While the University of Delaware does not have a traditional Honor Code or Honor System, the University has established rules and expectations set forth in the Code of Conduct of Student Guide to University policies. Within the Code of Conduct, the University's guidelines for Academic Honesty are explicit.

It is vital for all students to understand and abide by the rules of academic honesty as "academic honesty lies at the heart of the academic enterprise." Academic honesty "provides the foundation for the intellectual freedom that is encouraged and shared by all members of the academic community and embodies the belief that true academic freedom and discourse can only exist within a framework of honesty, integrity, and responsibility, values essential to the life of an engaged citizenry" (www.oberlin.edu/stlife/student_pages/honor_code.html). It is the University's hope that students will act with integrity as they strive for excellence in scholarship and in character. To this end, the Office of Student Conduct promotes a high level of honor in all academic work.

Faculty members may choose to impose an honor pledge/honor contract in their courses as a way for students to express their commitment and demonstrate their adherence to abide by the Academic Honesty policy and its standards in all areas of academic work. "The purpose of writing the pledge by hand is to promote a period of reflection at the end of an academic exercise. The few moments required to write the pledge by hand reminds students that the [academic work] they are submitting is governed by the ethical rules of a scholarly community" (http://www.jpo.umd.edu/aca/FAQ.html).

Listed below are examples of honor pledges/contracts used at the University.

"I am fully familiar with University Policies on Academic Honesty and understand that my professor in Brain & Behavior will enforce those policies, to the letter, as described in the Student Handbook..." (Professor Carlisle Skeen, Psych 314, Brain and Behavior)

Listed below are examples of honor pledges used at other colleges and universities.

"On my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received help on this assignment" (University of Virginia).

"I pledge that I have neither recieved nor given unauthorized assistance during the completion of this work" (University of Richmond).

"I have neither given nor recieved unauthorized assistance during the completion of this work" (Virginia Tech).

"On my honor, I have neither given nor received any aid on this (examination, quiz, or paper)" (Rice University).

Listed below are examples of honor pledges designed by students in the Academic Integrity Seminar at the University of Delaware.

"I, (state your name), declare that the submitted work is original and adheres to all University policies and acknowledge the consequences that may result from a violation of those rules" (Spring 2004)

"We, the people of this seminar, pledge to uphold the ideals of truth, honesty, morality, and individualism in order to promote academic honesty" (Spring 2006)

"I pledge that the work I am submitting is of my own ideas and the work of others will be properly cited. It adheres to the University of Delaware’s Code of Conduct, and I am willing to accept the sanction for violating the Academic Honesty Policy. I will strive for excellence." (Fall 2007)

"I pledge that my work is authentic, expressing original ideas. Furthermore, I pledge that I followed the University of Delaware’s Code of Conduct and adhere to the rules and guidelines by working independently." (Spring 2007).

"I pledge that the submitted work abides by the guidelines set by the Code of Conduct and is my own thoughts and ideas. This includes proper citations, proofreading, studying, originality, integrity and honesty to the University and the individual professor’s standards" (Spring 2008)

"I pledge that this work was fully and wholly completed within the criteria established for academic integrity and represents my original production, unless otherwise cited." (Spring 2009).