Standards of Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an honest, truthful and responsible manner. Violations of academic integrity include but are not limited to plagiarism, cheating on exams, falsification, unapproved collaboration, and destruction of library materials. Below are instances of violations with which all members of the academic community should be familiar.

A. Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when individuals attempt to present as their own work what has come from another source. Plagiarism takes place whether such theft is accidental or deliberate. It is no defense to claim that one has forgotten to document ideas or material taken from another source.

Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to:

  1. using the ideas of another person, whether or not such ideas are paraphrased, from whatever source, including oral, print, broadcast, or computer-mediated communication;

  2. rewriting borrowed material by simply dropping a word here and there, substituting a few words for others, or moving around words or sentences;

  3. presenting borrowed material, whether a phrase, sentence, or whole paragraphs without placing quotation marks around the borrowed material in the approved style;

  4. presenting as one’s own work an assignment, paper, or computer program partially or wholly prepared by another person, whether by another student, friend, or by a business or online service that sells or distributes such papers and programs;

  5. failing to use proper citation for information obtained from print sources or the internet, according to citation criteria specified by the instructor or, in cases where instructor guidance is not given, by standard manuals of style (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style).

B. Cheating

Cheating occurs when individuals use course materials, information, or devices (e.g., programmable calculator, cell phone) when such is unauthorized or prohibited.

Examples of cheating include but are not limited to:

  1. having or using unauthorized materials, information, or an unauthorized device at an examination, test, or quiz;

  2. copying from another student at an examination, test, or quiz, or copying another student’s assignment, data, or laboratory report;

  3. permitting another student to copy from an assignment, paper, computer program, project, examination, test, or quiz;

  4. obtaining and/or using an unauthorized examination, test, or quiz prior to its administration;

  5. having another person act as proxy to take an examination, test, or quiz, or to complete an assignment, paper, computer program, or project.

C. Falsification

Falsification occurs when individuals make false statements that mislead others.

Examples of falsification include but are not limited to:

  1. the submission or presentation of a falsified excuse for an absence from a course requirement, examination, test, or quiz;

  2. the presentation of false identification or credentials in order to gain admission to a course, examination, test, quiz, or degree program;

  3. the creation of a false or misleading citation;

  4. the manipulation or falsification of data for an academic assignment.

D. Unapproved Collaboration

Certain coursework and assignments, such as team projects, papers, and laboratory work, may involve collaboration. Unless expressly permitted or prescribed by the faculty member, students shall not engage in collaboration on graded assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to ask for clarification from a faculty member to what extent, if at all, collaboration with others is allowed.

E. Other Violations of Academic Integrity

Additional violations of academic integrity include but are not limited to:

  1. theft, destruction, or tampering with library materials, audio and videotapes, computer hardware or software;

  2. submission of a paper or project to more than one course during the time in which a student is attending Fordham University, without the explicit permission from all the instructors involved;

  3. submission of work previously done in high school or at another institution, whether modified or not, without permission of the instructor.