Academic Integrity

The Honor System

Honor is the moral cornerstone of Reinhardt University. Honor provides the common thread woven through the many aspects of the institution and creates a community of trust and respect fundamentally affecting the relationships of all its members. The centrality of honor at Reinhardt is contained in its Honor System which is embodied in the Reinhardt University Honor Pledge.

The Honor System is a collaborative effort between the Student Government Association, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Office of Student Affairs.

Introduction to the Academic Integrity Policies Academic integrity falls under the jurisdiction of the Office of Academic Affairs. Reinhardt University provides an environment that encourages all students (undergraduate and graduate) to learn, create, and share knowledge responsibly. As society entrusts our students and faculty to pursue knowledge and report their discoveries truthfully, any deliberate falsehood or misrepresentation undermines the stature of the University. The following policies and procedures pertaining to academic integrity are deemed necessary for fulfilling the University’s mission

Forms of Academic Dishonesty

The following are recognized as unacceptable forms of academic behavior at Reinhardt University:

1. Plagiarizing: Plagiarism is the act of presenting words and ideas of others as your own. It is tantamount to intellectual theft. The words of others must be enclosed in quotation marks and documented. The source of the distinctive ideas must also be acknowledged through appropriate documentation.
2. Submitting a paper written by another student or another person as if it were your own. 
3. Submitting a paper containing sentences, paragraphs, or sections lifted from another student’s work or other publication; there must be written documentation. 
4. Submitting a paper written by you for another course or occasion without the explicit knowledge and consent of the instructor. 
5. Fabricating evidence or statistics that supposedly represent your original research. 
6. Cheating of any sort on tests, papers, projects, reports, etc. 
7. Using the Internet inappropriately as a resource. See 3, above.

Student Responsibilities

Most students are honest in producing and submitting their own work to be evaluated. Honest students can help to reduce opportunities for those who are dishonest in several ways. They can also reduce the possibility of suspicion. Students should:

1. Carefully guard notes and papers. 
2. Keep computer records confidential with a password and keep files closed when not attended. 
3. Erase any drafts from a campus computer hard drive when it will not be attended. 
4. Keep copies of drafts and papers to prove ownership. 
5. Consult the instructor before the work is due about any documentation questions. 
6. During an exam, avoid looking at other students’ work, even casually.

Faculty Responsibilities

Faculty members can encourage an atmosphere of academic honesty in several ways. Faculty members are encouraged to:

1. Carefully guard test questions and student papers. 
2. Regularly change assignments, test questions, and, if possible, course readings. 
3. Keep computer records confidential with a password and keep files closed when not attended. 
4. On the syllabus, state the policy for the academic honesty clearly, spelling out possible violations and possible sanctions. 
5. On the syllabus, state the policy for submitting work duplicated or revised from a previous course or for a concurrent course. 
6. On the syllabus, state the policy for group work and group study for individual exams.