[From the University at Albany Undergraduate Bulletin]

It is every student's responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at the University. Claims of ignorance, of unintentional error, or of academic or personal pressures are not sufficient reasons for violations of academic integrity.

Plagiarism

Presenting as one's own work the work of another person (for example, the words, ideas, information, data, evidence, organizing principles, or style of presentation of someone else). Plagiarism includes paraphrasing or summarizing without acknowledgment, submission of another student's work as one's own, the purchase of prepared research or completed papers or projects, and the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else. Failure to indicate accurately the extent and precise nature of one's reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly, or creative indebtedness, and the consequences for violating University regulations.

Examples of plagiarism include: failure to acknowledge the source(s) of even a few phrases, sentences, or paragraphs; failure to acknowledge a quotation or paraphrase of paragraph-length sections of a paper; failure to acknowledge the source(s) of a major idea or the source(s) for an ordering principle central to the paper's or project's structure; failure to acknowledge the source (quoted, paraphrased, or summarized) of major sections or passages in the paper or project; the unacknowledged use of several major ideas or extensive reliance on another person's data, evidence, or critical method; submitting as one's own work, work borrowed, stolen, or purchased from someone else.

Penalties and Procedures for Violations of Academic Integrity

When a faculty member has information that a student has violated academic integrity in a course or program for which he or she is responsible and determines that a violation has occurred, he or she will inform the student and impose an appropriate sanction. A faculty member may make any one or a combination of the following responses to the infractions cited above:

Warning without further penalty; requiring rewriting of a paper containing plagiarized material; lowering of a paper or project grade by one full grade or more; giving a failing grade on a paper containing plagiarized material; giving a failing grade on any examination in which cheating occurred; withholding permission to withdraw from the course after a penalty has been imposed; lowering a course grade by one full grade or more; giving a failing grade in a course; imposing a penalty uniquely designed for the particular infraction.

If a faculty member announces a failing grade in the course as a possible result of academic dishonesty, the student receiving such a penalty will not be permitted to withdraw from the course unless the grievance or judicial system rules in favor of the student.

Any faculty member encountering matters of academic dishonesty in an academic program or class for which he or she has responsibility may, in addition to, or in lieu of, the actions cited above, refer a case to the University Judicial System. After considering the case under the procedures provided by the University, the appropriate University judicial body will recommend the disposition of the case that can include disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion from the University.

Faculty members are expected to report in writing to the Offices of Graduate or Undergraduate Studies, as appropriate, all sanctions they impose, along with a brief description of the incident. A copy of the report is to be given to the student. These offices will maintain a copy of such reports for the duration of a student's enrollment at the University. Upon graduation or separation of the student from the University, these confidential reports will be destroyed. Violations of academic integrity by graduate students are reported by faculty directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Policy for appropriate action. This office replaces the Office of Undergraduate Studies in all matters involving graduate student violations of academic integrity.

Students who feel they have been erroneously penalized for an academic integrity infraction or think that a penalty is inappropriate may grieve these issues through procedures developed for each college, school, program, or department of the University. Copies of the procedures are maintained in Deans' offices, in the Office of Undergraduate Studies or Graduate Studies, and in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. A copy of the disposition of any grievance arising in matters of academic dishonesty will be attached to the faculty correspondence in the Offices of Undergraduate or Graduate Studies.

When a student violates academic integrity in more than one academic exercise, whether those infractions occurred during the same or different periods of time or in the same or different courses, the University regards the offense as an especially serious subversion of academic integrity. The matter becomes particularly severe when the student has been confronted with the first infraction before the second is committed. Whenever the Office of Undergraduate or Graduate Studies receives a second academic integrity report on a student, the Dean will request a hearing before the University Judicial System.

The Director of Libraries or the Computing Center, upon a finding of theft, damage, or misuse of facilities or resources, will forward all such cases to the University Judicial System for review and disposition, which can include suspension or expulsion from the University. The Director of the Library or the Computing Center may, in individual cases, limit access to the library or computing center pending action by the University Judicial System. In all other cases of academic dishonesty that come to the attention of any staff, faculty, or student, it is expected that the Dean of Undergraduate Studies will be notified of such infractions. The Dean of Undergraduate Studies will process all such alleged matters of academic dishonesty and refer them to the University Judicial System.

The University Judicial System was established by the governing bodies of this campus and is administratively the responsibility of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Any questions about the procedures of the University Judicial System may be secured by inquiry to that office.