Academic honesty

Students at the University of Washington are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic conduct. Most UW students conduct themselves with integrity and are disturbed when they observe others cheating. The information on these pages should help you avoid unintentional misconduct and clarify the consequences of cheating.

Cheating harms the University community in many ways. Honest students are frustrated by the unfairness of cheating that goes undetected and therefore unpunished. Students who cheat skew the grading curve in a class, resulting in lower grades for students who worked hard and did their own work.

Cheaters also cheat themselves of a real education. They rob themselves not only of general knowledge, but also of the experience of learning how to learn, the very experience that makes a bachelor's and master’s degree so valuable to employers. The reputation of the University and the worth of a UW degree suffer if employers find graduates lack the abilities their degrees should guarantee.

Finally, most professions have codes of ethics or standards to which you are expected to adhere. At the University, you practice the integrity you must demonstrate throughout your professional career. For all of these reasons, academic misconduct is considered a serious offense at the UW.

What is academic misconduct?

You are guilty of cheating whenever you present as your own work something that you did not do. You are also guilty of cheating if you help someone else to cheat.

Plagiarism

One of the most common forms of cheating is plagiarism; using another's words or ideas without proper citation. When students plagiarize, they usually do so in one of the following six ways:

1. Using another writer's words without proper citation. If you use another writer's words, you must place quotation marks around the quoted material and cite the page number and source of the quotation (see APA Manual for details).
2. Using another writer's ideas without proper citation. When you use another author's ideas, you must cite where this information can be found. Your instructors want to know which ideas and judgments are yours and which you arrived at by consulting other sources. Even if you arrived at the same judgment on your own, you need to acknowledge that the writer you consulted also came up with the idea.
3. Citing your source but reproducing the exact words of a printed source without quotation marks and page numbers. This makes it appear that you have paraphrased rather than borrowed the author's exact words.
4. Borrowing the structure of another author's phrases or sentences without crediting the author from whom it came. This kind of plagiarism usually occurs out of laziness: it is easier to replicate another writer's style than to think about what you have read and then put it in your own words. The following example is from A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker (New York, 1989, p. 171).
   • Original: If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
   • Unacceptable borrowing of words: An ape that knew sign language unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists.
   • Unacceptable borrowing of sentence structure: If the presence of a sign language- using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior.
   • Acceptable paraphrase: When they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language, both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise.
5. Borrowing all or part of another student's paper or using someone else's outline to write your own paper.
6. Using a paper writing "service" on the web or elsewhere, or having someone write the paper for you. Regardless of whether you pay a stranger or have someone else do it, it is a breach of academic honesty to turn in work that is not your own or to use parts of another student's paper.

You may think that citing another author's work will lower your grade. In some unusual cases this may be true, if your instructor has indicated that you must write your paper without reading additional material. But in fact, as you progress in your studies, you will be expected to show that you are familiar with important work in your field and can use this work to further your own thinking. Your professors write this kind of paper all the time. The key to avoiding plagiarism is that you show clearly where your own thinking ends and someone else's begins.

Exams

Another common form of cheating involves exams. Copying from someone else's paper, using notes (unless expressly allowed by the instructor), getting an advance copy of the examination, or hiring a surrogate test-taker are all violations of University policy.

Collaboration

Educators recognize the value of collaborative learning; students are often encouraged to form study groups and assigned group projects. Group study often results in accelerated learning, but only when each student takes responsibility for mastering all the material.

Group projects require careful division of responsibility and careful coordination to control the quality of the final product. Collective work quickly degenerates when some students see it as a way to get through an assignment with the least amount of effort. Group work calls for a different kind of effort, not less of it. Students should recognize that the finished product (presentation or paper) is not the only learning outcome of group work. When group projects are assigned, the instructor is usually interested in your mastery of group process as well as the subject. Ask the instructor to clarify individual responsibilities and suggest a method of proceeding.

In summary, when a professor says, "Go ahead and work together," don't assume that anything goes. Professors often do not state the limits of collaboration explicitly. It is your responsibility to avoid crossing the line that turns collaboration into cheating. If you are not sure, ask.

What happens in a case of suspected misconduct?

