Academic Integrity Policy

It is the policy of Shippensburg University to expect academic integrity from students and to create an environment where academic integrity thrives.  Learning is the result of student time and effort with the guidance of their faculty.  Faculty measure the depth of student learning through various evaluations: graded homework, quizzes, exams, papers, reports, oral presentations, etc.    When students decide to use another’s work on an evaluation, the work submitted does not demonstrate that learning has occurred.  Therefore, any feedback or evaluation a student would receive would not be relevant to their mastery of the material because the learner did not create it.  When a student submits their own work, the faculty member can guide their learning, and the student can make progress toward becoming an effective self-directed learner. 

Definitions 

An academic integrity violation is committed by students who give, as well as receive, unauthorized assistance in course and laboratory work and/or who purposefully violate or assist other students in violating the university’s policy regarding academic integrity.  Violating academic integrity also means deceit or misrepresentation in attempting (successfully or unsuccessfully) to influence the grading process or to obtain academic credit by a means that is not authorized by the course instructor or university policy. 

Academic Integrity violations include but are not limited to the following:

• Plagiarizing through unacknowledged use of other sources’ work or specific facts or propositions or materials in your own academic work.
• Using unauthorized materials or devices (i.e., technology) such as crib notes during an examination. 
• Providing and/or receiving unauthorized assistance during an examination. 
• Intentionally and without authorization falsifying or inventing any information or citation in an academic exercise, such as making up data in an experiment or observation. 
• Allowing others, or technological assistance such as artificial intelligence to generate content, conduct research, or prepare your work without advance authorization from the instructor. 
• Possessing or sharing course examination questions and directions, even partially, prior to the instructor’s administration of the examination without the instructor’s consent. 
• Using unauthorized assistance and/or a substitute to take an examination or course. 
• Using the services of commercial term paper companies. 
• Bribing, or attempting to bribe, faculty or staff personnel to attain an unfair academic advantage. 
• Misusing transcripts, records or identification, such as forgery or alteration of transcripts. 

The preceding list is only for the purpose of illustration. Other forms of inappropriate academic conduct as outlined in the faculty member’s syllabus are also subject to charges of academic dishonesty. 

Potential Outcomes 

When a student has an academic integrity violation, the goal of the resolution process is to promote students to become self-directed learners.  To this end, the outcomes are intentionally designed to hold the student accountable in a supportive, educational way.  Students are expected to have learned what is and is not acceptable academic integrity through university training, the instructions in course syllabi, and, most importantly, conversations with their faculty regarding the policies for each class. Therefore, the possible consequences reflect the expectation that students understand their responsibility in having academic integrity.  

The following types of outcomes may be imposed in any order and may be combined.  

• Required learning opportunities to understand how to engage in academic growth with academic honesty and integrity. 
• Grade Reduction. The grade for a particular unit of work or for the entire course may be reduced by one or more lower grades. 

OR 

• Assignment of a Failing (F) grade. The student may receive an F grade for the assignment or the course. 

OR 

• In rare cases of a very serious violation (e.g., involves multiple students) or repeated violations, suspension or expulsion from the University could occur. This sanction can only be imposed by a University Board after a thorough review.