Academic Honesty Policies
We think that academic honesty, the last item on the above list, is so important that it needs to be addressed separately. That’s because policies on cheating and plagiarism – and penalties for violation – are of prime importance to campus communities.
Why? Statistics on academic dishonesty are alarming. Violations include helping others to cheat, such as texting someone the test answers or letting your roommate copy your essay. According to Plagiarism.org (note that we’re giving credit where credit is due!), 1,800 students at nine state universities admitted that they cheated on tests (70%), cheated on written assignments (84%), and copied directly from online sources to their papers without citing their sources (52%). Moreover, a study published in U.S. News and World Report indicates that “75% of college students admitted cheating…90% of college students didn't believe cheaters would be caught…and almost 85% of college students said cheating was necessary to get ahead.”