Academic Integrity

Maintaining academic integrity is a shared responsibility of the faculty and students. Faculty should familiarize themselves with Policy Statement #105, the UNC Charlotte “Code of Student Academic Integrity" (the Code), which describes in detail the various behaviors that constitute violations of academic integrity and the procedures faculty must follow in handling cases of violations and penalties. The Code is available at all times in pamphlet form from the Office of the Dean of Students and can be found at http://www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-105.html. Violations of the Code include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, use of unauthorized notes during a test or examination, and other incidents that reflect unethical and/or dishonest academic behavior. Students may not present as their own the ideas, opinions, images, figures, language or concepts of another, including those of other students. Sources must be properly and fully acknowledged. Also, if a student has received any kind of help (except that permitted by the instructor) in the preparation of a project, that help must be fully acknowledged. Papers and other materials bought from "term paper writing services," if submitted as the work of anyone except the writing service, are illegal under North Carolina statute.

Faculty members should outline their expectations pertaining to academic integrity at the beginning of each course and should refer students to the "UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity." Faculty members should also take note of the “Advice to Faculty Members” in Section VI of The Code, available at http://www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-105.html#VI, and they should review “Procedures for Handling Cases” in Section V of The Code, available at http://www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-105.html#V. In addition, in accordance with an April 1987 decision by the Faculty Council, each academic unit (department, area or non-departmental college) will have the following policy: The administrative support staff who prepare course syllabi will automatically include a statement regarding academic integrity on every course syllabus, unless the faculty member explicitly requests that it not be included. The statement, or something like it, will appear as follows:

All UNC Charlotte students have the responsibility to be familiar with and to observe the requirements of The UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity (see the Catalog). This Code forbids cheating, fabrication or falsification of information, multiple submission of academic work, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials (such as Library books on reserve), and complicity in academic dishonesty (helping others to violate the Code). Any further specific requirements or permission regarding academic integrity in this course will be stated by the instructor, and are also binding on the students in this course. Students who violate the Code can be punished to the extent of being permanently expelled from UNC Charlotte and having this fact recorded on their official transcripts. The normal penalty is zero credit on the work involving dishonesty and further substantial reduction of the course grade. In almost all cases, the course grade is reduced to "F." If you do not have a copy of the Code, you can obtain one from the Dean of Students Office or access it online at http://www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-105.html.  Standards of academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Students are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty they become aware of to the course instructor who is responsible for dealing with them.

Other academic integrity documents included in this Handbook can be found in the Appendix under  "Instructions for Using "Settlement of a Charge of Academic Dishonesty Form" and the essay "UNC Charlotte Student Academic Integrity: On Deciding Guilt and Punishment," by R.H. Toenjes. The Toenjes essay discusses some guidelines for determining whether or not a student has violated the code and determining the appropriate punishment.