The Logger: Student HandbookThe Logger: Student Handbook

Academic Honesty

The university is a community of faculty, students, and staff engaged in the exchange of ideas contributing to individual growth and development.  Essential to the successful functioning of the academic community is a shared sense of enthusiasm for learning and respect for other persons.  The successful functioning of the academic community also demands honesty, which is the basis of respect for both ideas and persons.  In the academic community there is an ongoing assumption of honesty at all levels.  In particular, there is the expectation that work will be independently thoughtful and responsible as to its sources of information and inspiration.  Honesty is an appropriate consideration in other ways as well, including but not limited to the responsible, respectful use of library books; responsible conduct in examinations; responsibility in meeting course assignments; the securing of legitimate signatures as needed; the respectful use of computer accounts; the responsible use of the internet and the world wide web, and behavior on study abroad programs which respects the rights and safety of others.

The suspicion of dishonesty in the academic community is a serious matter because it threatens the atmosphere of respect essential to learning.  Academic dishonesty can take many forms, including but not limited to the following: plagiarism, which is the misrepresentation of someone else’s words, ideas, research, images, video clips, or computer programs (including stacks, spreadsheet macros, command files, etc.) as one’s own; submitting the same paper or computer program for credit in more than one course without prior permission; collaborating with other students on papers or computer programming assignments and submitting them without instructor permission; cheating on examinations; mistreatment of library materials; violation of copyright laws (see the Copy Center’s handbook for a summary of copyright guidelines); forgery; and misuse of academic computing facilities.  In situations involving suspicion of dishonesty, procedures and sanctions established for the Hearing Board (see below) shall be followed.

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Plagiarism
A faculty member or the Hearing Board may make a judgment that plagiarism has occurred on grounds other than a comparison of the student’s work with the original material.  Internal stylistic evidence, comparison of the work that is suspect with other written work by the same student, the student’s inability to answer questions on what he or she has written, may all support a judgment of plagiarism.

The following discussion of plagiarism, designed to diminish misunderstanding of this serious breach of academic honesty, is adapted (with permission) from Sydney and Elizabeth Cowen, Writing, New York, John Wiley and sons, 1980, pp. 470-472.

To plagiarize means to take someone else’s words and/or ideas and put them into writing as though they were yours.  Some people deliberately steal other writers’ works, but much plagiarism in students’ research papers occurs through carelessness, uncertainty, or ignorance.  Some simple rules will help each student know how to avoid plagiarism:

  1. Always put quotation marks around any direct statement from someone else’s work (or indent and single-space extended quotations). Always give a footnote, endnote, or other form of citation for this quotation.
  2. Cite any paraphrase of another writer’s ideas or statements.
  3. Cite any thoughts you got from a specific source in your reading.
  4. Cite any material, ideas, thoughts, etc., you got from your reading that can’t be described as general knowledge.
  5. Cite any summary (even if in your own words) of a discussion from one of your sources.
  6. Cite any charts, graphs, tables, etc., made by others or any you make with others’ information.
  7. Cite any computer algorithm you incorporate into a computer program if you did not write or create the algorithm yourself.

Original Version, Quoted Directly from Source:
Two plausible explanations exist for the Anasazi departure from a homeland where life was full and complete:  either life had ceased to be good and they were starved out, or they were driven out by someone else.  There are strong indications that a severe drought extended over the plateau from 1276 to 1299, and quite possibly the Anasazi found agriculture as they had come to depend on it impossible.  There are subtle inconsistencies to the theory, however, that tend to impeach its universality, giving rise to the second possibility.  Wandering Shoshonean hunters—raiders by nature—had begun to roam the plateau somewhat earlier, and given the fortresslike quality of most Anasazi pueblos and cliff dwellings, it seems possible that these raiders had begun to make part, or most, of their living by preying on the vulnerable fields of the agriculturists.  If this was the case, the Anasazi would in time be forced out.  Whatever the answer, and it may be a combination of both, the Anasazi departed to other regions.
                                          -Donald C. Pike

Student Version 1:
Nobody really knows why the Anasazi, the cliff dwellers, left their homes, but two possible reasons are given.  The drought of 1276-1299 may have destroyed agriculture as the Anasazi had come to depend upon it.  The Shoshonean hunters, raiders by nature, may have also begun preying on the vulnerable fields and crops of the Indians.  No one knows for sure, but these two explanations, perhaps even in combination, may explain the abandoned cliff dwellings.


