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ACADEMIC
INTEGRITY
ACADEMIC
INFRACTIONS OF
THE CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
Academic dishonesty is defined as an action taken that gives a
student an ill gained advantage in any academic pursuit that would not have been
available if left solely to the student's own abilities and performance.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, assisting in
cheating, plagiarism, theft or possession of examinations or other unauthorized
class materials, submitting the same assignment in more than one course without
the instructors' consent, knowingly furnishing false academic information (such
as falsified transcripts) to the University, altering or attempting to alter a
grade or information on any University record, misrepresenting oneself to submit
work for another student, or enlisting someone else to submit work falsely for
oneself.
Plagiarism is defined as the failure to properly document all materials from
sources, published or otherwise, that are included in an essay, research paper,
examination, or other assignment. This includes items such as definitions of
particular terms taken from a research source. Incidents of plagiarism include
quoting or paraphrasing without properly crediting the author, using the syntax
of a source document in a paraphrase without significant modifications, or
incorporating the ideas of another without attribution by standard
documentation. The actual words of a published or online source must be cited
properly and enclosed in quotation marks according to the documentation style of
the appropriate academic discipline. Failure to do so is plagiarism. Paraphrased
material must also be documented accurately and appropriately and must represent
the student's own words and own unique sentence structure. Failure to do so,
again, is plagiarism. Finally, material which is carelessly or incompletely
paraphrased is also regarded as an incident of plagiarism. It is the
responsibility of the student to learn these academic conventions and abide by
them. Further information about using sources and citations may be found via the
Julia Tutwiler Library Home Page (http://library.uwa.edu/).
This same page provides information on avoiding plagiarism in any of the style
manuals given in the links.
The
University of West Alabama reserves the right to use electronic means to detect
and help prevent plagiarism. By enrolling at UWA, students agree to have course
documents submitted to www.Turnitin.com or
other means of electronic verification. All materials submitted to Turnitin.com
will become source documents in Turnitin.com's restricted access database,
solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism in such documents. Students may
be required by instructors to individually submit course documents
electronically to Turnitin.com.
General Academic Dishonesty
In instances where a faculty or staff member believes a student has committed or
assisted in an act of general academic dishonesty, such as theft of an exam,
attempting to alter a grade, falsifying transcripts, or assisting in an act of
academic dishonesty, the student is consulted to determine if the matter can be
resolved. Following consultation with the student, if the faculty member
believes an act of academic dishonesty has been committed and that punitive
action is warranted, the matter is referred to the Academic Integrity Committee
in writing in the form of an Academic Dishonesty Incident Report, which is
available in the Handbook for Faculty and Professional Staff. The faculty
member may also include a recommendation for possible disciplinary action
consistent with those listed in accordance with the University Student Code of
Conduct.
Specific Academic Dishonesty
In a case of determination of academic dishonesty related to a specific class
assignment, such as an act of plagiarism or cheating on an exam, the faculty
member must notify the student and explain the nature of the charge and the
nature of the punishment to be imposed. The faculty member is authorized to
choose from the following options for such an offense:
1.
Having the student rewrite the assignment, with or without a grade penalty;
2. Giving the student an "F" or a zero for the assignment or a portion of the
assignment.
Should the professor feel the incident needs further action,
he or she may refer the student to the Academic Integrity Committee by filing an
Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form detailing the infraction with the chair
of the committee. A copy is also filed with the Office of the Provost.
A student accused of academic dishonesty is afforded due process considerations
and has the right to a hearing before the Academic Integrity Committee and the
right to legal representation during that hearing. A student may request a
hearing by writing to the Dean of his or her College, who will in turn refer the
matter to the Academic Integrity Committee.
A student may waive the right to
due process and instead allow the punitive action to be determined by the
committee. In this case, the student
will sign a form waiving due process.
In adjudicating the case, if the Academic Integrity Committee
finds the student guilty, it may impose the following action(s):
1.
No further action
2.
Written reprimand
3.
Disciplinary Suspension
for one or more semesters
4.
Expulsion
5.
Other penalties as appropriate.
A decision rendered in a hearing by the Academic Integrity
Committee will be conveyed in writing to the student and to the accusing
professor as well as to the Provost. The student may appeal the decision in
writing to the Provost no later than three working days after final action in
the matter. Right to counsel or representation will also be available in the
appeals process.
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