the student’s academic violation.

The student who wishes to remove the "X" from the transcript may complete a non-credit seminar at the University addressing the academic violation and the ethical and social ramifications of violations. A student who successfully completes this course may submit a request to the Office of Judicial Affairs or Office of Graduate Studies to have the "X" removed from his or her transcript. All costs or fees associated with the seminar shall be paid by the student.

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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY SEMINAR

"It is every person's dream to be the best and to make their family proud, but to do [so] by the use of plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, or academic misconduct, [is to base one's career upon] a lie."

-Anonymous student, Academic Integrity Seminar, 2001

Students who are found guilty of an academic dishonesty violation are sanctioned to attend an eight-week, non-credit academic integrity seminar.Classroom instruction is supplemented by WebCT forums, quizzes and electronic assignments. Participants learn about integrity, ethics, dilemmas and decision-making, honor codes, time management, stress management and University policies. Participants also reflect upon their own choices and actions related to their case of academic dishonesty. Upon successful completion of the seminar and payment of the administrative fees, and in the absence of any repetition of similar misconduct, students who received a sanction of an "X" notation on their transcript can write a petition to the Director of Judicial Affairs in order to have the transcript notation removed.

For further information about the seminar please contact the Office of Judicial Affairs at 831-2117.

"I had never cheated before, but I thought that since it was so simple to do and it did not take much of my effort, I would never get caught for the plagiarized paper. [The outcome of my case] is a hard thing to overcome because my sanction was not a small smack on the hand but rather a big slap in the face."

-Anonymous student, Academic Integrity Seminar, 2001

The contents of this document were adapted from "The Academic Honesty & Dishonesty" brochure produced by the Dean of Students Office, Louisiana State University, Baton Rough, Louisiana; the Kansas State University Undergraduate Honor Council; the University of Delaware Code of Conduct, Official Student Handbook.