Principles

Principles of Academic Integrity

The principles that guide your authentic participation in the University of Waterloo community are based on fundamental values.

Lying, no matter what the context, is a violation of the principle of honesty. Lying in all matters concerning your academic communications, including exams, assignments, etc., is academic misconduct.
Falsification of documents such as transcripts, medical notes, reference letters, forged signatures, etc. is academic misconduct.
Theft of intellectual property, i.e. stealing an idea, creation, an invention, a literary or artistic work, or works that are patented or protected under copyright laws, is a criminal offence.

A trustworthy person can be believed in; trustworthy people present themselves and their work without deception. Misrepresentation, impersonation, etc. is a violation of trust.
Plagiarism is academic misconduct; plagiarism is representing someone else's work, in whole or in part, as your own. Plagiarism is academic misconduct even if unintentional.
Whether a term paper, essay, first draft, literature or book review, or even memorization of passages from the textbook to regurgitate on an exam, presenting someone else's words as your own is plagiarism.
Receipt of any kind of help that is unacknowledged may result in a different grade assessment and is a violation of trust.
A trustworthy person does not present their own work as someone else's. Ghost writing, i.e. writing an exam in someone else's place or composing an essay or writing up a lab report and submitting it in someone else's name, is academic misconduct and carries consequences on a par with plagiarism.
In some circumstances it is a matter of trust that a student complete an assignment with integrity. For example, a distance education student writing an unproctored exam may be tempted to solicit assistance or consult unauthorized aids. A violation of the trust placed in a student in these circumstances is academic misconduct.

To promote a level playing field, actions that produce an unfair advantage may be penalized as academic misconduct.
Having prior access to an exam, whether bought, stolen, or freely offered, places the recipient at an unfair advantage and is academic misconduct.
It is academic misconduct to facilitate unfair advantage through actions such as posting assignment solutions to discussion boards; letting a classmate sneak a peek at your answers during an exam; or giving classmates copies of your past assignments.
Use of unauthorized aids in exams (for example cheat sheets, calculator covers, unauthorized calculators) bestows an unfair advantage on the user and is academic misconduct.

Inappropriate, disrespectful behaviour undermines a culture of academic integrity and is subject to disciplinary action.
Disruptive or threatening behaviour, in the classroom and elsewhere, including in the electronic environment, carries penalties.
Students of academic integrity respect the work of others and in no way obstruct or interfere with another's work.
Misuse of computing resources is subject to penalties (See Guidelines on Use of UW Computing and Network Resources).

UW students have a responsibility to conform to standards of behaviour acceptable in the University of Waterloo community. Actions that fall below these standards are subject to disciplinary measures.
Actions that fall below community standards may be penalized as academic misconduct. Such actions include plagiarism, cheating, and unauthorized collaboration with others.
An attempt to carry out such an act, even if unsuccessful, may be subject to disciplinary measures.
Assisting someone to commit such an act carries penalties on a par with committing the action oneself.
UW students have a responsibility to report any suspected academic offence to the instructor of the course.
UW students have the responsibility to be alert to their stress levels. Personal stress -- family life, romantic life, health, job, academic overload, deadlines -- may leave one suceptible to temptations. It is the student's responsiblity to communicate with his or her instructor and to seek out channels of support that present acceptable options during times of stress.
It is the student's responsibility to communicate with his or her instructor to clarify expectations wherever questions occur. Instructors are sometimes unclear and they may make assumptions about students' levels of sophistication - but the student has an obligation to seek clarification when this is the case.