Statement on Academic Integrity

First things first: If you are having problems, or feel that you can’t cope, see us first and we will figure out a solution -- don't ever think for a second that plagiarizing or cheating is a good decision.

Second: if you are not sure whether what you are doing is cheating or not, please see us before you act.  We would rather clear up a simple misunderstanding than have to pursue an academic dishonesty case.

But to review: It is an infringement of academic integrity to cheat on a test or exam, or to represent as your own papers downloaded off the internet or kept in fraternity or sorority files, or copied from printed books and journals. It is also academic dishonesty to paraphrase these sources without proper bibliographic citation. Plagiarism refers to the use of other people’s ideas (including those of other students and published authors) which are improperly documented, so as to give the reader the impression they are your own. Taking a sentence or paragraph from a work is as bad as copying the entirety of the essay. The handbook, prepared by the Creighton Student Senate, Learning in the Academy, offers a fuller discussion with examples and is worth reading through for further clarification of these crucial issues.

In this course, there is a zero-tolerance policy for academic dishonesty. The penalty for plagiarism or any other kind of academic dishonesty, such as cheating on a quiz, is a failing grade for the course. This is not negotiable. Know also that college policy also requires that all incidents of plagiarism be reported to the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s office has the right to impose stronger penalties up to and including expulsion. The Dean’s office keeps a record of confirmed plagiarism cases, and must respond honestly when a graduate program or potential employer attempts to verify a student’s record, thus any record of academic dishonesty stays on your academic record for the rest of your life. Information on the College's Academic Honesty Policy is available on the web at http://puffin.creighton.edu/ccas/policies/acadhonesty.html

Please note: In this course, "Double submissions" (i.e., the the submission of work written for another course or instructor in high school or college), no matter if revised or altered, will be considered a violation of academic honesty and the penalties the same. Again, If you have any questions about these issues, please do not hesitate to ask us for guidance.

In keeping with the new procedures and policies on academic honesty promulgated by the Student Senate, you will be asked to sign the Academic Integrity Pledge at the beginning of the semester.  Your signature will then be binding on ALL work submitted for the entirety of the semester.