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Definition of Dishonesty 

A standard definition of academic dishonesty has been provided by Kibler, Nuss, Paterson and Pavela (1988):

Academic dishonesty usually refers to forms of cheating and plagiarism which result in students giving or receiving unauthorized assistance in an academic exercise or receiving credit for work which is not their own.

They further define the following specific forms of academic dishonesty (Kibler text in bold italics):

Cheating-intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. The term academic exercise includes all forms of work submitted for credit or hours.

Cheating also includes: unauthorized multiple submissions, altering or interfering with grading, lying to improve a grade, altering graded work, unauthorized removal of tests from classroom or office, and forging signatures on academic documents.

Fabrication-intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic integrity.

Facilitating academic dishonesty-intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to violate a provision of the institutional code of academic integrity.

Plagiarism-the deliberate adoption or reproduction of ideas or words or statements of another person as one's own without acknowledgement.

At the heart of any university are its efforts to encourage critical reading skills, effective communication and, above all, intellectual honesty among its students. Thus, all academic work submitted by a student as his or her own should be in his or her own unique words or form. When a student submits work that purports to be his/her original work, but actually is not, the student has committed plagiarism.

Plagiarism is considered a gross violation of the University's academic and disciplinary standards. Plagiarism includes the following: copying of one person's work by another and claiming it as his or her own, false presentation of one's self as the author or creator of a work, falsely taking credit for another person's unique methods of treatment or expression, falsely representing one's self as the source of ideas or expression, or the presentation of someone else's language, ideas or works without giving that person due credit. It is not limited to written works. For example, one could plagiarize music composition, photographs, works of art, choreography, computer programs or any other unique creative effort.

Further information about the various forms of academic dishonesty can be obtained from the office of any Instructional Dean or the Student Development Office. Individual departments and faculty may also provide specific examples.

This page was developed by Alejandro Gomez, B.A. Psychology, 1997

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