Academic Integrity

Cheating is the copying or the use of unauthorized aids or the intentional falsification or invention of information in any academic exercise or the presentation of a single work in more than one course without the permission of the instructors involved.

Plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas or words of another as one’s own. While it may be argued that few ideas are original, instructors expect students to acknowledge the sources of ideas and expressions that they use in essays. To represent them as self-created is dishonest and academically reprehensible.

One may quote or paraphrase other writers if they have stated an idea strikingly, as evidence to support one’s arguments or conclusions, or as a point against which to argue, but such borrowing should be used sparingly and always indicated in a footnote. The aim of scholarship is to develop one’s own ideas and research and only by trying to develop one’s own thoughts and arguments will one mature academically.

To provide adequate documentation is not only an indication of academic honesty, but also a courtesy enabling the instructor to consult sources with ease. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism. Furthermore, a student who knowingly helps another to commit an act of academic dishonesty is equally guilty. A student who is uncertain whether or not a course of action might constitute plagiarism or cheating should seek in advance the advice of the instructor involved.

Penalties are levied in relation to the degree of infraction of academic dishonesty. They range from requiring the student to redo the piece of work, through failure on that piece of work, to failure in the course, and to dismissal from the university.

Acadia University Calendar, p. 20-21