Academic Integrity

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What is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity is one of the four Penn State Principles. The statement in Policy 49-20 of the Faculty Senate reads:

 

"Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State University, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the University's Code of Conduct states that all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts."

- http://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/47-00-48-00-and-49-00-grades/#49-20

 

Acts which violate the University's Code of conduct are considered acts of academic dishonesty. These include (but are not limited to) plagiarism, cheating, and copyright violations. Some examples of different acts of academic dishonesty are listed in the Code of Conduct for Penn State Students.

 


Why is Academic Integrity Important?

As a student at Penn State, you will face many challenges and opportunities to demonstrate integrity in your work. Cheating, plagiarism, and copyright violations are all considered violations of Penn State's academic integrity policy. Academic dishonesty hurts everyone in the community. It not only damages your personal reputation, but also the reputation of the entire university.

Unfortunately, many students commit accidental violations of academic integrity simply because they don't know that what they are doing is wrong. Others say they "had" to cheat because they didn't have enough time to complete all of the work, or because "everyone else" is cheating and they won't get a good grade unless they cheat too.

The information in this tutorial will help you better understand what constitutes academic dishonesty and how to avoid committing acts of academic dishonesty.

 


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