Academic Integrity

Learning Objectives

  • Evaluate the definition of academic dishonesty

What is Academic Integrity?

Key Takeaway: Academic honesty

At most educational institutions, “academic integrity”, or “academic honesty” means demonstrating and upholding the highest integrity and honesty in all the academic work that you do. In short, it means doing your own work, not cheating, and not presenting the work, language, or ideas of others as your own. This can look like:

  • completing exams and other academic assignments in an honest way
  • presenting truthful and accurate data and research information in academic assignments
  • avoiding plagiarism by properly incorporating and acknowledging sources

On the other hand, academic dishonesty takes many forms and violates the principles of academic integrity. Understanding what constitutes dishonest conduct can help you avoid unintentional mistakes and uphold ethical standards in your work. 

Examples: Academic Dishonesty

Examples of dishonest conduct include, but are not limited to:

  • Cheating, including giving and receiving information in examinations.
  • Falsification of data, results, or sources.
  • Collusion, such as working with another person when independent work is assigned.
  • Plagiarism.
  • Submitting the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission (self-plagiarism).

Try It

Types of Academic Dishonesty

A yellow road sign with two arrows pointed in opposite directions, next to one arrow is the word "right" and next to the other arrow is the word "wrong".

Figure 1. Having a strong sense of academic integrity is essential to your credibility as a writer and your future success as a student.

Cheating

Cheating is the most well-known academically dishonest behavior. Cheating includes more than just copying a neighbor’s answers on an exam, peeking at a cheat sheet, or storing answers on your phone. Giving or offering information in examinations is also dishonest. Turning in someone else’s work as your own is also considered cheating.

Falsifying Results and Misrepresentation

Falsifying results in studies or experiments is a serious breach of academic honesty. Students are sometimes tempted to make up results if their study or experiment does not produce the results they hoped for. But getting caught has major consequences.

Misrepresenting yourself or your research is, by definition, dishonest. Misrepresentation might include inflating credentials, claiming that a study proves something that it does not, or leaving out inconvenient and/or contradictory results.

Example: Misrepresentation

True Story: An undergraduate at the University of Kansas claimed to be a researcher and promoted his (unfortunately incorrect) research on how much a Big Mac would cost if the U.S. raised the minimum wage. His study was picked up by the Huffington Post, NY Times, and other major news outlets, who then had to publish retractions.

Collusion

Collusion, such as working with another person or persons when independent work is assigned, is considered academic dishonesty. While it is fine to work in a team if your professor specifically requires or allows it, be sure to communicate guidelines on permissible collaboration if you are unsure (including how to attribute the contributions of others).

PRO TIP: It’s important to talk with your professors about the kinds of collaboration that may or may not be acceptable in your class. Some faculty encourage group work on homework and problem sets. Others want every piece of work to be completed independently. Especially in writing classes, faculty often (but not always) encourage collaboration as part of the writing process. Often, peer review of rough drafts, for example, is an integral part of the writing process. However, there’s no single approach to collaboration in college. Don’t assume – ask!

Example: Collusion

True Story: In 2012, 125 Harvard students were investigated for working together on a take-home final exam. The only rule on the exam was not to work together. Almost half of those students were determined to have cheated, and forced to withdraw from school for a year.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when you present another person’s ideas, intentionally or unintentionally, as your own. In the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, Joseph Gibaldi likens plagiarism to “intellectual theft,” because it “gives the impression that you wrote or thought something that you in fact borrowed from someone, and to do so is a violation of professional ethics” (165). It is your responsibility as a student to avoid plagiarizing. As a scholar, you are expected to credit the sources of the ideas that you use in your work.

Self-plagiarism

Students are often shocked to learn that there is even such a thing as self-plagiarism. If I wrote a research paper, doesn’t it belong to me? How can it be plagiarism for me to use my own words and ideas? Keep in mind, however, that the professor who assigns you a research paper may or may not be okay with you re-using a paper that you wrote for another class. And does it really seem fair to be able to do so? Instead, think about approaching the professor, discussing your previous research, and asking whether it would be okay to continue with that research or whether it would be possible to take that research in a new direction.

What Leads to Academic Dishonesty?

When you’re starting off in school, you might be convinced that you would never plagiarize. While it’s helpful to value and identify with academic integrity, it doesn’t hurt to consider common scenarios that lead students to cheat so you can recognize and defuse them if you encounter them during your time in school.

Running Out of Time

Let’s say it’s the night before a big paper is due and you haven’t started it. An assignment that would have been manageable had you spaced it out over a few weeks now seems completely impossible. You truly feel that you have run out of time. You may feel tempted to try to use other people’s work to piece together a paper to submit on time.

PRO TIP: If you’ve left your paper until the last minute, you will be better off submitting subpar work or asking for an extension than you would be risking your academic career by plagiarizing your paper.

Peer Pressure

Another situation that might lead you to academic dishonesty is peer pressure. Maybe instead of you, it’s your best friend who left her paper until the last minute, and she asks you to write it for her because she’s too stressed and tired to do it herself. It can be very hard to say no.

PRO TIP: Writing an assignment for a peer will not help them learn the course materials in their classes and may even lead to more requests that you continue to do their assignments for them.

Pressure to Perform

Another roadblock to academic integrity can be the pressure to perform academically. Students can face an immense amount of pressure to achieve high grades, whether it’s to keep their academic-based scholarships, to ensure they pass a class they are close to failing, or to please their parents or other people who are invested in their academic performance.

PRO TIP: If you are feeling crunched by academic pressure to achieve high grades or simply pass your classes, but are having trouble making the grades you want, you should seek out academic support instead of using other people’s work as your own. Perhaps there’s a reason your grades have dipped. Seeking help and support for mental or physical health issues or issues outside of school that are affecting your performance is far preferable to plagiarizing to pass a single assignment.

Not Understanding the Definition of Plagiarism

Finally, students may plagiarize because they do not understand that what they are doing is plagiarism.

PRO TIP: Become familiar with your school’s definition of plagiarism, and the expectations for academic integrity that are set in your courses. Plagiarizing unknowingly and being confronted for it is very stressful, and it can be really hard for instructors to know whether or not you plagiarized on purpose.

Remember, submitting other people’s work as your own or doing other students’ assignments for them does not contribute to your overall goals at school of learning the course material and demonstrating your knowledge. No matter how dire a situation might seem, be it turning in an assignment on time, or achieving a high enough grade to pass a class, there are other ways of dealing with these situations that do not require plagiarism.

Avoiding Academic dishonesty

Here is some advice for avoiding academic dishonesty:

  • Start your assignments early and stay on track with due dates.
  • Ask for help from your professor.
  • Join a study group.
  • Take careful notes as you do your research and organize your sources.
  • Work with a Librarian or the Writing Center to integrate and cite your sources and avoid plagiarism.
  • Prioritize your integrity!