Skip to the content of the web site.

Academic Integrity

The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote:

  • honesty
  • trust
  • fairness
  • respect
  • responsibility

Academic integrity is a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to these fundamental values .* The actions that flow from these values support the academic process.

Academic integrity applies to all academic endeavours – teaching, learning and scholarship, and applies to a range of academic activities, from conduct in research to the writing of co-op work term reports.

As with integrity generally, academic integrity carries with it benefits for the individual practicing right behaviour as well as benefits for the broader culture. 

A student of academic integrity will experience optimal intellectual and skills development. The peers of a student of academic integrity will experience equitable opportunities to excel. The institution as a whole will enjoy the reputation and will provide the stimulating environment that characterises a culture of academic integrity.

*  We wish to acknowledge the Centre for Academic Integrity whose efforts have provided a foundation for the expressions of the fundamental values of academic integrity presented in this tutorial.

  

magpie

Illustration by Scott McKowen reproduced with permission of the UW Magazine

"Magpies have a reputation for stealing anything that they can carry away, especially shiny objects. They also steal other birds' eggs and young. So I'm suggesting an academic thieving magpie with a stash of prizes that refer to student life generally, and the academic disciplines of the six UW faculties in particular. There's a class ring, a silver pen, coins, a pair of reading glasses, a computer mouse, a data stick. There are some snippets of torn paper ‘crib sheets,’ with philosophy notes or mathematical equations. There are a couple of textbooks. The bird is holding a UW crest keychain in his bill. The magpie's distinctive black and white plumage almost starts to look like academic robes in this context!”  -- Scott McKowen

Next: Academic Misconduct