UTA Academic Integrity Guide
Review this guide prepared by the UTA Office of Community Standards regarding academic integrity. The pdf can be downloaded here:
Academic Integrity Tips for Students.pdf Download Academic Integrity Tips for Students.pdf
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
As UTA and the rest of the world continue to move forward while dealing with the impact of the corona virus, students may experience additional challenges. UTA will continue to serve as a resource for students during this trying time. As you complete your coursework, we encourage you to do so with the utmost integrity and in the spirit of the UTA Honor Code. Many describe integrity as doing the right thing when no one is looking. It can be tempting to cheat on assignments and exams because no one is physically monitoring your actions. Be proud of your work, complete it with integrity, and allow your actions to reflect who you wish to be. This is your opportunity to practice a higher degree of integrity.
Faculty and staff are here to support you. Take advantage of those opportunities, ask questions, and reach out to your faculty and other campus staff for help when you need it. As courses move into an online environment, the tips below will help you complete your work with integrity, master the material that you are studying, and avoid committing an academic integrity violation.
General Academic Integrity Tips
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Consult your professor’s syllabus and read it thoroughly to make sure you understand all guidelines for assignments, exams, group work, etc.
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If you are struggling to complete an assignment by the deadline, please contact your instructor. It is better to accept the grade that is earned from the work you have already completed on your own rather than take a shortcut and commit an academic integrity violation.
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Start on assignments early and learn to manage your time effectively. You may need more time to complete an assignment that you initially estimate.
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Trust yourself and believe that you are capable of doing the assignment or exam.
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Review your past assignments and exams to learn from your mistakes and make adjustments on how you prepare in the future.
Utilize the Links to an external site.IDEAS Center Links to an external site. and Links to an external site.University Tutorial & Supplemental Instruction Links to an external site. for tutoring in specific subjects and additional academic help.
When using Respondus Lockdown Browser to Complete an Exam
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Conduct a thorough environment scan which clearly shows your entire room, your entire work surface, and the front of your computer screen.
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Environment scans help to ensure that students do not have any unapproved materials or other people in the area.
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Performing a thorough environment scan at the beginning can reduce suspicion of possible cheating.
Tips for Online Exams
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Consult your professor’s syllabus and specific exam instructions to make sure you are aware of any guidelines specific to online exams. These may vary by class.
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Carefully follow all of your professor’s instructions regarding your exam.
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Do not have anything out that is not an authorized resource for the exam.
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Do not have anyone else present in the room when taking your exam.
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Turn off all other devices including phones, TV, music, etc.
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Remain in front of the camera throughout the exam and remain focused on the screen.
Tips to Avoid Plagiarism
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Consult your professor’s syllabus to make sure you are aware of any specific guidelines regarding writing assignments and citation style.
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Unless otherwise specified by your professor, you should always cite any information that you use which comes from another source.
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In addition to a works cited/reference page, include in-text citations when citing a source. This is necessary for both direct quotes and when paraphrasing.
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Use quotation marks when directly quoting a source if quoting is permitted on the assignment. If you are not permitted to quote from a source, you must paraphrase.
- Start on assignments early and get some initial thoughts down to work with.
Utilize These Resources When Completing a Writing Assignment
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College specific writing coaches
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Librarians in the Links to an external site.Central Library Links to an external site. for research help.
- UTA Library Plagiarism Links to an external site.Tutorial Links to an external site.
Collaboration vs Collusion
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Students are encouraged collaborate when learning the course material. Studying together and teaching one another benefits each party in learning the concepts.
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Collusion is an academic integrity violation and occurs when students work together on an assignment for credit when it is not permitted by the instructor.
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If you have any questions about what resources/collaboration is allowed, please ask your instructor for clarification and specific examples.
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Discussing a particular concept on its own is likely permitted whereas discussing how to solve a specific problem on an assignment would not be permitted.
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Do not ask anyone else for their coursework or seek out examples online.
- Do not share your coursework with others or upload your coursework to any website.
Be Cautious of “Study” Websites
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CourseHero.com
Students should not upload their assignments or faculty created materials without their permission.
Students should not obtain or use other students’ assignments that have not been provided by your professor.
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Chegg.com
Students should not seek outside help when completing an assignment for individual credit unless approved by your professor. This includes answers found online or “experts” that will provide answers to homework questions.
Students are encouraged to utilize the Links to an external site.tutoring services Links to an external site. offered at UTA.
Civility in Online Courses
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Treat the other students and your faculty members the same online as you would in person.
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Engage with others in a respectful manner.
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Keep in mind that written communication lacks non-verbal cues we use to understand each other. It may be helpful to review what you write to others to ensure the message reads the same way you are intending it to.
- Remember UTA’s Links to an external site.Principles of Links to an external site.Community.
What Constitutes Academic Misconduct?
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Cheating
Giving or receiving unauthorized aid on a test or assignment. (including making your assignment available to others)
Taking an exam for another student, allowing someone else to take your exam, or taking an exam together.
Obtaining or attempting to obtain an exam or assignment not provided by the instructor including exam questions and content.
Resubmission of work that has been previously submitted for credit. Online posting of academic work that has been submitted for credit
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Plagiarism
Using someone else’s words or ideas without properly citing them.
Paraphrasing (writing another’s ideas in your own words) still requires a citation. Failure to cite sources in both the reference page and in the body of the text.
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Unauthorized collaboration
Sharing individual work or receiving another student’s individual work. (unless the professor of the course specifies that students are allowed to work together, students should complete assignments individually).
Each professor determines what collaboration is permitted and is not permitted.
Conduct Process