Student Policies > Code of Conduct > Violations of Conduct

Academic Dishonesty

Students of Wilmington University are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic pursuits. It is inappropriate conduct to falsify the results of research; steal the words, phrases, or ideas of another; cheat or attempt to cheat on an examination; or to aid, assist, or allow another to commit an act of academic dishonesty. When a student places his or her name on submitted work, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgements.

Acts of academic dishonesty are serious offenses. For any single offense resolved within the confines of the class, the minimum penalty is a failing grade on the paper or examination; the maximum penalty is a failing grade in the course. For subsequent violations or for violations adjudicated by the Student Discipline Committee, penalties may include permanent dismissal from the University (See “Sanctions”).

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own. When a student submits work that includes the words, ideas, or data of another, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, and, if verbatim statements are included, through quotation marks as well. When the student places his or her name on submitted work, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgments. Plagiarism covers published and unpublished sources.

PLAGIARISM NEED NOT BE INTENTIONAL. Students are urged to consult with individual faculty members, department heads, or recognized handbooks in their field if they are in doubt as to whether their work may be plagiarism. This should be done before the work is submitted.

Taking information from the internet without proper attribution is considered plagiarism.

Fabrication

Fabrication is the intentional use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings. Falsification includes, by way of illustration but not limitation, the submission of work as your own when it was prepared totally or in part by another, taking any examination for another student, or having another student take an examination for you.

Cheating

Cheating is an act or an attempted act of deception by which the student seeks to misrepresent that he or she has mastered information on an academic exercise. Some examples of cheating include copying from another student’s test paper, allowing another student to copy from your test paper, or using unauthorized notes or books during a test.

Grade and Test Tampering

Grade or test tampering is the intentional violation of University policies by tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of an unadministered test or receiving, in whole or in part, an unadministered test. It is a violation to aid, assist, or otherwise counsel someone in achieving or attempting to tamper with the integrity of a grade or test.

Procedures for Violation of the Code of Conduct –
Academic Dishonesty

The following procedures are to be used for First Occurrences:

  1. The faculty member, in consultation with the program coordinator of the division in which the course resides, may assign the student(s) a failing grade for the assignment, paper or examination.  This is considered the minimum penalty.  The faculty member in consultation with the program coordinator may assign the maximum penalty which is a failing grade for the course.
  2. The faculty member will immediately inform the Dean of the academic division in which the course in question resides of this action.
  3. The Dean shall inform the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs of the offense who will inform the student writing that their continued enrollment at Wilmington University is provisional.  In addition, a student may be required to take the course ENG 365, Academic Writing.  The Vice President for Student Affairs will receive a copy of this letter.

Second Occurrence:

  1. In the event of a repeated occurrence related to academic integrity, steps one and two from above are to be followed. The third step is a follows.
  2. The Dean shall inform the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs who shall inform Vice President of Student Affairs and submit materials related to any previous offenses. The Vice President of Student Affairs may take any temporary action deemed appropriate related to suspending the student from University activities and shall convene a meeting of the Student Discipline Committee.