Academic Integrity and Honor Code

Purpose: This policy creates an honor code for students in their academic work.

Academic integrity is founded upon the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. Exhibiting these values is essential to promoting and maintaining a high level of academic integrity at the college. Each member of the college community stands accountable for his or her actions. The first responsibility for academic integrity lies with individual students and faculty members. A violation of academic integrity is an act harmful to the entire college community and may result in disciplinary action.

Violations of the code shall include, but are not limited to:

Cheating. The improper taking or tendering of any information or material used or intended to use for academic credit. Taking of information includes, but is not limited to, copying homework assignments from another student; working with others on a take-home test or homework when not specifically permitted by the teacher; looking or attempting to look at another student’s paper during an examination; looking or attempting to look at text or notes during an examination when not permitted. The tendering of information includes, but is not limited to, giving work to another student to be used or copied; giving answers to exam questions as the exam is being given; giving answers or other such information after taking an exam to another student who has not yet taken the exam; giving or selling a term paper or other written materials to another student. (Adapted from the policy of the University of Florida.)

Plagiarism. From the Latin for "kidnapper," taking ideas from another and passing them off as one’s own, whether the ideas are published, unpublished, or the work of another student. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, submitting papers, examinations or assignments written by others; word-for-word copying of portions of another’s writing without indicating that the copied passage is a quotation (by the use of quotation marks or some other indicating device) and acknowledging the source in the appropriate format; the use of a particularly unique term or concept that one has come across in reading without acknowledging the author or source; the paraphrasing or abbreviated restatement of someone else’s idea(s) without acknowledging the author or source; the use of false citations or citing a source from which an idea has not been obtained; or submitting false or altered data in a laboratory. Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if a member of the group does not do his or her fair share of the group’s work but attempts to take credit for the work of the group. Because electronic information is so easily reproduced, respect for the work and personal expression of others is critical in computer environments. Violations, including plagiarism, invasion of privacy, unauthorized access, and copyright violations are grounds for disciplinary proceedings. Students should consult the section on plagiarism in the writing handbook used in ENC 1101. (Adapted from the policies of Wheaton College, Old Dominion University, the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina – Greensboro.)

Bribery. Offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting any materials, items or services of value to gain academic advantage for oneself or another.

Misrepresentation. Any act or omission with intent to deceive an instructor or other college official for academic advantage, including using a computer program generated by another and handing it in as one’s own work unless expressly allowed by the instructor; lying to an instructor to increase one’s grade; lying or misrepresenting facts when confronted with an allegation of academic dishonesty; providing false statements upon financial aid forms or other college documents.

Conspiracy. Planning or acting with one or more persons to commit any form of academic dishonesty to gain academic advantage for oneself or another.

Fabrication. Use of invented or fictitious information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive for academic advantage. (Adapted from the policy of the University of Florida.)

A component vital to the Academic Integrity and Honor Code is a pledge that applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students of the College of Central Florida. On all work submitted by students of the College of Central Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied:

"On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work, nor am I aware of others doing so."

The president or the president’s designee shall establish the procedure for implementation of the Academic Integrity policy, including the establishment of an Honor Court. (CF Board Policy 4.14)

The complete CF Administrative Procedure for Academic Integrity can be found here: http://www.cf.edu/about/procedures/