Academic Integrity Policy*
Revised November 10, 2007
A. Integrity: The Foundation of Quinnipiac University
In its Mission Statement, Quinnipiac University emphasizes its commitment to be an academic community. As an academic community, our students, faculty, and staff work together to acquire and extend knowledge, develop skills and competencies, and serve the greater good of our nation and local communities. Our individual and collective inquiry and pursuit of knowledge are only possible when each of us in the community is aware of and strives to maintain a code of ethical practice and integrity. All communities, though diverse in their individual members, are based on a shared set of beliefs and values that serve as their foundation. At Quinnipiac, our community has chosen integrity as one of its guiding principles.
Integrity means upholding a code or standard of values. In its most general sense integrity also means being complete. As an academic community, the completeness that we seek includes asking each individual to see her or his life as a whole, and to understand how the actions that he or she takes affect self, others, and the community. Individual actions also impact the community of higher education as a whole. In keeping with this commitment to the Quinnipiac community and the larger community of higher learning, Quinnipiac is a member of the Center for Academic Integrity (CAI), a consortium of institutions of higher education committed to the principle of integrity. Our Academic Integrity Policy is based on the five fundamental values outlined by the CAI: honesty, trust, responsibility, fairness, and respect.
Quinnipiac expects all members of our community, students, faculty, and staff, to uphold these five standards of integrity and to contribute to our larger culture of integrity. **
Honesty
Honesty is the bedrock upon which integrity is based. Academic and professional honesty require that each individual conduct herself or himself openly and in keeping with the truth. Even more importantly, honesty requires actively searching for and upholding the truth. Honesty is critical for the production and exchange of knowledge and ideas that are the hallmark of an institution of higher learning.
Trust
Trust is essential for an academic community. Academic work almost always builds upon or extends from the work of others and all members of the community must respect the work of others. Each individual must trust that community members undertake their work in such a way that we build our knowledge, while freely and openly admitting our dependence upon the work of others. Community members also must endeavor to be worthy of the trust others have placed in us. This foundation of trust is vital to our community of inquiry and learning.
Responsibility
An academic or professional community provides its members with support, fellowship, and intellectual stimulation. The price of these benefits is responsibility to the community. Therefore, all members of the University community must not only be committed to ethical practices themselves, but also must bear the responsibility of helping to encourage integrity among all community members.
Fairness
True communities celebrate the differences among their members while upholding the general principle that each individual should be treated equally. This basic principle of fairness to all is an aspect of integrity that guarantees each of us freedom to express our own individuality. This standard of fairness also carries the burden, however, of fair sanctions to those who violate the standards of the community.
Respect
The University is a gathering place where students and faculty come to learn about different ideas, cultures, and ways of thinking - even those with which we may strongly disagree. This learning environment can be maintained only with mutual respect. This respect must be present in the classroom, in our everyday encounters with each another, and in our individual work. Respect means listening to others, evaluating and criticizing their ideas fairly, and properly acknowledging all sources of material that are not originally ours.
B. Expectations for Integrity at Quinnipiac University
This policy is part of the larger educational effort at Quinnipiac University in which community members learn and practice ethical behavior. All members of the Quinnipiac University community are expected to commit themselves to personal and academic integrity and to the five fundamental values by
- being honest in what they say, don't say, do, and don't do
- trusting others and being worthy of trust
- acting responsibly and expecting responsible behavior from others
- treating other members of the community fairly, and expecting fair consequences when mistakes are made
- treating other members of the community and the educational process with respect, and expecting respect for oneself, one's views, and one's abilities.
In keeping with these values, Quinnipiac University expects its community members to comply with the usual expectations for honest academic work. In general, community members
- may not cheat on any work
- must properly cite sources in all papers
- may not provide or procure unauthorized assistance on any assignment or test
- may not falsify or alter University documents, tests or assignments
- may not impede any other student in his or her coursework
- may not do any other thing that violates or allows another person to violate the accepted standards of academic integrity.
(See appendix for more details on specific violations.)
Students, faculty, and staff also should promote integrity by
- educating each other
- discussing integrity in their classes
- reporting violations when they occur.
Quinnipiac recognizes that reporting violations is difficult; however, reporting is necessary to maintain fairness as well as standards of integrity on campus. Reporting is part of each individual's responsibility as a member of the community. (See appendix for community responsibilities.)
This policy is overseen and administered by the Office of Academic Affairs.
* This policy, and its emphasis on five principles of integrity, relies heavily upon the “Fundamental Values Project, A Report from the Center for Academic Integrity,” October 1999, published by the Center for Academic Integrity. It is available at http://www.academicintegrity.org/fundamental_values_project/index.php
** This section in particular the draws on the “Fundamental Values Project” of the Center for Academic Integrity.