Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty at Bridgewater State University is an attempt to misrepresent one’s efforts on any academic assignment or exercise submitted for evaluation. These attempts and examples may be defined as, but are not limited to:
• Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly presenting the work of another as one’s own (i.e., without proper acknowledgment of the source). The sole exception to the requirement of acknowledging sources is when the ideas, information, etc., are common knowledge.
Faculty are responsible for providing clear guidelines and/or resources in their syllabus about plagiarism (what it is and how to avoid it) and how to correctly cite resources according to their discipline’s standards. Students are responsible for properly citing the resources used in their assignments.
Typical Examples: Submitting as one’s own work that of a “ghost writer” or commercial writing service; directly quoting from a source either in hard copy or from the Internet without citation in the text and in the reference list; paraphrasing or summarizing another’s work without citations; using facts, figures, graphs, charts, illustrations, computer code (i.e., source codes, HTML), or mathematical or scientific solutions without correctly citing the source; stealing, destroying, or altering any student academic work used to complete, in part or in whole, assignments in university courses, programs, or sponsored activities; or using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score or other artistic product without attributing the work to its creator.
• Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use prohibited materials or information in any academic exercise. This definition includes prohibited communication of information during or after an academic exercise.
Typical Examples: Copying from another student’s paper or receiving assistance without the instructor’s permission during a quiz, test or examination; using books, notes, the Internet or other devices (e.g., calculators, human or online translators) without the instructor’s permission; procuring tests or examinations before the scheduled exercise without the instructor’s permission; copying reports, laboratory work, computer programs or files and the like from other students; collaborating on laboratory or computer work without the instructor’s permission and without indication of the nature and extent of the collaboration; using the handheld device of another student to submit electronic answers to a quiz or test; sending or soliciting a substitute to take an examination or to do work that one represents or plans to represent as one’s own; offering bribes for grades, transcripts, or diplomas.
• Fabrication and falsification: Intentional and unauthorized alteration or invention of any information or citation in an academic matter. Falsification is a matter of altering information, while fabrication is a matter of inventing or counterfeiting information for use in any academic exercise.
Typical Examples – Fabrication: inventing or counterfeiting data, research results, information or procedures; inventing data or fabricating research procedures to make it appear that the results of one process are actually the results of several processes; counterfeiting a record of internship or practicum experiences.
Typical Examples – Falsification: altering the record of data or experimental procedures or results; altering the record of or reporting false information about practicum or clinical experiences; altering grade reports or other academic records; submitting a false excuse for absence or tardiness in a
scheduled academic exercise; altering a returned examination paper and seeking regrading.
• Abuse of academic materials: Intentionally or knowingly destroying, stealing, or making inaccessible library or other academic resource material.
Typical Examples: Stealing or destroying library or reference materials needed for common academic assignments; hiding resource materials so others may not use them; destroying computer programs or files needed in academic work; stealing or intentionally destroying another student’s notes or laboratory experiments; receiving assistance in locating or using sources of information in an assignment where such assistance has been forbidden by the instructor. (NOTE: Any alleged abuse of academic materials will be handled by this policy only when the abuse has an impact on students’ academic efforts in a course or experience for which academic credit is awarded.)
• Multiple submissions: The submission of the same work (including oral reports) in more than one course without prior permission of both instructors.
• Complicity in academic dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to misrepresent their efforts on any academic assignment or exercise submitted for evaluation.
Typical Examples: Knowingly allowing another student to submit one’s academic work as their own work; knowingly allowing another to copy from one’s paper during an examination or test; knowingly distributing test questions or substantive information about the material to be tested before the scheduled exercise; collaborating on academic work knowing that the collaboration will not be reported; taking an examination or test for another student, or signing a false name on an academic exercise.
Sanctions given by faculty may include:
• A verbal or written warning
• The assignment of additional course or remedial work
• A grade of “F” or zero for the assignment being evaluated
• A grade of “F”, “No Pass (N)”, or “Unsatisfactory (U)” (as appropriate) in the course
Sanctions administered by the university may include:
• Dismissal from degree program, where applicable, with the opportunity to apply to return
• Dismissal from the university, with the opportunity to apply to return
• Permanent dismissal from the university
For more information on what happens when acts of plagiarism are conducted, please check this link: