Last updated August 2023

The Institute requires of every student, complete intellectual honesty in the preparation of all assigned academic work.

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Plagiarism

Cheating

Duplicate Use of Written Work

Misconduct in Research

Student Responsibilities

Role of the Faculty

Violations, Procedures, and Disciplinary Actions

Definitions

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a violation of intellectual honesty. Plagiarism is passing off another person’s work as one’s own. It is taking and presenting as one’s own the ideas, research, writings, creations, or inventions of another. It makes no difference whether the source is a student or a professional in some field. For example, in written work, whenever as much as a sentence or key phrase is taken from the work of another without specific citation of the source, the issue of plagiarism arises.

Paraphrasing is the close restatement of another’s idea using approximately the language of the original. Paraphrasing without acknowledgment of authorship is also plagiarism and is as serious a violation as an unacknowledged quotation.

Intentional or unintentional failure to attribute facts that are not common knowledge (whether represented in textual, graphic, statistical, or visual form) also constitutes plagiarism. All writing submitted for formal and informal assessment must be the student’s own work.

Cheating

The term “cheating” includes providing, soliciting, or receiving assistance before or during an examination or quiz that is not explicitly authorized by the instructor of record. Copying from a fellow student’s examination or quiz paper, possessing or using unauthorized material during an examinations or quiz (e.g., notes, books, electronic devices) and continuing to write after an exercise has ended all constitute cheating. Inadmissible forms of assistance include allowing a fellow student to copy from an examination or quiz paper, sharing unauthorized materials (e.g. notes, books, electronic devices), and talking or whispering during an examination or quiz. Similarly egregious violations of these standards include, but are not limited to: taking an examination or quiz paper from the room and later claiming that the instructor lost it; changing answers after the examination or quiz has been returned; fraudulent possession of an examination or quiz prior to administration; obtaining a copy of an examination, quiz, or solution key prior to administration; taking an examination or quiz for another student; and persuading another person to take an examination or quiz for oneself.

Duplicate Use of Written Work

A paper submitted to meet the requirements of a particular course is assumed to be work completed for that course; the same paper, or substantially similar papers, may not be used to meet the requirements of two different courses, in the same or different terms, without the prior consent of each faculty member involved. Students incorporating similar material in more than one paper are required to confirm each professor’s expectations in advance.

Misconduct in Research

If there is student research misconduct in the form of fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, in research sponsored by the federal government, additional procedures and reporting will apply as directed by the Middlebury Misconduct in Research and Other Scholarly Activities Policies and Procedures. Students also have an obligation to report observed, suspected, or apparent research misconduct and to cooperate in the review of inquiries and allegations.

Student Responsibilities

Graded assignments should be the work of the individual student, unless otherwise directed by the professor. Students must assume responsibility for their own integrity on all assigned academic work.

The individual student is responsible for ensuring that his or her work does not involve plagiarism. Ignorance of the nature of plagiarism or of The Institute’s policies may not be offered as a mitigating circumstance.

Students with uncertainties and questions on matters relating to footnoting, citation of sources, paraphrasing lecture notes, and proper recognition of collaborative work on homework assignments and reports should consult with the course professor for whom they are preparing work.

Role of the Faculty

At the beginning of each term, professors are strongly encouraged to discuss or include on their syllabus the Institute’s policies governing academic honesty as they relate to a particular course.

Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy, Procedures, and Disciplinary Actions

  • Any member of the Institute community (student, faculty, or administrator) who is aware of a case of academic dishonesty is morally obligated to report it to the professor, the appropriate dean or the associate dean of student services (ADSS).

  • Those who cheat are morally obliged to report their own offense to the professor, the appropriate dean or the ADSS.

  • Alleged violations will be handled according to the academic disciplinary policies. For cases that are heard by the Conduct Judicial Board, hearings may not be conducted with fewer than four members. A finding of responsibility for a policy violation will result when no more than one Board member votes against a finding of responsibility. Recommended sanctions shall be determined by majority vote.

  • Academic dishonesty is normally punishable by suspension from the Institute. However, the penalty may be modified when, in the opinion of the appropriate dean and the Conduct Judicial Board, conclusive reasons warrant such action.

  • Should the accused be found not guilty, all records of the proceeding will be destroyed.

  • Right of Appeal: A student found guilty of an offense will have the right of appeal to the Judicial Appeals Board in all cases.

  • All deliberations of the Conduct Judicial Board concerning academic dishonesty violations will be conducted in confidence.