2004-2005 University of Guelph Undergraduate Calendar

VIII. Undergraduate Degree Regulations and Procedures

Academic Misconduct

Offences

Academic misconduct is broadly understood to mean offences against the academic integrity of the learning environment. This would include, but is not limited to, the following examples:

1. Academic Dishonesty

  1. Copying from or using prohibited material including, but not limited to documentary, electronic equipment or other aids not approved by the instructor, in an assignment or examination.

  2. Copying another person's answer(s) to an examination question.

  3. Improper academic practices-this includes the falsification, fabrication or misrepresentation of material, including research results, that is part of academic evaluation, the learning process, or scholarly exchange. This offence would include the reference to resources that are known to not exist or the listing of others who have not contributed to the work.

  4. Plagiarism-in the broadest sense of misrepresenting the work of others as one's own. Plagiarism specifically can be understood as: the act of copying, reproducing or paraphrasing significant portions of someone else's published or unpublished material, and representing these as one's own thinking by not acknowledging the appropriate source or by the failure to use appropriate quotation marks. These materials include: literary compositions and phrasing, performance compositions, chemical compounds, art works, laboratory reports, research results, calculations and the results of calculations, diagrams, constructions, and computer reports or software. Students have the responsibility to learn and use the conventions of documentation, and, if in any doubt, are encouraged to consult with the instructor of the course, the academic supervisor, or the department chair/director for clarification. Instructors have the responsibility of advising students in writing of any significant individual interpretations of plagiarism or of any aspects concerning paraphrasing limits or referencing formats unique to the instruction, the discipline, or the course material.

2. Misrepresentation of Personal Performance

  1. Submitting false or fraudulent or purchased assignments, research, or credentials; or the falsifying or withholding of records, transcripts, or other academic documents.

  2. Impersonation-involves having someone impersonate oneself, either in person or electronically, in class, in an examination, or in connection with any type of course assignment or material or availing oneself of the results of such impersonation. Both the impersonator and the individual impersonated (if aware of the impersonation) are subject to a penalty. In this context, plagiarism is simply another form of impersonation that misrepresents personal performance.

  3. Submitting a false medical or compassionate certificate, or presenting other such documentation under false pretences.

  4. Improperly obtaining, through theft, bribery, collusion or otherwise, access to privileged information, or examination paper or set of questions.

  5. Submitting the same course work, research, or assignment for credit on more than one occasion in two or more courses without the prior written permission of the instructors in all of the courses involved.

  6. The above provisions are institutional requirements that apply to all graduate and undergraduate courses, and to the presentation of all work, including graduate theses submitted for academic evaluation and undergraduate or graduate credit. In addition to these provisions, an instructor may require that other constraints apply in the context of a particular course. Such constraints may include, but are not necessarily restricted to, for example, a ban on the use of writing or editorial services, or the use of a research survey service. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the instructor in charge of the course to inform the students of these additional constraints in writing on the course outline, and it is the responsibility of the students in the course to abide by these constraints.

3. Damage to the Integrity of Scholarly Exchanges

  1. Altering, destroying, hiding, or generally restricting the access to academic materials intended for general use.

  2. The unauthorized removal, destruction, or theft of library and other university academic resources.

  3. Inappropriate distribution of restricted material.

  4. Obstructing the academic activities of others. This involves interfering with the scholarly activities of another or altering or falsifying the work of others, in order to harass or gain unfair academic advantage. This includes, but is not limited to, interfering or tampering with experimental data, with a human or animal subject, with a written or other creation (example, a painting, sculpture, film), with a chemical used for research, or with any other object of study.

  5. Aiding or abetting academic misconduct. Knowingly aiding or abetting anyone in committing any form of academic misconduct is itself academic misconduct. This may include, but is not limited to, offering for sale essays or other assignments with the intention that these works be subsequently submitted for assessment.

Note: Many of these offences could also be viewed as a violation of the Research Misconduct Policy, or the Student Rights and Responsibilities regulation. Students may also, therefore, be subject to procedures and penalties outlined in those policies.