The first injunction of the Honor Code is the call to "be honest." Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. "President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education" (The Aims of a BYU Education, p. 6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim.
BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct:
Plagiarism
Intentional plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft that violates widely recognized principles of academic integrity as well as the Honor Code. Such plagiarism may subject the student to appropriate disciplinary action administered through the university Honor Code Office, in addition to academic sanctions that may be applied by an instructor. Inadvertent plagiarism, whereas not in violation of the Honor Code, is nevertheless a form of intellectual carelessness that is unacceptable in the academic community. Plagiarism of any kind is completely contrary to the established practices of higher education, where all members of the university are expected to acknowledge the original intellectual work of others that is included in one's own work. In some cases, plagiarism may also involve violations of copyright law.
Intentional Plagiarism—Intentional plagiarism is the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one's own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote.
Inadvertent Plagiarism—Inadvertent plagiarism involves the inappropriate, but nondeliberate, use of another's words, ideas, or data without proper attribution. Inadvertent plagiarism usually results from an ignorant failure to follow established rules for documenting sources or from simply being insufficiently careful in research and writing. Although not a violation of the Honor Code, inadvertent plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct for which an instructor can impose appropriate academic sanctions. Students who are in doubt as to whether they are providing proper attribution have the responsibility to consult with their instructor and obtain guidance.
Examples of plagiarism include:
- Direct Plagiarism—The verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source.
- Paraphrased Plagiarism—The paraphrasing, without acknowledgment, of ideas from another that the reader might mistake for your own.
- Plagiarism Mosaic—The borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and blending this original material with one's own without acknowledging the source.
- Insufficient Acknowledgment—The partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source.
Plagiarism may occur with respect to unpublished as well as published material. Acts of copying another student's work and submitting it as one's own individual work without proper attribution is a serious form of plagiarism.
Fabrication or Falsification
Fabrication or falsification is a form of dishonesty where a student invents or distorts the origin or content of information used as authority. Examples include:
- Citing a source that does not exist.
- Attributing to a source ideas and information that are not included in the source.
- Citing a source for a proposition that it does not support.
- Citing a source in a bibliography when the source was neither consulted nor cited in the body of the paper.
- Intentionally distorting the meaning or applicability of data.
- Inventing data or statistical results to support conclusions.
Cheating
Cheating is a form of dishonesty where a student attempts to give the appearance of a level of knowledge or skill that the student has not obtained. Examples include:
- Copying from another person's work during an examination or while completing an assignment.
- Allowing someone to copy from you during an examination or while completing an assignment.
- Using unauthorized materials during an examination or while completing an assignment.
- Collaborating on an examination or assignment without authorization.
- Taking an examination or completing an assignment for another or permitting another to take an examination or to complete an assignment in place of the student.
Other Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct includes other academically dishonest, deceitful, or inappropriate acts that are intentionally committed. Examples of such acts include but are not limited to:
- Inappropriately providing or receiving information or academic work so as to gain unfair advantage over others.
- Planning with another to commit any act of academic dishonesty.
- Attempting to gain an unfair academic advantage for oneself or another by bribery or by any act of offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting anything of value to another for such purpose.
- Changing or altering grades or other official educational records.
- Obtaining or providing to another an unadministered test or answers to an unadministered test.
- Breaking and entering into a building or office for the purpose of obtaining an unauthorized test.
- Continuing work on an examination or assignment after the allocated time has elapsed.
- Submitting the same work for more than one class without disclosure and approval.
Faculty are responsible to establish and communicate to students their expectations of behavior with respect to academic honesty and the student's conduct in the course. Responsible instructors will investigate alleged academic dishonesty, determine the facts, and take appropriate action. In a case where academic dishonesty is determined to have occurred, the instructor must notify the Honor Code Office of the incident as a means of encouraging behavior change and discouraging repeat violations. In addition, the instructor shall consult with the department chair concerning disciplinary actions to be taken. If the incident of academic dishonesty involves the violation of a public law, such as breaking and entering into an office or stealing an examination, the act should also be reported to appropriate law enforcement officials. If an affected student disagrees with the determination or action and is unable to resolve the matter to the mutual satisfaction of the student and the instructor, the student may have the matter reviewed through the university's Student Academic Grievance Procedure.
Applicable Actions
A wide range of possible actions exists for cases of academic dishonesty. Instructors should take actions that are fair and equitable under the circumstances and should attempt to reach an understanding with the affected student on the imposition of an appropriate action. In some cases, the department, the college, or the university may also take actions independent of the instructor. Examples of possible actions include but are not limited to the following:
For instructors (in consultation with the department chair):
- Reprimanding the student orally or in writing.
- Requiring work affected by the academic dishonesty to be redone.
- Administering a lower or failing grade on the affected assignment or test.
- Administering a lower or failing grade for the course (even if the student withdraws from the course).
- Removing the student from the course.
For departments and colleges:
- After consulting with the Honor Code office, dismissing the student from the program, department, or college.
- Recommending probation, suspension, or dismissal from the university.
For the university:
- The university may elect to discipline a student for academic dishonesty in addition to, or independently from, discipline imposed by a faculty member, a department, or a college. University discipline may be administered through the Honor Code Office or through the Dean of Student's Office. The Honor Code Office will maintain a record of all violations of this Academic Honesty Policy reported to it by the faculty. The university may elect to place an affected student on probation, or to suspend or dismiss the student, and to place a temporary or permanent notation on the student's permanent academic transcript indicating that he or she was suspended or dismissed due to academic misconduct.
- The university may report an incident of academic misconduct to appropriate law enforcement officials and may prosecute an affected student if the act in question involves the commission of a crime (e.g., breaking into an office or building, stealing an examination, etc.).
Honor Code Office Involvement
The Honor Code Office will maintain a record of all violations of the Academic Honesty Policy reported to it by the faculty. If the occurrence is sufficiently egregious or if a pattern of dishonesty or misconduct is discovered, the Honor Code Office may take additional action on behalf of the university based upon the nature of the infraction(s). The Honor Code Office, in consultation with the involved academic personnel, including the associate academic vice president in charge of undergraduate studies as needed, may determine to place a student on probation or to recommend that a student be suspended or dismissed for academic dishonesty and other forms of academic misconduct.
Shared Responsibility Policy Statement
Students are responsible not only to adhere to the Honor Code requirement to be honest but also to assist other students in fulfilling their commitment to be honest.
Faculty Academic Integrity
The substantive standards of academic honesty stated in this policy apply a fortiori to faculty. Indeed, all members of the BYU community are expected to act according to the highest principles of academic integrity.
