Background
In the spring term of 1999, Colgate University approved a new Academic Honor Code that went into effect in the fall term of 2000. The Academic Honor Code itself appears below, and all Colgate students are expected to be familiar with the code and abide by it. At the time of matriculation, all students are required to read and sign the Academic Honor Code. For a more extensive discussion of academic dishonesty, refer to The Colgate University Academic Honor Code, a publication provided to students at the start of their first year. Additional copies may be obtained from the Office of the Dean of the College in 103 McGregory Hall.
The Academic Honor Code
At Colgate University, we believe honesty and integrity are fundamental in a community dedicated to learning, personal development, and a search for understanding. We revere these values and hold them essential in promoting personal responsibility, moral and intellectual leadership, and pride in ourselves and our University.
As Colgate students, we will represent ourselves truthfully, claim only work that is our own, and engage honestly in all academic assignments.
Since articulated standards and expectations can influence attitudes, and because each of us shares the responsibility for maintaining academic integrity, we are committed to upholding the Academic Honor Code.
Reporting Procedures
Members of the Colgate community who misrepresent themselves or their work through cheating, fabrication, facilitation, or plagiarism, or who suspect another of such misrepresentation are expected to follow the outlined reporting procedures.
Consistent with the basic expectations of the Academic Honor Code, students who believe they may have violated Colgate’s standards of academic integrity are expected to acknowledge their concerns to the course instructor or to their academic or administrative dean.
A student who observes what may be academically dishonest behavior on the part of another student is expected to share that concern with the instructor of the course. The instructor will review the elements of the complaint, and if the instructor believes that the Academic Honor Code has been violated, they will contact the University disciplinary officer, who will convene a University Student Conduct Board hearing as outlined in this Student Handbook.
Academic Dishonesty
Briefly stated, Colgate University defines academic dishonesty as any attempt to misrepresent one’s performance on any academic exercise submitted for evaluation. Academic departments and programs, at their option, may further clarify this general definition in writing (and distribute this clarification to students taking courses in that department). A violation of the department’s or program’s statement shall be considered a violation of the academic dishonesty policy of the University as a whole. In any situation where a student questions the appropriateness of representing a work as their own, it will be the student’s responsibility to raise the question with the instructor. Ignorance of University policy concerning academic dishonesty shall not be a defense in any conduct board proceeding.
Colgate University recognizes four forms of academic dishonesty: Cheating, Fabrication (of data or sources), Facilitating Academic Dishonesty, and Plagiarism. The full definitions of these forms of academic dishonesty are listed below. All students are urged to read these definitions carefully to gain a complete understanding of behavior that the University considers academically dishonest. Ignorance of the definitions will not be seen as a defense in University Conduct Board proceedings.
Cheating shall be defined as attempting to use prohibited materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. To prevent possible claims of cheating, there should be strict adherence to the following guidelines:
Faculty members should state, in advance, their policies and procedures concerning examinations and other academic exercises. Students should request such information if a faculty member neglects to offer it.
It is especially important that clear guidelines be established and followed concerning the use of “take-home” examinations.
Students completing an “in-class” or “take-home” examination should assume that any external assistance (e.g., books, notes, calculators, conversations with others) is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the instructor.
Substantial portions of the same academic work may not be submitted for credit or honors more than once without the permission of the instructor(s).
Students must not allow others to conduct research or prepare any work for them without advance authorization from the instructor. This parameter includes, but is not restricted to, commercial term paper companies and files of past papers.
Fabrication shall be defined as the attempt to falsify or invent without authorization any information or citation in an academic exercise. To prevent possible claims of fabrication, there should be strict adherence to the following guidelines:
- “Invented” information may not be used in any laboratory experiment or other academic exercise without notice to and authorization from the instructor. It would be improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and covertly “invent” data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses.
- Students should acknowledge the actual source from which they have obtained cited information. For example, a writer should not reproduce a quotation found in a book review and indicate that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.
Facilitating Academic Dishonesty shall be defined as attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty. For example, if a student gives another student a specific answer to a homework assignment and knows that such assistance was either prohibited or would not be acknowledged, they are facilitating academic dishonesty.
Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s work without clearly acknowledging your debt to the original source. This includes the borrowing of words, ideas, images, tables, charts, etc., from books, articles, web pages, interviews, television shows, films, songs, or any other medium.
