2011-2012 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

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• Understand what instructors deem as
academic dishonesty and their policy
on citation and group collaboration.
• Clarify any questions or concerns
about assignments with instructors as
early as possible.
• Develop a timeline for drafts and
final edits of assignments and begin
preparation in advance.
• Avoid plagiarism: acknowledge
people’s opinions and theories by
carefully citing their words and always
indicating sources.
• Utilize the campus’s resources,
such as the advising centers and
Counseling and Psychological
Services, if feeling overwhelmed,
burdened, or pressured.
• Assume that collaboration in the
completion of assignments is
prohibited unless specified by the
instructor.
Plagiarism and
Acknowledgment of Sources
Columbia has always believed that
writing effectively is one of the most
important goals a college student can
achieve. Students will be asked to do
a great deal of written work while at
Columbia: term papers, seminar and
laboratory reports, and analytic essays
of different lengths. These papers play
a major role in course performance, but
more important, they play a major role
in intellectual development. Plagiarism,
the use of words, phrases, or ideas
belonging to another, without properly
citing or acknowledging the source,
is considered one of the most serious
violations of academic integrity and
is a growing problem on university
campuses.
One of the most prevalent forms
of plagiarism involves students using
information from the Internet without
proper citation. While the Internet can
provide a wealth of information, sources
obtained from the Web must be properly
cited just like any other source. If you are
uncertain how to properly cite a source
of information that is not your own,
whether from the Internet or elsewhere,
it is critical that you do not hand in your
work until you have learned the proper
way to use in-text references, footnotes,
and bibliographies. Faculty members
are available to help as questions arise
about proper citations, references,
and the appropriateness of group
work on assignments. You can also
check with the Undergraduate Writing
Program. Ignorance of proper citation
methods does not exonerate one from
responsibility.
Personal Responsibility, Finding
Support, and More Information
A student’s education at Columbia
University is comprised of two
complementary components: a mastery
over intellectual material within a
discipline and the overall development
of moral character and personal ethics.
Participating in forms of academic
dishonesty violates the standards
of our community at Columbia and
severely inhibits a student’s chance to
grow academically, professionally, and
socially. As such, Columbia’s approach
to academic integrity is informed by its
explicit belief that students must take full
responsibility for their actions, meaning
you will need to make informed choices
inside and outside the classroom.
Columbia offers a wealth of resources
to help students make sound decisions
regarding academics, extracurricular
activities, and personal issues. If you
don’t know where to go, see your
advising dean.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty includes, but is
not limited to, intentional or unintentional
dishonesty in academic assignments
or in dealing with University officials,
including faculty and staff members.
Common types of academic
dishonesty:
• Plagiarism: the use of words, phrases,
or ideas belonging to another, without
properly citing or acknowledging the
source
• Self-plagiarism: the submission of
one piece of work in more than one
course without the explicit permission
of the instructors involved
• Falsification or misreprensentation
of information in course work or lab
work; on any application, petition, or
forms submitted to the School
• Fabrication of credentials in materials
submitted to the University for
administrative or academic review
• Violating the limits of acceptable
collaboration in course work set by a
faculty member or department
• Facilitating academic dishonesty by
enabling another to engage in such
behavior
• Cheating on examinations, tests, or
homework assignments
• Unauthorized collaboration on an
assignment
• Receiving unauthorized assistance on
an assignment
• Copying computer programs
• Unauthorized distribution of
assignments and exams
• Lying to a professor or University officer
• Obtaining advance knowledge of
exams or other assignments without
permission
A student alleged to have engaged in
academic dishonesty will be subject to
the Dean’s Discipline process.
Students found responsible for
academic dishonesty may face
reports of such offenses on future
recommendations for law, medical,
or graduate school. The parents or
guardians of students found responsible
may also be notified.
engineering 2011–2012