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Academic Integrity Policy

All members of the academic community at Passaic County Community College, including online students, must maintain a constant commitment to academic integrity. Academic integrity is central to the pursuit of education. For all PCCC students, this means maintaining the highest ethical standards in completing their academic work. By completing their academic goals with integrity and honesty, students can reflect on their efforts with pride in their accomplishments.

Violations of the principle of academic integrity include (but are not limited to):

Cheating

Cheating is an act of deception by which students misrepresent their mastery of material on a test or other academic exercise.

Examples of cheating include but are not limited to the following:

1. Obtaining unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
   * Copying from another student’s exam or work.
   * Using notes, books, or aids of any kind during an exam when prohibited.
   * Receiving unauthorized help from another student/person.
   * The acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the College faculty or staff.
2. Fraudulent assistance to another student.
   Some examples are:
   * Completing an academic activity or taking an exam for someone else.
   * Giving answers to or sharing answers with another student during an exam.
   * Sharing knowledge of test questions with other students without permission.
3. Inappropriately, or unethically, using technological means to gain academic advantage.
   Some examples are:
   * Inappropriate or unethical acquisition of material via the Internet.
   * Using hidden devices for communication during an exam.
   * Using problem solving apps/devices.
   * Copying solutions.
   * Each instructor is authorized to establish specific guidelines consistent with this policy.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when a person represents someone else' words, ideas, phrase, sentences or data as one's own work.

Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to the following:

1. Knowingly representing the work of others as his/her own.
   Some examples are:
   * Submitting a paper or other academic work for credit, which includes words, ideas, data, or creative work of others without acknowledging the source, whether intended or not.
   * Using another author’s words without enclosing them in quotation marks, without paraphrasing them, or without citing the source appropriately.
   * Presenting another individual’s work as one’s own.
2. Self-plagiarism
   Example:
   * Submitting the same paper or academic assignment to another class without the permission of the instructor.
3. Internet Plagiarism
   Some examples are:
   * Submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers.
   * Paraphrasing or copying information from the Internet without citing the source.
   * “Copying and pasting” from various sources without proper attribution.
   * Using problem solving apps/devices.
   * Copying solutions from any source.

Fabrication

Fabrication refers to the deliberate use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive.

Examples of fabrication include but are not limited to the following:

* Submitting any academic assignment containing falsified or fabricated data or results.
* Falsifying bibliographic entries.

Sanctions for Academic Integrity Violations
The faculty member shall review with the student the facts and circumstances of the suspected violation whenever possible. Sanctions for violations of the Academic Integrity Policy may be an academic sanction (reduced grade, a grade of “F” for the assignment, a grade of “F” for the course), or referral to the Office of Student Affairs for a recommended disciplinary sanction
(e.g., probation, suspension, or expulsion), or both. A student is not allowed to withdraw from class to avoid sanctions.

In cases where the instructor seeks an academic sanction only, and the student does not contest either his or her guilt or the particular sanction, no further action will be taken.

In cases where the instructor seeks an academic sanction only, and the student denies guilt or disputes the reduced grade, the matter will be handled using the Academic Appeals Committee’s process. At that time, the student will have an opportunity to present and/or refute evidence.

In cases where a disciplinary sanction is sought, the faculty member will submit a written report to the Office of Student Affairs, which will then forward the matter to the Judicial Affairs Committee for adjudication.

Note:  Please refer to the PCCC Student Handbook.