Academic Integrity Policies and Definitions
Academic Integrity Policies and Definitions
The New School views academic integrity as the duty of every community member. Claiming authorship for one’s own work and only for that work, recognizing the contributions of others accurately and completely, and presenting one’s academic circumstances and achievements accurately and completely are fundamental obligations to the integrity of intellectual, creative, and academic pursuits. All members of the university community are expected to conduct themselves in accord with the standards of academic integrity outlined in this policy.
The New School values and respects all academic traditions; however, while at The New School, students are expected to adhere to the norms and standards of academic integrity espoused by this community and will be assessed in accordance with these standards.
Students are responsible for understanding the University’s policy on academic integrity. The New School recognizes that different academic circumstances may require different procedures for citing sources and referencing the work of others, including work generated by artificial intelligence tools. In their syllabi, faculty members are required to inform students of the academic integrity policy, as well as provide guidelines on their own practices, such as the limits within which students may collaborate with or seek help from others, the parameters on the acceptable outsourcing of certain tasks, and direction on the use of generative artificial intelligence tools, if permitted for use within the course.
DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
The standards of academic integrity apply to all forms of academic work and circumstances, including, but not limited to, presentations, performances, examinations, submissions of papers (including drafts), projects, academic records, etc. Academic integrity includes accurate use of quotations, as well as appropriate and explicit citation of sources in instances of paraphrasing, describing ideas, and reporting on research findings and work of others (including that of faculty members and other students). Only authorized use of artificial intelligence tools is permitted. Students unsure about acceptable use of any source, including generative artificial intelligence tools, in the context of a particular assignment, should consult the syllabus for a course or speak with the instructor.
Academic dishonesty results from violations of academic integrity guidelines. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
cheating on examinations, either by copying another student’s work or by utilizing unauthorized materials
using work of others as one’s own original work and submitting such work to the university or to scholarly journals, magazines, or similar publications
copying or appropriating someone else’s work in visual or performing arts
submission of someone else’s work downloaded from paid or unpaid sources on the internet as one’s own original work, or including the information in a submitted work without proper citation
submission of another student’s work obtained by theft, purchase or other means as one’s own original work
submitting the same work for more than one course without the knowledge and explicit approval of all of the faculty members involved, including applicable faculty from prior semester(s)
unauthorized use of artificial intelligence tools to generate ideas, images, art/design, audio, video, code, or text for any portions of work
destruction or defacement of the work of others
aiding or abetting any act of academic dishonesty
any attempt to gain academic advantage by presenting misleading information, making deceptive statements, or falsifying documents, including documents related to admission applications, academic records, portfolios, and internships
any form of distributing one’s work with the intent to enable students to use this work as their own, including, but not limited to, posting quizzes, papers, projects etc. on websites
engaging in other forms of academic dishonesty that violate principles of integrity
Academic Integrity: Range of Possible Outcomes
Outcomes range from “not responsible” to Academic Integrity Warning, Academic Integrity Probation, Academic Integrity Suspension, and Academic Integrity Dismissal.
Warning: Academic Integrity Warning status is issued upon most first minor offenses where an academic integrity violation has been determined. In general, minor offenses are less serious, unpremeditated dishonest acts, involving errors in judgment that, in the faculty member’s professional opinion, violate academic integrity (i.e., student indicates that source of information is not original, but does not follow proper citation procedures; student paraphrases or copies a portion of a document without citing the source, or provides an improper citation). These violations are generally quite limited in extent, occur on a minor assignment or quiz, or constitute a small portion of a major assignment and/or represent a small percentage of the total course work.
Academic Integrity Warning is not noted on the student transcript or in the student’s permanent educational record at the University, but a record of the violation is kept in the Office of Academic Standards. The student may be required to participate in a Plagiarism workshop offered through the University Learning Center. Any future acts of academic dishonesty will result in more severe penalties, including probation, suspension, or dismissal from the university.
Probation: Academic Integrity Probation status is normally issued for serious first offenses or following a minor first offense where an academic integrity violation has been determined. Serious first offenses are generally premeditated dishonest acts or dishonest acts that directly affects the offenders and/or other students’ grades (i.e. student places his/her name on a written assignment he/she did not write; student cheats or facilitates the cheating of another on an examination in a way that is premeditated). Students on Academic Integrity Probation may remain enrolled in the university only upon compliance with specified academic standards, requirements, or restrictions, for a specified period of time or for the remainder of the time he or she is enrolled at the university.
Academic Integrity Probation is not noted on the student transcript, but a record of the violation is noted in the student’s permanent educational record at the University. The student may be required to participate in a Plagiarism workshop offered through the University Learning Center. Violation of any conditions of Academic Integrity Probation or the policy may result in more serious consequences, normally in the form of suspension or dismissal.
Suspension: Academic Integrity Suspension is issued for all egregious infractions. Examples of egregious infractions include, but are not limited to: multiple instances of academic dishonesty by a student in a single course, repeated instances of academic dishonesty by a student in different courses, or violation of the academic integrity policy by a student while on Academic Integrity Probation. In cases where the sanction of Academic Integrity Suspension is determined, separation from the university may be deferred to the following semester. Suspension for violation of the academic integrity policy means a loss of student status for a specified length of time with reinstatement thereafter certain, provided that the student has complied with all conditions imposed as part of the suspension and provided that the student otherwise qualifies for reinstatement. Suspension is university-wide, with resultant loss of all student rights and privileges.
Academic Integrity Suspension is noted on student transcripts and in the student’s permanent educational record at the University. A student returning from Academic Integrity Suspension is placed on Academic Integrity Probation for the remainder of the time he or she is enrolled at the university. Violation of the conditions of suspension or of university policies during the period of suspension, or upon return from suspension, may be cause for further disciplinary action, normally in the form of dismissal.
Dismissal: Academic Integrity Dismissal is issued for all egregious acts of academic dishonesty related to a major culminating work such as a Senior Exhibit, Master’s Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation, regardless of previous history, or for a violation of the academic integrity policy upon return from Academic Integrity Suspension. In cases where the sanction of Academic Integrity Dismissal is determined, separation from the university is immediate, unless the student appeals the outcome. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the student will be dismissed immediately upon conclusion of the appeals process. Dismissal for violation of the academic integrity policy means termination of student status with resultant loss of all student rights and privileges.
Academic Integrity Dismissal is university-wide and is noted on student transcripts and in the student’s permanent educational record at the University. A student who has been dismissed may petition for the right to apply for readmission via the readmission process. A student readmitted from an Academic Integrity Dismissal is placed on Academic Integrity Probation for the remainder of the time the student is enrolled at the university.