EKU Academic Integrity Policy
(EKU Honor Code and Pledge)

Preamble

Eastern Kentucky University is a community of shared academic values, foremost of which is a strong commitment to intellectual honesty, honorable conduct, and respect for others. In order to meet these values, students at Eastern Kentucky University are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity. These standards are embodied in the Eastern Kentucky University Academic Integrity Policy, which all students shall pledge to uphold by signing the Eastern Kentucky University Honor Code. By honoring and enforcing this Academic Integrity Policy, the University community affirms that it will not tolerate academic dishonesty.

Academic Dishonesty Defined

Academic integrity is a fundamental value for the Eastern Kentucky University community of students, faculty, and staff. It should be clearly understood that academic dishonesty is not tolerated and incidents of it will have serious consequences. Anyone who knowingly assists in any form of academic dishonesty shall be considered as responsible as the student who accepts such assistance and shall be subject to the same sanctions. Academic dishonesty can occur in different forms, some of which include cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication.

* Cheating

Cheating is an act or an attempted act of deception by which a student seeks to misrepresent that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

• Giving or receiving assistance not authorized by the instructor or University representative;
• Participating in unauthorized collaboration on an academic exercise;
• Using unapproved or misusing electronic devices or aids during an academic exercise.

* Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when a student represents work taken from another source as his/her own. It is imperative that a student gives credit to information, words, ideas, and images that are integrated into his/her own work. Acknowledgement of a source of information in any form should consist of complete, accurate, and specific references and, if verbatim statements are included, quotation marks as well. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

• Using words, ideas, or images from another source (including the Internet); whether in quotation marks or not, without giving credit to that source in the form of a bibliographic citation;
• Facts, statistics, or other supporting materials that are not clearly common knowledge without acknowledgment of the source.

* Fabrication

Fabrication is a form of deception and occurs when a student misrepresents written or verbal information in an academic exercise. Fabrication includes, but is not limited to:

• Citation of information not taken from the source indicated. This may include the incorrect documentation of secondary source materials;
• Listing sources in a bibliography not directly used in the academic exercise;
• Submission in a paper, thesis, lab report, practicum log, or other academic exercise of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or evidence, or deliberate and knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or evidence;
• Submitting as your own any academic exercise (verbal, written, electronic, or artistic work) prepared totally or in part by another person.

Pledge

I hereby affirm that I understand, accept, and will uphold the responsibilities and stipulations of the Eastern Kentucky University Honor Code and Academic Integrity Policy.