Students at Saint Mary’s University are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. Academic dishonesty, in any form, will not be tolerated and will subject the student to disciplinary sanctions up to and including dismissal. Academic dishonesty comes in a variety of forms. The most common forms are plagiarism, fabrication, abuse of internet sources, cheating, and academic misconduct.
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own. When a student submits work for credit that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, as well as quotation marks if verbatim statements are included. By placing his/her name on work submitted for credit, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgments. Examples of plagiarism include: copying someone else’s previously prepared material such as lab reports, class papers, etc.; copying a paragraph or even sentences from other works, self-plagiarism (turning in for new credit your own work from a previous class without authorization).
Fabrication is the intentional use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive. Examples include: the citation of information not taken from the source indicated; submission in a lab report of falsified, invented or fictitious data; submitting as the student’s own work prepared by another, including purchasing or downloading from the Internet.
Abuse of Internet sources is the acquisition or presentation of information obtained by purchase or downloaded for free from the Internet without explicit written acknowledgment of the source. Examples include: submission of a paper prepared by other persons or agencies, including commercial organizations; the combination of passages from various sources presented as one’s own thoughts or analysis.
Cheating is an act or attempted act of deception by which a student seeks to misrepresent that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered. Examples include: copying from another student’s test; allowing another student to copy from a test paper; taking a test for someone else; collaborating during a test or assignment with another student by giving or receiving information without the instructor’s permission; or using notes when disallowed.
Academic misconduct is the intentional violation of university policies by tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of an administered test. Examples include: accessing academic files without appropriate permission, duplicating computer software that has been copyrighted, and forging another person’s signature.
Consequences of Academic Dishonesty
An instructor who has reason to believe a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty should investigate. As part of the investigation, the instructor should meet with the student to provide a fair opportunity for response to the allegation. The instructor should make a preliminary finding and suggest an appropriate sanction. Sanctions may include the assessment of a failing grade for the assignment or the course; in egregious circumstances, dismissal from the university may be recommended. If an instructor determines that there has been an instance of academic dishonesty, he/she must refer the matter to the vice president for academic affairs who will keep a file of all confirmed accusations of academic dishonesty.
Upon referral, the vice president for academic affairs will also investigate the charge of academic dishonesty. The student will be provided the opportunity to respond to the allegation. The vice president for academic affairs will then render judgment and impose sanctions. The student may appeal the judgment or sanction to the student judicial council. The basis for the appeal and the procedures that will be followed are as specified for disciplinary matters. No student accused or in violation of the university’s policy regarding academic dishonesty may withdraw from a course without the consent of the associate vice president for academic affairs until the allegation of dishonesty has been resolved. In cases where academic dishonesty has been established, the student may not withdraw from the course.
Copyright Law
It is a violation of federal law to reproduce copyrighted materials without appropriate permission. Copyrighted materials include, but are not limited to, theses, dissertations, and other student work. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota considers a violation of copyright law academic misconduct. The university requires permission to copy all print material duplicated for classroom use and will purchase all proprietary computer software or site licenses. The use of copied software on any university equipment is prohibited. |