Remarks:  The writer has clearly plagiarized.  Here are the reasons this is true:

  1. The writer uses information that is not common knowledge, information received from reading the original paragraph, and yet not footnoted.
  2. The writer uses many of the author’s exact words and phrases—steals them, in fact—and does not mention that the words and phrases are not original.  Even though some of the words are the writer’s, credit is not given for the knowledge in the paragraph itself nor for the author’s direct words.

Student Version 2:
Authorities often give two explanations for the departure of the Anasazi from their homeland.  Either they were starved out, or they were driven out.  There was a drought from 1276 to 1299, and it is possible that this drought affected the farming drastically.1  Also, there was a roaming band of raiders, the Shoshonean, who may have attacked the Anasazi.2  Whatever the answer, and maybe it was a combination of both the drought and the invaders, the Anasazi departed to other places.

Remarks:  The student is still plagiarizing.  Even though the two facts have been footnoted, the writer is still passing off many of the author’s words as though they were the writer’s own.  Just footnoting the two facts does not give the student the license to use the author’s phrases and words without giving credit.

Student Version 3:
Anybody who has ever seen or read about the Indian cliff dwellings is perplexed by the question, why did the Anasazi leave?  Their homes were very advanced in structure and design. They had good farms.  There are two explanations generally given.  The Indians may have left because of a severe drought that occurred in 1276-1299.1  They may also have been forced out by the Shoshonean, a tribe of raiders.2  Nobody really knows for sure.  Whatever the reason—whether it was a drought, the invaders or a combination of both—the Anasazi left their homes, and all that remains there now are the magnificent cliff dwellings that fascinate and intrigue everybody who sees them.3

Remarks:  Finally, the student has stopped plagiarizing.  The first two sentences could be considered general knowledge or conclusions the writer came to after a preliminary general reading, therefore not attributable to any particular source. The two reasons given by Donald Pike in the original paragraph have been clearly footnoted.  Even the last sentence has been footnoted because the writer had used Pike’s idea that the reason might be a combination of both.  Even though the writer’s original words were used in the last paragraph, credit has been given to the author’s idea because the information was not known until read.

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Honest Use of the Internet and the World Wide Web
Contrary to a common misperception, the vast majority of material on the internet is not in the public domain.  Materials acquired from the internet must be properly cited.  The following URL on the University of Puget Sound library web site contains examples of proper methods of citing web pages, electronic journals, newspaper articles, reference works, electronic texts, listserv messages, and email messages: http://library.ups.edu/research/guides/citeurls.htm.  In addition, whenever one uses the ideas, graphic images, pictures, video clips, or any other material from the internet, that material must be properly cited.  To fail to do so is to commit plagiarism.  Faculty are aware of the term paper sites on the web that tempt students with the promise of ready-made papers, and documents obtained in this manner are surprisingly easy to trace. 

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Honesty in Computer Programming
Honesty is expected in completion of computer programming assignments, as in completion of all other assignments.  Nothing in this document is intended to discourage students from working with colleagues or from consulting the computer science literature in order to gain a deeper understanding of computer programming.  Discussion of a programming assignment, helping each other to understand the purpose and requirements of the assignment, discussions on general design ideas, and mutual help on problems of syntax, are all encouraged.  But team efforts on detailed design, implementation, and testing are permitted only when this team effort is a clearly stated part of the assignment. If your instructor permits the use of algorithms found in the literature, those algorithms should be cited in the same manner you would cite published material in a term paper.

Here are three activities which are violations of honesty standards in the completion of computer programming assignments:

  1. Team Efforts: Unless the instructor states otherwise, computer programming assignments must be completed individually.  Permitting work done by a group is unfair to students who make individual efforts to complete the programming assignment.  Beyond consultation about the general design of a program and discussions about syntax errors, consulting with your colleagues on a program assignment is not permitted.  In particular, team work on detailed design, implementation, or testing is not permitted.  Work is a team effort whenever persons work individually to construct parts of a programming assignment, fitting them together into one program, or whenever persons work together to write the programming assignment as a group.
  2. Copying a computer program is plagiarism and will be dealt with like all other instances of plagiarism.  Copying occurs whenever:

    a.   A copy of a program not your own which can be used to meet the requirements of a programming assignment is found in your account.  Computer accounts are not private property.  Computer accounts may be reviewed by faculty or by the coordinator of Academic Computing.

    b.   An algorithm in a program submitted for a grade is copied without citation from the literature.  Unless otherwise specified by the instructor, such algorithms should not be a part of your program.

    c.   Your program is a transformation of a program written by another person, created, for example, from that program by changing variable names or interchanging blocks of code.
  3. Writing all or part of a program for another student, or submitting all or part of a program for a grade written by another person, is not permitted.

