Integrity Online
Standards of Conduct:
Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.
Academic Honesty Statement
In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.
The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:
RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS
Read the document in its entirety here.
1. Standards of Conduct:
Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.
2. Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty:
In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.
Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:
- an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam,
- to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
- or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.
Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited. Read more about How to Avoid Plagiarism.
Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution.
In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.
Academic Self-Plagiarism:
The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity defines self-plagiarism as follows. “Redundant publication has a direct counterpart in the area of academic dishonesty - it is referred to as ‘double dipping.’ It occurs when a student submits a whole paper or a substantial portion of a paper to fulfill a course requirement, even though that paper had been submitted earlier to satisfy the requirements for another course taught by a different professor. Many college undergraduates and even some graduate students are not aware that this type of practice is a serious offense and constitutes plagiarism. Of course, as in redundant publication, submitting the same paper, or a large portion of a paper, to two different courses is entirely acceptable if the instructors of both courses were informed by the student of the double submission, and if both agreed to the arrangement. However, some institutions have specific policies prohibiting this practice.”
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Research Integrity. (2013). Academic Self-Plagiarism (Double-dipping). Visit:
https://ori.hhs.gov/plagiarism-13.
Citing References:
Most students are not aware of how to cite references or sources to avoid plagiarism. The following links will be helpful in determining what plagiarism is and styles you can use for citation purposes. Check with your professor for guidance on plagiarism and his/her preferred style of reference citation.
Citation Styles:
Disclaimer of Offsite Content
The instructor is not responsible for links to websites that were deemed appropriate for educational use at course design time, but changed without the instructor's knowledge during the course of this semester. Please do not attempt to view a website that you deem inappropriate. Contact the instructor regarding any such website and include the reason(s) that you feel it is not suitable. Again, websites will change owners or add content, graphics and advertisements without notifying the Internet at large. Please be advised that no advertisements are endorsed by the Board of Regents or the instructor.
