Academic Integrity

A university is an institution that is dedicated to the cooperative search for knowledge and understanding.  The success of this effort depends on the openness with which individuals feel free to share ideas with others.  And while members of the community will share in and contribute to this effort, they must be certain that they will receive credit for their personal contributions.  In addition, a university is an institution in which the performance of students is evaluated.  This evaluation is fundamentally related to future prospects for employment, as well as admission to graduate and professional schools. Therefore, in a scholarly community like Northwestern, academic integrity is of the utmost importance, and students should be aware that an academic integrity violation can result in a failing grade in a course and also a suspension and even permanent exclusion from the University.
 
A Northwestern University webpage provides links to information on academic integrity, including relevant policies and ways to recognize and avoid violations of academic integrity. Additional information on Weinberg College procedures for handling a possible Academic Integrity violation, including information on the appeals process, is available online.
 
The Undergraduate Catalog contains a non-exhaustive list of behaviors that violate standards of academic integrity. These include: cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, obtaining an unfair advantage, aiding and abetting dishonesty, falsification of records and official documents, and unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems. Each is described in more detail in the catalog.
 
Plagiarism includes more than just copying someone else's work. Northwestern's "Principles Regarding Academic Integrity" defines plagiarism as "submitting material that in part or whole is not entirely one's own work without attributing those same portions to their correct source." The Northwestern brochure "Academic Integrity: A Basic Guide" contains a discussion of the proper citation of sources as well as details on the types of offenses that constitute academic integrity violations. More tips on avoiding plagiarism are available from Northwestern's Writing Place.
 
Sometimes students think that another student has acted in a way that involves a violation of the academic integrity guidelines. Such students should consult with a Weinberg College Adviser.