Honesty, Cheating, Plagiarism, and Forgery

Academic dishonesty is inconsistent with scholarship and the pursuit of knowledge and Christian character. Thus, Indiana Wesleyan University expects students to be honest in all academic work.

Coursework

Students are expected to exhibit honesty in the classroom, in homework and on quizzes and tests. Each instructor should define what constitutes honest work in a specific course. Any deviation from ordinary standards, such as the permitted use of notes for an examination or an “open book” test, should be stated clearly by the instructor.

Cheating is defined as the use or attempted use of unauthorized materials or receiving unauthorized assistance or communication during any academic exercise. Examples of cheating include:

1. Submitting work for academic evaluation that is not the student’s own.
2. Copying answers from another student during an examination.
3. Using prepared notes or materials during an examination.
4. Permitting another student to copy one's work.
5. Plagiarism.
6. Falsification.
7. Other misrepresentations of academic achievement submitted for evaluation or a grade.
8. The submission of papers or other work that one has submitted in a previous class or classes without appropriate citation and/or permission of the instructor.

Plagiarism is defined as "the false assumption of authorship; the wrongful act of taking the product of another person's mind and presenting it as one's own" (A. Lindey, 2006, Plagiarism and Originality). The Prentice Hall Reference Guide (2006) indicates, “To plagiarize is to include someone else’s writing, information, or idea in a paper and fail to acknowledge what you took by indicating whose work it is” (p. 292). In other words, it is not giving credit where credit is due. Plagiarism is both a moral and ethical offense and sometimes a legal one.

Examples of plagiarism include:

1. Copying another person's actual words without the use of quotation marks, source citation, or footnotes.
2. Presenting another person's ideas or theories in your own words without citing the source.
3. Failing to acknowledge contribution and collaboration from others.
4. Using information that is not common knowledge without citing the source.
5. Submitting downloaded papers or parts of papers, "cutting and pasting," or paraphrasing or copying information from Internet sources without proper acknowledgment of a source.

Sanctions

It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of policies regulating academic conduct including definitions of academic dishonesty, the possible sanctions, and the appeals process.

Any undergraduate student apprehended and charged with cheating, including plagiarism, during his or her college matriculation, shall receive the following discipline:

1. First incident of cheating: no credit (i.e., no points given) in paper, assignment, or exam.
2. Second incident of cheating: failure in the course involved.
3. Third incident of cheating: dismissal from the university.

In addition to the above, a graduate student is expected to understand clearly the nature of cheating and is subject to dismissal from the university for any egregious act of academic dishonesty or cheating, without the need to follow the steps listed above. Incidents of cheating and/or plagiarism will be investigated and judged by the appropriate academic leader.

Because the matter of cheating cumulatively leads to dismissal, faculty are required to report each case to the appropriate university administrators who in turn reports the case to the academic leader of the specific college/school. Unquestionable evidence must be in hand before any action will be taken to confront and accuse a student of cheating.

A student who is not satisfied with the disciplinary action may follow the grievance and appeal policies of the appropriate academic unit.

Falsification of Academic Records or University Documents: Falsification of academic records or documents includes but is not limited to altering any documents affecting academic records; forging signatures; or falsifying information of an official document such as a grade report, ID card, financial receipt, or any other official university letter or communication. This includes information downloaded (printed) from student information available via Web (online) services.

Unauthorized Access to Computerized Academic or Administrative Records or Systems: Unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems means viewing or altering the university's computer records without authorization; copying or modifying the university's computer programs or systems without authorization; releasing or dispensing information gained through unauthorized access; or interfering with the use or availability of computer systems information.

Students who are found to have falsified university documents or participated in unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems are subject to dismissal from the university for a single incident. The university may consider legal action for any individual found to have participated in these actions.