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Cheating: The Arch Nemesis of Integrity

Acts that compromise academic honesty can be referred to as cheating, academic misconduct, academic dishonesty, or academic integrity violations.

Cheating takes place when a student attempts to attain academic credit through dishonest, disrespectful, irresponsible, untrustworthy, or unfair means. This not only misrepresents a student's knowledge and abilities but also undermines the instructor's capacity to assess them honestly and fairly. Moreover, cheating erodes the university's ability to genuinely and impartially certify a student's knowledge and abilities.

Instructors have the authority to define cheating in their classes because expectations for academic conduct are tied directly to learning objectives. Consequently, rules and expectations may vary for each class and even for different assignments within the same class.

To guide you, here are some general principles to follow unless otherwise specified by your instructor:

  • Complete all academic assignments independently.
  • Refrain from using any aids during exams.
  • Acknowledge and cite source material in papers or assignments.
  • Avoid altering a graded exam and submitting it for regrade.
  • Do not copy another student's assignment, either in part or entirely, and present it as your own work.
  • Do no purchase help or assignment completion from external sources; paying for it does not make it your own.
  • Abstain from copying online quiz or assignment answers from the internet or others.
  • Do not use GenAI Tools (like ChatGPT, Grammarly) if prohibited by the Instructor OR if to generate content that you then submit as your own.

When in doubt about academic integrity, default to the following position: produce independent work unless instructed otherwise. Always seek guidance from your instructor if you have uncertainties!

For further clarification on what constitutes cheating, refer to our frequently asked questions. Explore the Sanctioning Guidelines for defined examples of academic integrity violations, and, most importantly, consult your instructor for specific rules in their class.