As a student, you will have many assignments, papers, laboratory reports and/or presentations to prepare over the course of your studies. You may also become involved in peer or public education or become a teaching assistant (TA) for undergraduate courses. As such, academic integrity may apply to you not only as a student, but potentially in these other roles as well.
During your time at ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ, you may encounter the following scenarios that raise questions about academic integrity. For each, we indicate if it involves a violation of the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures and how to avoid violating the Code.
Scenario: Cell phone use
During an exam, a student asks to use the washroom. They are given permission to do so and are accompanied to the washroom. It is discovered that they brought their cell phone to the washroom and then searched for information on the internet before returning to complete the exam. Has the student violated the Code of Student Conduct?
Resolution
Yes.
Why is this an issue?
Article 26 (a) of the Code prohibits students, in the context of an assessment, from obtaining or attempting to obtain information from sources that are not permitted, including electronic devices. Article 26 (g) of the Code prohibits students from taking personal belongings, including cell phones, with them while temporarily leaving the exam room, for example when going to the washroom. Both violations are considered cheating. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
Students should read exam instructions carefully to understand what materials are and are not allowed. Students should not consult unauthorized materials during an exam. They should leave their personal belongings under their desks when they go to the washroom during an exam.
Scenario: Reusing your own paper
A student is taking a course this semester that is related to a previous course he took. His final essay for the previous course was on a topic that is central to the present one, and he is satisfied with the evaluation he received. Due to the overlap, he decides to hand in the essay from the previous course as one of his assessments for the current course. Is this permitted?
Resolution
No.
Why is this an issue?
Article 26 (d) of the Code of Student Conduct states that students cannot submit in one course or program all or part of an assessment they have already submitted for credit in another course or program. The only exception to this is if the student has the instructor, TA, or supervisor’s approval. Without approval, the student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
The student should contact the instructor, TA, or supervisor if they want to submit all or part of an assessment in a current course that they already submitted in a previous course. They need approval to resubmit assessments or parts of assessments. If the topics of two or more courses overlap and the student has questions about how to ensure they are not violating the Code, they should speak with their instructor or supervisor.
Scenario: Avoiding misrepresentation
A student was not able to complete an assessment on time and does not attend class the day the assessment is due. The next class, she explains that a family member passed away and asks if she can submit the assessment with no late penalty. The instructor asks the student to provide documentation to support her request. The student submits the funeral program and a death certificate. It is discovered that she used generative artificial intelligence (genAI) (e.g., Copilot, Gemini, Chat GPT) to create both documents. Has the student violated ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ policy?
Resolution
Yes.
Why is this an issue?
Unforeseen circumstances can be legitimate reasons for not submitting assessments on the due date. However, forging documents is a violation of Article 28 (a) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
If a student can not complete an assessment on time, they should consult the course outline to understand what the instructor’s approach is regarding late course work and requesting extensions. If no information is included, they should contact the instructor or TA without delay. Students should not submit false documents.
Scenario: Class presentation and attribution of diagrams, charts, and tables
A student created slides for a class presentation and included diagrams and charts from textbooks listed on the course outline. He thought he only needed to include citations in written assessments (e.g., essays or lab reports) for sources he identified in his own research. Since the class presentation was not an essay or lab report and since he was using information from textbooks on the course outline, he did not include a citation. Has he violated ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ policy?
Resolution
Yes.
Why is this an issue?
If a student does not include a citation indicating where the information in both written assessments and in-class presentations comes from, they are presenting others’ work as their own. This is plagiarism and it is a violation of Article 25 (a) in the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
All sources included in presentations and written assessments must be properly cited. This includes sources the instructor has assigned. If students have questions about when to include a citation or what citation style they should use, they should ask the instructor or TA. If the student has additional questions about the citation style the instructor or TA mentioned, they may contact the liaison librarian for the relevant academic discipline.
Scenario: Translation and quotation marks
A student reads an article that was published in French and wants to quote it in their English-language term paper. Though they are bilingual, they use an online translator to create a translation to include in the paper. They believe that personal and online translations are automatically considered paraphrasing; so while the student provides the reference to the original French-language article, they do not use quotation marks or text indentation to bring attention to the translated text in their paper. Is this an acceptable method for including translated text in a term paper?
Resolution
Maybe.
Why might this be an issue?
Different style guides (e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA) have different rules about translations and quotations. Some style guides will treat a translation as a quotation and require quotation marks or text indentation to ensure that the author is not representing someone else’s words or ideas as their own. Other guides do not.