To avoid plagiarizing, always provide a specific citation to the original source in each instance in which you have borrowed from another’s work. In addition, always use quotation marks or indented block quotations when phrases or sentences are borrowed directly, and put summaries and paraphrases in your own words (because merely rearranging someone else’s words in order to avoid using quotation marks is neither honest nor good scholarship).
Students should always consult with their professor if they have questions about proper scholarly procedures or what might constitute plagiarism on a particular assignment.
Colgate expects all students to understand what plagiarism is and to produce work that is honest and meets the high standards expected for scholarly discourse. Ignorance is not an excuse; any failure to acknowledge sources properly constitutes plagiarism. Nevertheless, plagiarism in an assignment may vary in extent — ranging from an isolated instance to being pervasive throughout — and in intent — ranging from some level of disregard for proper scholarly procedures to a clear and obvious intent to deceive.
Colgate’s procedures for handling cases of plagiarism and sanctions depend upon the nature of the offense. Instances of plagiarism that are less serious are normally handled directly by the faculty member for the course with a penalty, such as a grade reduction on the particular assignment, as determined by the faculty member. In such cases, the faculty member must turn in a resolution of plagiarism form, signed by the student, that will remain on file in the Office of the Dean of the College through the student’s career at Colgate and will be used to inform decisions on any later complaints of academic dishonesty against the student. Students who are dissatisfied with the resolution proposed by the faculty member may choose to exercise their right to a conduct board hearing. Students may only have one resolution of plagiarism form on file; subsequent allegations will be referred to the University Student Conduct Board.
Cases where plagiarism in an assignment is egregious or where it seems likely that the student’s work provides evidence of academic dishonesty — in particular, an intent to deceive — are referred to the University Student Conduct Board for a hearing. The usual standard is that if a student makes no obvious attempt to provide a citation or source for any significant borrowed material, then there is a presumption that the student has committed an act of academic dishonesty. If the board determines that the nature of the plagiarism in the assignment and the evidence presented in the hearing warrant a finding of academic dishonesty, then the minimum penalty will be failure in the course and either warning or probation. If the board determines that plagiarism has occurred but that the plagiarism does not constitute academic dishonesty, the board will refer the case back to the faculty member to complete the resolution of plagiarism form. In the event that the conduct board finds the student not responsible, i.e., that plagiarism has not occurred, then the faculty member will grade the assignment without imposing any penalty.
Avoiding Academic Dishonesty
At Colgate University, academic honesty is assumed to be the norm, and there is no evidence that acts of academic dishonesty are commonplace. Nevertheless, in recognition of the importance the Academic Honor Code places on academic integrity, University Student Conduct Board penalties for infractions are significant. The community has high standards in this area, and students must be careful to avoid all forms of academic dishonesty. Acts of academic dishonesty can be avoided by: (a) Knowing the definitions of the forms of academic dishonesty recognized and (b) Avoiding these dishonest behaviors scrupulously. Any party’s questions concerning the standards or requirements in a course should be referred to the professor to whom the work will be submitted. Careful planning and skillful time management will also help a student avoid instances of academic dishonesty; experience has shown that most acts of plagiarism, cheating, etc., occur when a student runs out of time to properly prepare an assignment or study for an examination or quiz. In some cases, extensions (with or without a grade penalty) may be arranged, but in all cases, it is better to fail an assignment rather than risk the serious consequences of an academic dishonesty infraction. When time has run out, and a student does not believe they will be able to meet an academic deadline, a meeting with the course instructor and/or the administrative dean to consider viable options is in order.
If a student is found responsible for academic dishonesty, the sanctions shall be:
- For first offenses:
- Failure in the course and either warning or probation; or
- Failure in the course and suspension. Students returning from a disciplinary suspension are placed on disciplinary probation through tenure.
- For second offenses: Failure in the course and suspension or expulsion.
When a course is repeated after an administrative F has been assigned as a result of University Student Conduct Board action, both the original F and the subsequent grade will be calculated into the cumulative GPA.
The information contained in this publication applies to the academic years 2024–2025, but this handbook is not to be regarded as a contract between the student and the University. The University reserves the right to change requirements, policies, rules, and regulations without prior notice in accordance with established procedures.