Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is an ethics of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility by all those that engage in educational or scholarly activities. This applies not only to students but teachers, researchers, and anyone else that is part of the academic community. 

Breaking these values is known as academic misconduct or academic dishonesty, and can result in a range of consequences that can have a negative impact on your educational career.

Academic integrity should not be scary! If you approach your coursework with honesty and respect for your fellow students, your instructors, and the course materials than you are already well on your way to acting with integrity. Accurately representing your sources (through citations), completing your own work without help (other than where permitted by your instructor), and avoiding situations that make you more likely to engage in academic dishonesty (through proper time management) will help you be a better student and avoid academic dishonesty.

Remember that there are lots of resources available to you to understand academic integrity and get the help you need to avoid accidentally or purposefully engaging in academic dishonesty.

Academic Dishonesty happens when you breach one or more of the principles of academic integrity. Academic dishonesty includes:

• Fraud: such as falsifying a transcript, or allowing someone to take an exam for you.
• Cheating: such as copying someone else's work during an exam, or having access to an answer key.
• Misuse or misrepresentation of sources: such as changing the meaning of a source material or hiding data to favour your argument.
• Plagiarism: presenting someone else's work as your own without accurate citations or credit. This includes:
  • Contract cheating: submitting materials you bought online or from someone else
  • Self-plagiarism: re-submitting your own work which you have already received credit for in multiple classes
• Other examples:
  • Taking another student's work without permission (for example, from a printer tray)
  • Modifying graded materials then re-submitting them for a new grade
  • Deliberately disrupting an exam (for example, by falsely pulling a fire alarm)
  • Helping someone else engage in any form of academic dishonesty

For more information on what qualifies as academic dishonesty see Douglas College's academic integrity resources for students.