Academic Honesty & Integrity: Information for Students
What is academic integrity?
Academic integrity demonstrates respect for the ideas, knowledge, and work of others. It also means that one’s own ideas, knowledge, and work are respected and acknowledged. As a learning community at Saint Joseph’s University, we highly value honesty and integrity in all of our academic work, principles of social justice that shape and form our lives not only as current academics (students and faculty) but also as professionals well beyond the life of the university.
What constitutes a violation?
According to Saint Joseph’s University’s Academic Honesty Policy, these categories, among others, are a violation of academic integrity:
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- e.g., communicating with a peer about exam questions and answers, copying answers on an Assignment, unauthorized use of generative artificial integligence. (read more)
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- e.g., presenting the ideas and/or words of others as if they were one’s own. unauthorized use of generative artificial integligence. (read more)
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- e.g., Listing invented references or conceling the identity of the source of information(read more)
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- e.g., making up data for a laboratory report, creating an academic record based on false information or false credentials (read more)
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- e.g., working with a partner you are not assigned or submitting group work as your own. (read more)
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e.g. Giving someone a paper or homework assignment to copy from. (read more)
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e.g. Unauthorized recording of lecture or unauthrized use of other instructional materials. (read more)
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e.g. Breaking into someone else's files, gaining access to restricted files. (read more)
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Other types of academic dishonesty relevant to the work in particular disciplines or particular courses including failure to comply with academic directives, instructions, or syllabus course expectations. (read more)
What happens if a violation report is filed?
When a faculty member believes that a student has violated SJU’s Academic Honesty Policy, the faculty member must notify the student (phone, email, letter) of the alleged infraction within ten days of discovery. The faculty member then interviews the student (phone, email, Zoom) as soon as possible after the notification to the student is given. Following the interview, if the faculty member believes the student is guilty of violating the policy, the faculty member then selects and records an appropriate sanction (Read More). Finally, the faculty member completes a Violation Report on the Nest. It is important to recognize that nothing happens upon a first violation report beyond the sanction that the faculty member has designated for the student, and the completion of an education module. The student will also meet with the Office of Community Standards. The student has the right to request an appeal hearing regarding the allegations in the violation report. If the student has a second violation report filed about their work, the Academic Honesty Board will be notified and will make a determination on whether a broader sanction is warranted.
What happens if I recieve a sanction but no violation report is filed
If you receive a sanction but no report was filed, you may speak with the chair of the department in which the class is offered. If the issue is unresolved, you may contact the chair of the Academic Honesty Board.