Policy Number: D8.0

Policy Name: ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY

As a university, RIT is committed to the pursuit of knowledge and the free exchange of ideas. In such an intellectual climate it is fundamentally imperative that all members of this academic community behave in the highest ethical fashion possible in the manner by which they produce, share, and exchange this information. In the case of studentsⁱ, academic honesty demands that at all times student work be the work of that individual studentⁱⁱ, and that any information which a student uses in a work submitted for evaluation be properly documented. Any violation of these basic standards constitutes a breach of academic honesty and hence becomes academic dishonesty.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic dishonesty falls into three basic areas: cheating, duplicate submission and plagiarism.

1. Cheating: Cheating is any form of fraudulent or deceptive academic act, including falsifying of data, possessing, providing, or using unapproved materials, sources, or tools for a work submitted for faculty evaluation.


2. Duplicate Submission: Duplicate submission is the submitting of the same or similar work for credit in more than one course without prior approval of the instructors for those same courses.


3. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the representation of others’ ideas as one’s own without giving proper credit to the original author or authors. Plagiarism occurs when a student copies direct phrases from a text (e.g. books, journals, internet) and does not provide quotation marks, or paraphrases or summarizes those ideas without giving credit to the author or authors. In all cases, if such information is not properly and accurately documented with appropriate credit given, then the student is guilty of plagiarism.

Consequences of Academic Dishonesty

Any act of academic dishonesty will incur the following possible consequences. After notifying and presenting the student with evidence of such misconduct, the instructor has the full prerogative to assign an “F” for the offense, or to assign an “F” for the entire course. The instructor will inform and, if possible, meet with the student concerning the decision reached on the “F” for the offense, or the “F” for the entire course. A student may be brought before the Academic Conduct Committee of the college in which the alleged offense occurred, and may face academic suspension or dismissal from the university. (See D17.0, Academic Conduct and Appeals Procedures,” and D18.0, “RIT Student Conduct Process.”)

NOTES

ⁱ The policy for faculty ethical behavior is contained in C2.0 of the Institute Policies and Procedures Manual.

ⁱⁱOn occasion student work may be in the form of a group project assigned and sanctioned by an instructor or group of instructors.

Responsible Office: Academic Senate

Effective Date: Approved September 1977

Policy History:
Revised May 18, 2002
Edited August 2010