COMMON FORMS OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Plagiarism

"Plagiarism is representing, intentionally or unintentionally, the words or ideas of another as one's own work without correctly acknowledging the source, in any educational setting. It is the responsibility of the student to learn and use the correct methods of avoiding plagiarism in each class." (Adapted from UMass Lowell's definition of plagiarism as part of its policies on academic integrity).  

 

Cheating

Copying someone else’s work, attempting to discretely check notes or internet, texting or utilizing codes or signals to inform a classmate of an answer are common forms of academic dishonesty.  Allowing others to cheat and sometimes assisting others is also academic dishonesty.  OpenCourseWare documents free on the internet are free for learning – not for cutting and pasting.

 

Self-Plagiarism

Submitting a piece of one’s own work for more than one course.  Receiving course credit for the same work twice is self-plagiarism.  Even though a student may “own” the original ideas or may have cited appropriately the first time, the second time it would be a misrepresentation of the time and effort completed.

 

Impersonating Another

Impersonating another in-person or online to take a test or exam or to obtain attendance credit is considered cheating. Having someone else write a paper or complete an assignment is also cheating.

 

Buying or Otherwise Obtaining Papers or Assignments

Whether the work was paid for or free, if someone else wrote it, it is academic dishonesty.  Using essay mills/banks, ghostwriting sites, and bored friends looking for cash is called contract cheating.

 

Falsifying, Misrepresenting or Forging an Academic Record or Supporting Document

Any document that intentionally misrepresents the content, either by including or excluding information, forging signatures, or providing false material is considered academic misconduct – even when on documents not intended for a class.  This category also includes fabricating data or sources that do not exist.  Misrepresenting personal circumstances in an attempt to get an extension or change a grade is also a form of academic dishonesty.

 

Unauthorized Collaboration

Working with others when a professor expects independent work is unauthorized collaboration.  Group work may also have specific parameters over how much sharing or collaborating is allowed.  It is the student’s responsibility to determine the extent of the expectations.

 

Use of Unauthorized Aids During a Test or Exam

Unauthorized aids include anything that has not been purposefully included or allowed by the professor.  In person or online, proctored or un-proctored, students are responsible for complying with the expectations around permitted resources.

 

 Improper Access/Obstruction of Materials/Systems

Obtaining or distributing materials or assessments of which a student does not have authorization is an egregious dishonesty offense.  Stealing, selling, sharing, disrupting, or otherwise impeding with the academic process is prohibited.

 

Distribution of Faculty Intellectual Property

Posting exams, assignments, questions, answers, syllabi, study-guides, etc. on a third party platform or through independent distribution without the instructor’s consent is academic dishonesty.

 

Homework Apps and Websites

Marketed as places to get help, these apps and websites may allow one to find a quick answer useful if studying and checking ones work. Students tempted to use these sources to complete assignments or exams may face charges of academic dishonesty.

Photomath scans the problem and spits out the answers

HWPic, sends a picture of the problem to an actual tutor, who offers a step-by-step solution to the problem

Cymayth and Wolfram Alpha solve math problems on the fly

Quizlet – flashcards created and easily accessed during exam

Socratic – able to access notes and other “info banks” easily during exam (and photo-based search tool)

Brainly – share class notes; quick answers to questions

Course Hero is a popular academic website that allows students to find homework help, course notes, and study guides.

Answers.com (sometimes known as Answers.com LLC and formerly known as Answers Corporation) is a website and content-sharing service where users can ask and answer questions on various topics.

Chegg is a site that is devoted to helping students with answers and solutions to questions. As a result, cheating students use the site to pass their online exams and assignments at their schools.

Groupme collaborative efforts on assignments; even access to the answers is evidence of cheating

 

Using Artificial Intelligence to Prepare or Complete assignments

Easy access to new technology is not an open invitation to use it.  Unless it is.  If it is not specifically instructed, assume it is not permitted.  Free and accessible AI creates tremendous opportunity for the future, but it is not an effective way to get out of doing an assignment using just one’s own brain.

 

Intervening/disrupting another person’s work

Destroying or halting another’s ability to complete or turn in an assignment is considered sabotage. These circumstances may be adjudicated as an academic dishonesty violation.

 

 

 

Last Modified: 3/26/24