The use of an online translator may also be an issue if the instructor has prohibited the use of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools in the course and the student uses this kind of tool nevertheless. Using genAI when the instructor does not allow it is a violation of Article 25 (b) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
Students should ask which style guide the instructor wants them to use. If the student has additional questions about the style guide, they may contact the liaison librarian for the relevant academic discipline.
Students should check the course outline and assessment instructions to see if there is a statement about using genAI. If the instructor does not allow students to use genAI tools, including ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ approved tools and translation tools, students should use alternative tools, such as a spell-check, grammar guide, or dictionary. If there is no statement about using genAI, if students are not sure about the policy or usage, or if they have questions about the instructor’s policy, they should speak to the instructor.
Scenario: Sharing work
A TA for a course notices similarities between two assessments that have been submitted. It turns out that one student loaned her finished work to her friend to give him an idea of how to proceed with the assessment. Without her knowledge, the friend copied some answers and handed in the assessment. She assumes that since she did not give permission to her friend to copy her work, she has not violated the Code of Student Conduct. Is she correct?
Resolution
No.
Why is this an issue?
Article 25 (c) of the Code of Student Conduct prohibits students from sharing their work with other students who could submit that work as their own. In this situation, the first student should have known that sharing her finished work with her friend created a situation where the friend could submit the work as his own.
As well, Article 25 (a) of the Code of Student conduct prohibits students from submitting other people’s work as their own.
This situation may lead to discipline for both students.
How can it be avoided?
First, students should be familiar with the Code of Student Conduct and know that sharing their work is not allowed. If students want to collaborate with other students (e.g., work in pairs, share comments on work, and brainstorm solutions to problems in groups), they should be sure that what they submit for evaluation is their own work. If students have questions about this, they should speak with their instructor or TA.
Second, students should only submit as their own work they have produced themselves.
Scenario: Requesting a re-read
A student brings his graded test to a TA to ask that the marking of certain questions be revised. The TA determines that the original answers have been altered and some have new material added to them. The student explains that the original answers didn’t accurately reflect his knowledge, so he has added clarifications that he feels better represent what he knew at the time he took the exam. Has he violated ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ policy?
Resolution
Yes.
Why is this an issue?
Revising graded work prior to submitting it for a reread is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Article 26 (b) of the Code prohibits students from altering assessment materials. Articles 28 (a) and 28 (b) concern misrepresentation of facts. Article 28 (a) prohibits students from misrepresenting facts to obtain academic advantage. Article 28 (b) prohibits students from defrauding or knowingly breaching the trust of a ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ unit. Submitting a test with altered answers for a reread is a violation of all three articles. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
Before requesting a reread, students should be familiar with the policies and procedures related to rereads. Modified graded work can never be resubmitted unless students are expected to submit multiple drafts or corrected work as part of an assessment. The course outline or assessment instructions should contain information about this. If students have questions about the resubmission policy in the course, they should speak to the course instructor or TA.
Scenario: Your homework, your responsibility
A student mentions to a TA that his wife wrote his lab reports, since she took the course the year before. Has this student violated the Code of Student Conduct?
Resolution
Yes.
Why is this an issue?
Students are expected to turn in their own work for assessment. Representing the work of others as one’s own is a violation of Article 25 (a) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
All students are expected to produce their own work for assessment. If a student doesn’t understand course material or an assessment, or if they are struggling with assessments, they should speak to the instructor or TA. If the student feels they need more time to complete an assessment, they should consult the course outline to understand what the instructor’s approach is regarding late course work and requesting extensions.
Scenario: Working together
In a particular course, group work is encouraged but all assessments must be written individually. Two students work together, and they write down their ideas as they work, contributing equally. As required, they write up their reports separately using these notes. In the end, there is substantial overlap in their reports. Have they violated the Code of Student Conduct?
Resolution
No.
Why isn’t this an issue?
While there will be overlap in the ideas presented in a report that is developed collaboratively, each student brings a different perspective to the group and has a different writing style. This should ensure that reports developed collaboratively but written separately will be unique.
Additional explanation.
Students should be familiar with the risks involved in group work and should be careful to safeguard their own work. Instructors should clearly explain their expectations for group work and instructions for each assessment should be clear. If several assessments are submitted that are very similar, instructors might think that students copied each others’ work. Copying each others’ work is a violation of Article 25 (a) and Article 25 (c) of the Code and it might lead to an investigation. Students should take care to avoid submitting assessments that are too similar to other group members’ submissions. If students have questions, they should speak with their instructor or TA.
