Academic Integrity

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Academic Integrity and Scholastic Dishonesty

The University of Texas at Arlington strives to uphold and support standards of personal honesty and integrity for all students consistent with the goals of a community of scholars and students seeking knowledge and responsibility. The Office of Community Standards promotes academic integrity and enforces these standards in accordance with the policies outlined in the HOP. Alleged academic integrity violations may be reported to the Office of Community Standards by using the online referral form below.

Student Conduct and Discipline Policy Academic Integrity Referral Form

UTA Honor Code - Take the Pledge

Scholastic Dishonesty, including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion on an examination or an assignment being offered for credit. Each student is accountable for work submitted for credit, including group projects;

  • Cheating on an examination or an assignment includes:
    • copying the work of another, allowing someone to copy, engaging in written, oral or any other means of communication with another, or giving aid to or seeking aid from another when not permitted by the instructor.
    • using material during an examination or when completing an assignment that is not authorized by the person giving the examination or making the work assignment, including, but not limited to, electronic or digital devices such as calculators, cell phones, camera phones, scanner pens, personal digital assistants, or flash drives, etc.;
    • taking or attempting to take an examination for another, or allowing another to take or attempt to take an examination for a student;
    • using, obtaining, or attempting to obtain by any means, the whole or any part of an examination or work assignment that is not provided for your use by your instructor;
    • resubmission of work which has previously been submitted for course credit at any educational institution, unless prior approval is received from both faculty;
    • any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such an act;
  • plagiarism means the unacknowledged incorporation of the work of another in work that is offered for credit;
  • collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work that is offered for credit;

 

  • Copying from or using another student’s assignment when completing your own assignment for credit when not expressly permitted by your instructor.
  • Sharing an assignment with another student (thereby allowing them to copy it) when not permitted to do so by the instructor. This includes uploading past assignments to websites or sharing through electronic means such as email or GroupMe.
  • Working with another individual on an assignment or exam when not expressly permitted to do so by the instructor. 
  • Discussing exam questions, answers, or content with students who have not taken the exam yet or attempting to obtain exam questions, answers, or content before completing an exam. This includes obtaining publisher’s test banks which are specifically for faculty use.
  • Possessing or using unauthorized materials when taking an exam.
  • Copying words directly or using ideas from another source without giving credit to that source by properly citing the material.
  • Resubmitting the whole or part an assignment that you previously submitted for credit without your instructor’s permission to do so.

    • Transitioning to online courses in response to COVID-19 may be challenging, especially if you are used to taking your classes in person. We have developed the following guide  to help you navigate this transition and learn more about Academic Integrity in online environments.

    My professor referred me for an alleged academic integrity violation.

    What happens next?

    If a student is disputing the allegations, the Office of Community Standards will email a summons letter to the student which outlines the allegations and schedules a meeting to discuss the allegations. Students are assigned a grade of Incomplete until their case is resolved.

    What happens if I meet with my professor and want to accept responsibility for the violation?

    Students who wish to accept responsibility for the violation after speaking with their professor should sign the faculty referral form. In general, if a student does not have a prior academic integrity violation, an outcome letter will be emailed to the student which will include any university sanctions that are appropriate for the specified violation. An additional meeting with Community Standards will not be scheduled.

    Links to Academic Resources