Instructors are advised to discuss suspected academic misconduct with the student and the Program Director and should submit a Student Conduct Incident Report to the Chancellor’s (Dean’s) Office. Instructors who believe they have discovered academic misconduct and have not resolved the issue before grades are due will submit a grade of X (the equivalent of an unreported grade) for the course until the academic misconduct charge is resolved. An informal disciplinary hearing with the student may be conducted to review the allegation of academic misconduct, determine the specific section(s) of the Student Conduct Code allegedly violated, and identify possible sanctions (WAC 478-120-065 Informal Disciplinary Hearings). The informal disciplinary hearing provides an opportunity for the student to respond to allegations of misconduct before any disciplinary action is taken, and the student waives any rights to an informal hearing by his or her failure to attend. The initiating officer writes a report based on the findings.

Complete procedures are available in the Student Conduct Code. For questions, please contact Cedric Howard in the UW Tacoma Office of Student Services at choward4@uw.edu.

Disciplinary sanctions

If the allegation of academic misconduct is found to be true, the student will receive one of the following disciplinary sanctions for violations of the Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-120-040):

(1) Disciplinary Warnings and Reprimands—Action may be taken to warn or to reprimand a student for violation of University rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders. Warnings and reprimands must always be made in writing and shall include a statement that continuation or repetition of the specific conduct or other misconduct will normally result in one or more of the more serious disciplinary sanctions: restitution, disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal.

(2) Restitution—An individual student may be required to make restitution for damage or other loss of property and for injury to persons. Failure to pay, or to make in writing University-approved arrangements to pay, will result in cancellation of the student's registration and will prevent the student from registering with the University.

(3) Disciplinary Probation—A student may be placed on disciplinary probation (meaning formal conditions are imposed on a student's continued attendance) for violation of University rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders. The time period and conditions, if any, for the disciplinary probation shall be specified. Disciplinary probation serves as a warning to a student that further misconduct will raise the question of suspension or dismissal from the University.

(4) Suspension—A student may be suspended from the University for violation of University rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders. The time period and conditions, if any, for the suspension shall be specified. Suspension serves as a warning to a student that further misconduct will raise the question of dismissal from the University.

(5) Dismissal—A student's enrollment in the University may be terminated for violation of University rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders.

(6) Forfeiture—In addition to other sanctions, a student who participates in hazing of another shall forfeit any entitlement to state funded grants, scholarships, or awards for a specified period of time.

(7) A suspension or dismissal is considered a serious sanction and will be imposed only after the completion of the formal due process review provided for in this code.

All actions are reported to the Vice President for Student Affairs in Seattle, 476 Schmitz Hall, 206-543-4972. A student may, by written request to the V.P. for Student Affairs (usually at time of graduation), request that the disciplinary record be expunged.

Although the prospect of dismissal may seem the most serious consequence of dishonesty, there are others. If you apply to professional schools, you may be required to provide a statement from a UW official attesting to your good conduct. Furthermore, the process of being brought up on charges of dishonesty, of having one's character and integrity questioned, is invariably a deeply embarrassing and troubling experience for a student, and a very painful memory.

Suggestions

The temptation to cheat can be eliminated by using time and stress management skills and sound study habits, by making use of the academic support resources at the University, and by engaging in educational planning with the help of academic counselors and advisers. Certain common patterns in student behavior increase the temptation to cheat: falling behind in coursework or leaving large projects until the last minute; working too many hours to keep up with courses; taking too many difficult courses at once; and encountering emotional or health problems that distract from studies and interfere with concentration.

Get in the habit of planning your education. Academic counselors and advisers can help you determine your educational goals, plan your classes, keep your quarterly load manageable, and find a reasonable balance between work and school. Federal law guarantees advising sessions are confidential and the privacy of your student record.

Finally, take advantage of campus resources. The UW Tacoma Teaching and Learning Center can assist you in maintaining academic honesty.

In conclusion...

You will be expected to live up to the University's standards of academic honesty no matter what temptations you face. The good news is that this standard is not hard to maintain. It only requires that you clarify assignments and procedures with your instructors, that you study diligently, and that you seek help when you need it.