Scenario: Posting course material on public websites
A TA notices that a student has posted class lecture recordings, lab assessments with answers, and other instructor-generated course materials on a public website. When questioned, the student explains that sites such as this were created for students to share information, and his intention was to help other students. Has he violated ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ policy?
Resolution
Yes.
Why is this an issue?
Instructor-generated course materials (e.g., handouts, notes, summaries, exam questions) are protected by law and may not be copied or distributed in any form or in any medium without explicit permission of the instructor. Doing so violates both the law and Article 27 of the Code of Student Conduct.
How can it be avoided?
Students must understand that instructor-generated course materials are protected by law. Instructors may include a statement on their course materials about this and may put the copyright symbol (©) on their materials. Students should also know that public note sites are intended for posting of student-generated materials and that posting instructor-generated content may be a violation of the site’s terms of use.
Scenario: "I didn't know the rules!"
A TA is grading lab reports and notes that much of the background material (methodology, instruments used, etc.) in one student’s report is taken directly from a website but that the student did not include a reference to the website in their reference list. When the TA speaks to the student about it, the student says they did know that background information had to be cited. The student assumes that this is not plagiarism since it was unintentional. Is the student correct in his assumption?
Resolution
No.
Why is this an issue?
When a student includes information in an assessment without a citation, the reader understands that the information comes from the student. Including information, even background information, from a different source without a citation is plagiarism. This is a violation of Article 25 (a) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
Students are responsible for understanding the citation guides used in the academic disciplines they study. If students have questions about what citation style they should use or when to include a citation, they should ask the instructor or TA. If the student has additional questions about the citation style the instructor or TA mentioned, they may contact the liaison librarian for the relevant academic discipline.
Scenario: Paraphrasing and citation
A student is writing her term paper, thoroughly citing all the sources she reads, but she is having a hard time summarizing and analyzing one of the articles. She asks a generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tool to provide her with a summary and an analysis. In her own paper, she paraphrases the text the genAI tool created but does not cite the original article. Did she violate ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ policy?
Resolution
Yes.
Why is this an issue?
The original author’s thoughts and ideas are not the student’s own, even though the student is not quoting the article directly. Failing to cite the original article is plagiarism and a violation of Article 25 (a) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
As well, instructors may not allow students to use genAI tools to complete assessments because they want students to learn important academic skills like summarizing and analyzing. If this is the case and the student has decided to use such a tool nevertheless, they are violating Article 26 (f) and/or Article 25 (b) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
First, students are responsible for understanding the citation guides used in the academic disciplines they study. If students have questions about what citation style they should use or when to include a citation, they should ask the instructor or TA. If the student has additional questions about the citation style the instructor or TA mentioned, they may contact the liaison librarian for the relevant academic discipline.
Second, students should check the course outline and assessment instructions to see if there is a statement about using genAI. If their instructor does not allow the use of genAI tools, including ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ approved tools, students should not use them. If there is no statement about using genAI, if students are not sure about the policy or usage, or if they have questions about the instructor’s policy, they should speak to them about it.
Scenario: Using generative artificial intelligence (genAI) to improve writing
A student drafts an essay and then asks a genAI tool to improve their syntax, vocabulary, and grammar before submitting it to the instructor. Has the student violated ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ policy?
Resolution
Maybe.
Why might this be an issue?
Instructors might not allow students to use genAI tools to complete assessments. If this is the case and the student has decided to use such a tool nevertheless, they are violating Article 26 (f) and/or Article 25 (b) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
If the instructor does allow the use of ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ-approved genAI tools, it is generally alright for students to use these tools for proofreading and editing text that they wrote themselves. In these instances, the tool is used to improve text, not produce it, and to maintain the student’s voice as an author. If the use of genAI is permitted, instructors may ask students to state if and how they used genAI in their assessments. If the tool is used to generate new text and the student reproduces this text word-for-word in their assessment, the student is violating Article 15 (a) of the Code of Student Conduct. The student’s actions may lead to discipline.
How can it be avoided?
Students should check the course outline and assessment task instructions to see if there is a statement about using genAI. If the instructor does not allow students to use genAI tools, including ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ-approved tools, students should not use them. If there is no statement about using genAI, if students are not sure about the policy or usage, or if they have questions about the instructor’s policy, they should speak to them about it.
Students might also consider using an editing tool that offers simple and targeted suggestions to improve the text while staying away from tools that generate new text or new ideas.
