Academic Honesty and Integrity
“Austin Peay State University strives to promote values and attitudes that are reflective
of solid academic character and integrity.” All students are expected to complete
their own work and conduct research and author assignments independently of others
(unless specifically authorized to work together by your respective faculty).
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of your educational experience. “When students
participate in behavior that is considered academic misconduct, the scholarly value
of their education is diminished.”
Academic misconduct is defined as the following:
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Plagiarism. The adoption or reproduction of ideas, words, statements, images or works of another person as one’s own without proper attribution.
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Cheating. Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or aids in any academic exercise or test/examination. The term academic exercise includes all forms of work submitted for credit or hours.
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Fabrication. Unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
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Facilitation or Collusion. Assisting or attempting to assist another to violate a provision of the institution’s student code of conduct regarding academic misconduct.
Students should be aware that a violation of the University’s Academic Misconduct Policy can result in disciplinary action which could include failure for an assignment, failure for an entire course, probation, suspension or expulsion from the University. If students are not certain whether a practice would be considered academic misconduct they should always consult with their instructor.
Copyright infringement is a legal offense and students are at risk of disciplinary and legal action against them if they are found to have engaged in copyright infringement. Copyright is a legal right to control the copying distribution, modification, display and performance of certain types of works. It applies to text, graphics, video, audio and many other forms of expression or works owned by someone else such as books, magazines, movies, papers, art, music, illegal file sharing, information or files downloaded from the Internet, etc. You must obtain permission from the copyright holder to use copyrighted material in most instances. You can visit www.copyright.gov for more copyright information.