Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity Matters at Tarleton State University

Tarleton State University is committed to upholding academic integrity across the campus. Academic integrity is a foundation for a successful higher education and character development. The links on this page offer excellent examples of how to achieve honesty in your work while also serving as a guideline for true academic integrity.

Academic Conduct Policy from Student Rules

Tarleton expects its students and faculty to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct to preserve the honor and integrity of the creative community. Students’ responsibilities include, but are not limited to, maintaining integrity in their own academic work; reporting incidents of academic dishonesty to the faculty member involved; learning about the general principles of academic integrity, as well as those that pertain to particular disciplines and courses; and promoting academic integrity.

Violations Of Academic Honesty

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, unauthorized use of technology, and the abuse of resource materials.

Academic work means the preparation of an essay, thesis, problem, assignment or other projects submitted or completed for course credit and to meet other requirements for non-course credit.
What constitutes an act of academic dishonesty may, in part, depend on the particular course and expectations of academic integrity in the context of the course objectives. This includes, but is not limited to:
1. Copying, without instructor authorization, from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, computer files, data listing and/or programs.
2. Using, during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the test.
3. Collaborating with another person without instructor authorization during an examination or in preparing academic work.
4. Knowingly, and without instructor authorization, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, soliciting, copying, or possessing, in whole or in part, the contents of an unadministered test or other required assignment.
5. Substituting for another student or permitting another person to substitute for oneself in taking an examination, preparing academic work, or attending class.
6. Bribing another person to obtain an unadministered test or information about an unadministered test.
7. Using technological equipment such as calculators, computers or other electronic aids in taking of tests or preparing academic work in ways not authorized by the instructor or the University.
Plagiarism means the appropriation of another’s work and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in ones own written work in any academic setting.
Collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work in any academic setting.
Abuse of resource materials means the mutilation, destruction, concealment, theft or alteration of materials provided.

Sanctions

Academic— Each faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each case of suspected academic dishonesty that occurs in his/her class and for determining appropriate academic sanctions. The faculty member will use the following procedure.
1. The faculty member will make a good faith effort to inform the student of particular charge against him/her, either verbally or in writing and give the student an opportunity to respond. The faculty member will explain any academic sanctions that will be imposed. If the faculty member is unable to inform the student, the faculty member may impose the sanction or sanctions that he/she judges to be appropriate. Academic sanctions are listed below.
2. Faculty members will report cases of academic dishonesty to their department head who will notify the appropriate academic dean with copies to the Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of Student Engagement & Success. Reporting a violation will enable the Dean of Student Engagement & Success to detect multiple violations of University policy. All reports should be in writing.
3. Specific Academic Sanctions–The faculty member may impose one or more of the following academic sanctions, or other reasonable sanctions that are appropriate to the particular case: a student may not drop a class where there is a question of academic dishonesty.
  - A requirement to perform additional academic work not required of other students in the course.
  - A grade of “F” in the course.
  - A reduction of the grade in the course or on the examination or for other academic work affected by the academic dishonesty.

University

Instances of academic dishonesty that are not classroom related would be reported to the Dean of Student Engagement & Success. The Office of Student Engagement & Success responsible for keeping records of all formally reported violations of academic integrity and for determining any and all sanctions beyond the academic sanctions imposed by the faculty member. The Dean of Student Engagement & Success and other Student Services officers appointed by the Vice President for Student Services may impose one or more of the following sanctions:

Reprimand
Loss of privileges
Imposition of certain tasks
Conduct probation or disciplinary probation
Suspension
Expulsion
Recommendation to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for revocation of a degree.

Appeals Procedure

Appeal of academic sanction imposed by the faculty member: Students may appeal action taken by a faculty member as a result of suspected academic dishonesty according to the procedure for academic appeals as described in the Faculty Handbook and the Student Rules.
Appeal of University sanction imposed by the Student Services officer: The student may appeal the University sanction imposed by the Student Services officer according to the procedure for disciplinary appeals as described in the Student Rules.

Communication And Coordination

The department head will continue to keep the Dean of Student Engagement & Success informed of subsequent action, including processing of appeals on a violation. The Dean of Student Engagement & Success will inform the department head of any University action or sanction relative to the violation as well as any appeal of the University-imposed sanctions.