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Response to Instances of Plagiarism and Other Acts of Academic Dishonesty

Introduction
Faculty are urged to review the definition of plagiarism with their classes, noting the specific steps that will be taken by the faculty member if an instance of plagiarism or other act of academic dishonesty is observed.  (Throughout the remainder of this section the term “academic dishonesty” is used to include plagiarism and other acts of academic dishonesty).

     1.   If a faculty member has reason to suspect academic dishonesty, the following actions are taken:

a. The faculty member may consult with the department chair, program director, or the registrar regarding his/her suspicion of academic dishonesty.

b. The faculty member notifies the student that she or he suspects an instance of academic dishonesty and that an appropriate response will be made.

c. The faculty member meets with the student as a part of the process of determining if an instance of academic dishonesty has occurred.  This meeting may at the faculty member’s discretion include the department chair or program director.  If the student is not available on campus because the semester has ended or for other reasons, the meeting can happen by phone, by mail, or by email.  If the student is unreachable, then the faculty member determines responsibility based on the available evidence.

d. If the faculty member determines that an instance of academic dishonesty has occurred, he or she submits to the Registrar an Academic Dishonesty Incident Report (available from the Office of the Registrar), including reasonable documentation and the recommended penalties to be imposed.  The faculty member must provide a copy of the form to the student.  The Registrar informs the faculty member if this is the student’s first offense or not.

e. If there has been no prior reported instance of academic dishonesty, the penalties imposed by the faculty member conclude the case unless either the student or the faculty member asks for a Hearing Board.  If either asks for a Hearing Board, the dean will meet with both parties to seek an appropriate resolution.  The dean may also consult with the chair or director of the department or school involved.  If no resolution is possible, a Hearing Board will be convened.

     2.   When step 1d is reached and if a previous act of academic dishonesty has been reported to the Office of the Registrar, the following actions are taken:

a. The Registrar notifies the faculty member that at least one previous case has been reported.

b. The Registrar asks that a Hearing Board be convened to consider the case and to apply appropriate sanctions (see the next section).  The faculty member’s proposed sanctions are forwarded to the board; however, depending on the gravity of the offense, the board may impose any of the sanctions described in Step 4 of the Hearing Board procedures listed below.

3. Academic Dishonesty Incident Report forms are retained in a confidential file maintained by the Registrar to provide a record of academic dishonesty for a Hearing Board should a student be the subject of more than one report. Academic dishonesty Incident Reports are disposed of following a student's graduation or four years following a student's last enrollment, provided a Hearing Board does not direct otherwise. Contents of the Academic Dishonesty Report Forms and subsequent Hearing Board actions are revealed only with the written consent of the student, unless otherwise permitted or required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.  No entry is made on the student’s permanent academic record of an instance of academic dishonesty, unless so directed by a Hearing Board.

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Hearing Board Procedures in Matters of Plagiarism and other Acts of Academic Dishonesty
The Hearing Board functions as a fact-finding group so that it may determine an appropriate resolution to the charge of academic dishonesty.  Its hearings are informal, and the parties directly involved are expected to participate.  To make knowingly false statements or to otherwise act with malicious intent within the provisions of Hearing Board procedures shall constitute grounds for further charges of academic dishonesty.

  1. If an academic dishonesty complaint has been referred to the Hearing Board, a Hearing Board is convened to review the case.
  2. The Hearing Board consists of: the academic dean (chair) and the dean of students, or their designees; two faculty members selected by the chair of the Academic Standards Committee; and two students selected by the chair of the Academic Standards Committee in consultation with the president of the Associated Students.  The parties directly involved may have one other person present who is not an attorney.  The chair designates a secretary, responsible for recording the salient issues before the board and the actions of the board.
  3. The parties involved are asked to submit written statements and any written statements submitted are circulated by the chair to the members of the Hearing Board.  All parties have the right to appear before the board, and may be asked to appear before the board, but the hearing may proceed regardless of appearance or failure to appear.  The board reviews written statements submitted by the parties and any such other relevant material which the chair of the board deems necessary.  When all presentations are complete, the board, in executive session, reaches its resolution of the problem.
  4. The Hearing Board may find the allegations not to be factual, or the Hearing Board may impose sanctions.  Sanctions include, but are not limited to, warning, reprimand, grade penalty, removal from the course or major, probation, dismissal, suspension, and/or expulsion.  The conclusion is presented in writing to the parties directly involved and to such other persons as need to know the results of the hearing.  If some action is to be taken, the chair of the board is responsible for requesting that the action be performed and in ensuring that such action is taken.  Upon completion of the hearing, the chair maintains a file of relevant material for a period of at least two years.
  5. The decision of the Hearing Board is final.

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