Academic Integrity, University Guidelines

Policy and Procedures
The pursuit of knowledge can proceed only when scholars take responsibility and receive credit for their work. Recognition of individual contributions to knowledge and of the intellectual property of others builds trust within the University and encourages the sharing of ideas that is essential to scholarship. Similarly, the educational process requires that individuals present their own ideas and insights for evaluation, critique, and eventual reformulation. Presentation of others' work as one's own is not only intellectual dishonesty, but also undermines the educational process.

Standards
Academic integrity is violated by any dishonest act which is committed in an academic context including, but not restricted to the following:

Cheating is the fraudulent or dishonest presentation of work. Cheating includes but is not limited to:

the use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in examinations or other academic exercises submitted for evaluation;
fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data, results, sources for papers or reports, or in clinical practice, as in reporting experiments, measurements,statistical analyses, tests, or other studies never performed; manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to achieve a desired result; selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of conflicting or unwanted data;
falsification of papers, official records, or reports;
copying from another student's work;
actions that destroy or alter the work of another student;
unauthorized cooperation in completing assignments or during an examination;
the use of purchased essays or term papers, or of purchased preparatory research for such papers;
submission of the same written work in more than one course without prior written approval from the instructors involved;
dishonesty in requests for make-up exams, for extensions of deadlines for submitting papers, and in any other matter relating to a course.

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrations, or statements of another person or source, and presenting them as one's own. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged.

Other breaches of academic integrity include:

the misrepresentation of one's own or another's identity for academic purposes;
the misrepresentation of material facts or circumstances in relation to examinations, papers, or other evaluative activities;
the sale of papers, essays, or research for fraudulent use;
the alteration or falsification of official University records;
the unauthorized use of University academic facilities or equipment, including computer accounts and files;
the unauthorized recording, sale, purchase, or use of academic lectures, academic computer software, or other instructional materials;
the expropriation or abuse of ideas and preliminary data obtained during the process of editorial or peer review of work submitted to journals, or in proposals for funding by agency panels or by internal University committees;
the expropriation and/or inappropriate dissemination of personally-identifying human subject data;
the unauthorized removal, mutilation, or deliberate concealment of materials in University libraries, media, or academic resource centers.

Collusion is defined as assistance or an attempt to assist another student in an act of academic dishonesty. Collusion is distinct from collaborative learning, which may be a valuable component of students' scholarly development. Acceptable levels of collaboration vary in different courses, and students are expected to consult with their instructor if they are uncertain whether their cooperative activities are acceptable.

Promoting Academic Integrity: Roles of Community Members
Student Roles in Maintaining Academic Integrity
Students have a responsibility to maintain high standards of academic integrity in their own work, and thereby to maintain the integrity of their degree. It is their responsibility to be familiar with, and understand, the University policy on academic integrity.

Students who become aware of a violation of academic integrity by a fellow student should respond in one of the following ways:

Students may discuss their concerns with the student whom they suspect of a violation. Direct contact by another student may be the best means of resolving the problem. Repeated demonstration of student concern for academic integrity will in the long run build a peer-regulated community.
If the incident is a major violation or part of a repeated pattern of violations, students should bring their concerns to the attention of the instructor, or to the appropriate department chairperson or associate dean. Suspected violations by students reported to members of the faculty or to an associate dean will be handled according to the procedures set forth below.
Students who have serious concern that a faculty member is not living up to his or her responsibility to safeguard and promote academic integrity should speak with the faculty member directly, or should bring their concern to the attention of the department chairperson or associate dean.

Office of the Deans of Arts and Sciences (January 13, 2005): "Adherence to the university standards for academic integrity. "Academic integrity is central to the mission of higher education. Please observe the highest standards of academic integrity in this course. Please review the standards and procedures that are published in the univeristy catalog and on the web, at: (http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/resources/policy/#integrity). Make sure that the work you submit is in accordance with university policies. If you have any questions, please consult with me. Violations will be reported to the Deans' Office and reviewed by the College's Committee on Academic Integrity. This could result in failure in the course or even more severe sanctions."