Academic Integrity Policy
A university’s intellectual reputation depends on maintaining the highest standards of intellectual honesty. Commitment to those standards is a responsibility of every student, faculty, and staff member on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus.
Honor Code
A student-run Honor Code was instituted on the Boulder Campus in 2002. The intent of the Honor Code is to establish a community of trust where students do not plagiarize, cheat, or obtain unauthorized academic materials. An honor code council collaborates with the colleges and schools in addressing allegations and instances of academic dishonesty and in assisting to educate all members of the university community on academic integrity issues.
Breaches of academic honesty include cheating, plagiarism, and the unauthorized possession of examinations, papers, computer programs, as well as other class materials specifically released by the faculty.
A student accused of academic dishonesty will either accept the accusation made by a faculty member or request a hearing before a student panel, who will make a decision on the accusation of academic dishonesty. In addition to academic sanctions imposed by the faculty, students found guilty of academic dishonesty also face consequences from the honor code council ranging from attending a mandatory class in ethics to expulsion from the campus. More information about CU-Boulder’s Honor Code may be found at www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/.
The following terms are clarified for the benefit of all members of the university community.
Cheating
Cheating is defined as using unauthorized materials or receiving unauthorized assistance during an examination or other academic exercise. Examples of cheating include: copying the work of another student during an examination or other academic exercise (includes computer programming), or permitting another student to copy one’s work; taking an examination for another student or allowing another student to take one’s examination; possessing unauthorized notes, study sheets, examinations, or other materials during an examination or other academic exercise; collaborating with another student during an academic exercise without the instructor’s consent; and/or falsifying examination results.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgment. Examples of plagiarism include: failing to use quotation marks when directly quoting from a source; failing to document distinctive ideas from a source; fabricating or inventing sources; and copying information from computer-based sources, i.e., the Internet.
Unauthorized Possession or Disposition of Academic Materials
Unauthorized possession or disposition of academic materials may include: selling or purchasing examinations, papers, reports or other academic work; taking another student’s academic work without permission; possessing examinations, papers, reports, or other assignments not released by an instructor; and/or submitting the same paper for multiple classes without advance instructor authorization and approval.