Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Graduate School-Newark
 
Message from the Dean
About the University
About the School of Public Affairs and Administration
About the Newark Campus
Financial Aid
Degree Programs
Certificate Programs
Course Listing
Academic Policies and Procedures
Student Responsibility to Keep Informed
Registration and Course Information
Class Schedules and Hours
Grades and Records
Scholastic Standing
Rutgers University Interim Academic Integrity Policy
Violations of Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity Violations and Sanctions
University Code of Student Conduct Summary
University Safety and Security
Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim Assistance
Services for Students with Disabilities
Administrative Procedures for Responding to Disruptions
Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment
Policy against Verbal Assault, Defamation, and Harassment Summary
Nondiscrimination Policy
Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Act
Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act Reports
Graduation Rates
Teacher Preparation Program Pass Rates
Student Records and Privacy Rights under FERPA
Student Residency for Tuition Purposes
Research Policy and Research Centers
Patent Policy
Administration and Faculty
Divisions of the University
Camden Newark New Brunswick/Piscataway
Catalogs
  School of Public Affairs and Administration 2009-2011 Academic Policies and Procedures Rutgers University Interim Academic Integrity Policy Violations of Academic Integrity  

Violations of Academic Integrity


Various ways in which academic integrity can be violated are described below. The comments and examples within each section provide explanations and illustrative material, but do not exhaust the scope of possible violations. For context and specific details, the University Code of Student Conduct (http://polcomp.rutgers.edu/judaff/ucsc.shtml) as well as the Student Judicial Affairs (http://judicialaffairs.rutgers.edu) websites should be consulted.

A. Cheating

Cheating is the use of impermissible and/or unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity. Using books, notes, calculators, conversations with others, etc., when their use is restricted or forbidden, constitutes cheating. Similarly, students may not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them. Students may not submit identical work, or portions thereof, for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted for the second or subsequent time.

B. Fabrication

Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic work. "Invented" information may not be used in any laboratory report or other academic work without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and "invent" data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. Students must also acknowledge the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A student should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review and claim that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.

C. Plagiarism


Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic work. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, or by appropriate indentation, and must be cited properly according to the accepted format for the particular discipline. Acknowledgment is also required when material from any source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: "to paraphrase Plato's comment..." and conclude with a footnote or appropriate citation to identify the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information that is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc., need not be cited; however, the sources of all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, other materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography.  

Sometimes, plagiarism can be a subtle issue. Students should be encouraged to discuss any questions about what constitutes plagiarism with the faculty member teaching the course.

D. Denying others access to information or material


It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of violations of this type include giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals; deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; and altering someone else's computer files.

E. Facilitating violations of academic integrity

It is a violation of academic integrity for a student to aid others in violating academic integrity. A student who knowingly or negligently facilitates a violation of academic integrity is as culpable as the student who receives the impermissible aid, even if the former student does not benefit from the violation.

 
For additional information, contact RU-info at 732-445-info (4636) or colonel.henry@rutgers.edu.
Comments and corrections to: Campus Information Services.

© 2009 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.