As of December 7, 2009

Academic integrity is central to the mission and identity of educational institutions. Failures of academic integrity are corrosive forces in the life of the individual student and of any community devoted to scholarship. They violate the integrity of the institution, jeopardize the quality of the education provided, and devalue degrees and other awards conferred.

Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to (a) plagiarism; (b) writing a paper or examination in the name of another student; (c) using unauthorized materials, information or text in an examination room; (d) copying or attempting to copy another student’s work; (e) using examinations given by the instructor in previous years, without the explicit authorization of the instructor; (f) relying upon student papers, laboratory notebooks, reports or data from previous years, without the explicit authorization of the instructor; or (g) enabling another student to engage in academic dishonesty.

As a result of the wide availability of sources, information and texts on the Internet, and elsewhere, many students are unaware how easy it is to slip into plagiarism.

Plagiarism may be defined as the unauthorized and unacknowledged use of the work of another as one’s own. This includes:

(1) Copying any sequence of words from another author or Internet site without using quotation marks OR without indicating the source of the quoted words;

(2) Copying much of a passage from another author or Internet site but paraphrasing it by changing some words or phrases without using any quotation marks OR without indicating the source of the passage, or summarizing a passage from another author or Internet site without documenting it;

(3) Making use of original statistics, data or ideas from an Internet site or author, without indicating their source;

(4) Making use of original information, written materials or ideas provided by another person, even verbally, without indicating the identity of that person. This provision prohibits collaborative work with another student, unless the instructor has specifically stated that students are permitted to engage in collaborative work on the assignment;

(5) Making use of such visual images as charts, diagrams, pictures, or audio and video clips, without citing their source.

It is obvious that submission of the work of a commercial writing service as one’s own constitutes plagiarism. However, seeking assistance in copy editing a written report or paper is permissible unless explicitly forbidden by the instructor.

Students should be aware that the College takes vigorous steps to detect plagiarism, including use of the Internet and plagiarism detection tools, to check students’ work against databanks of material already written.

Where a case of alleged academic dishonesty is reported to the Dean, the Dean will convene a Disciplinary Committee to adjudicate charges against the student. The Committee will hear testimony from the instructor in the course, the proctor of the exam in question or other relevant parties, and hear a defense  by the student, who may submit in advance of the hearing a written statement.

A student who is deemed by the Committee to have been guilty of academic dishonesty will be subject to one or more of the following penalties based upon the judgment of the committee: failing the coursework or examination in question; failing the entire course; suspension for one or more semesters from the College; or outright expulsion from the College. It shall be a second violation to lie or mislead the Committee during the hearing, including regarding others who may have collaborated in the alleged dishonesty.

Further information about academic integrity policies may be found in the Touro College catalog and Touro College student guides (Student Handbook).