Canisius College

Make every effort to prevent dishonesty by showing students that you take integrity seriously.

Familiarize yourself with the Code of Academic Integrity. Use it to support your efforts to create an environment of trust and learning for your classes.

Discuss the Code in the context of teaching and learning rather than simply in terms of a weapon to use in the cases of suspected dishonesty. Discuss the meaning of integrity in your academic work.

Use your syllabus as an occasion to reinforce integrity and to spell out the consequences of violating it. Click here for an example (MS Word).

Consider having students sign an integrity pledge when they submit written work. (Signing a pledge may not prevent dishonesty; but, if a student has cheated or plagiarized and signed a pledge to act without dishonesty, and you detect it, the student has cheated and lied.) Click here for an example (MS Word).

Consult with other faculty members and your department chair if you have questions about how to put together a case of alleged dishonesty and how to discuss the matter with a suspected student.

If you detect plagiarism, report it (Adobe Acrobat .pdf).

Change assignments from semester to semester, even if you use the same books.

Make clear what your expectations are for an assignment (collaboration or none, outside sources or none, etc.).

Let students know that you have heard of paper mills and that you are aware of the practices of cutting and pasting from internet sources.

Watch for odd formatting, often a sign of internet cut-and-paste. Electronic submission (through Blackboard or Turnitin, for example) can exacerbate the anomalies of this practice.

Teach students the citation standards you expect them to follow.

Assign research projects in stages, with proposals and drafts, for example, due prior to submission of the final product.

When you detect dishonesty, report it (Adobe Acrobat .pdf).

Proctor exams attentively. If you do not proctor your own exams, train proctors about your expectations for academic integrity and what to look for while proctoring.

Insist that students turn off and remove from sight any cellphone or other electronic device.

Make clear to students your expectations of how you will administer tests and exams so that they do not bring inappropriate materials to the classroom.

If possible, give multiple versions of exams, with questions in different orders and arrangements.

Vary exams from semester to semester, even when covering the same material.

When you detect dishonesty, report it (Adobe Acrobat .pdf).

It might be best to write about penalties in a conditional way, e.g., "You could fail the course for academic dishonesty" or "You could fail the assignment if you plagiarize." Using this kind of language gives you room to use your judgment when determining intent and severity of the alleged violation.

You might want to consider a student's attitude toward the dishonesty committed: Was the student honest and cooperative during the ajudication process? Was this a first offence? Was the student irresponsible in knowing about the Code of Academic Integrity in general and your policies in particular? Was ignorance rather than intent factor in the violation? Attitude may guide you in your decisions about severity of penalty.

penalties can range from a reprimand to course failure, with repeating the work, failing the assignment, alternative assignment, and other penalties in between.

Treat all students fairly. If two students commit the same offence with the same attitude, it is fair to give them the same penalty. If they committed the same offence but with different mitigating situations, different penalties might be more fair. Consistency, given all factors, is important.

Consult other faculty and department chairs about how they handle penalties.

Report (Adobe Acrobat .pdf) violations and outcomes to the appropriate Associate Dean even when students are found not responsible.