Academic Integrity for Faculty

Academic Integrity Syllabus Statements

Why include an Integrity Statement?

Instructors who explain their expectations about integrity (as well as the consequences for not meeting them) help students better understand integrity and its value in academic work. Your statement can be short or long, but it should clearly explain your expectations regarding virtue and its consequences.

Of course, including this statement is only a first step. Discussing expectations during class and before every paper or exam is helpful. Discussing issues that sometimes confuse students, such as what constitutes an acceptable paraphrase and good collaboration, can also be an excellent practice for promoting integrity.

Sample Statements:

• Students are expected to be familiar with and comply with A&M-SA's Code of Conduct, which is available in the Student Handbook. I generally have a zero-tolerance policy for cheating, and all violations will result in substantial penalties. If you have any doubts or questions about what constitutes academic misconduct, please do not hesitate to contact me.
• Intellectual development requires honesty, responsibility, and diligence in one's work. Taking ideas or words from others — plagiarizing — is dishonest and will result in a failing grade on the paper or assignment, as well as possibly other disciplinary actions. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me or consult the Student Handbook.

Have a syllabus statement you would like to contribute as a sample? Please email StudentRR@tamusa.edu 

Electronics Policy on Syllabus 

To further prevent academic dishonesty in the classroom, we recommend that all professors and instructors make a clear statement regarding their policies on the use of electronics in their classrooms. These can be statements regarding the school's electronics (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) and how and when they should be used and when they should not.

I don't want to refer this case to Student Rights & Responsibilities because I don't want the student to get in trouble. What should I do? 
Please note that we request that you report every incident of academic misconduct to help us identify patterns of behavior among individual students and across our student body. Identifying these patterns provides other departments with valuable insight into services our students may not be utilizing and information that helps us provide our student body with appropriate resources. 

While we will follow up on each case of academic misconduct reported by providing students with resources to help make them more successful in the future, we may not adjudicate every claim. Incidents that are most likely to lead to further adjudication under the Code of Conduct include those that are particularly egregious, involve a large number of students, or involve students with a history of conduct issues.

I believe a student is cheating, but I cannot definitively prove it. What can I do?
Contact a member of Student Rights and Responsibilities and provide details as to why you believe an act of academic misconduct is occurring. Once we know the details, we can advise you on the best and most appropriate action plan.

I sent a notice of their academic misconduct to a student, and they have not attended/scheduled a meeting with me. What should I do? 
When you contact students, we recommend including a reasonable date and time by which the student should respond. Student Rights and Responsibilities uses five business days as our standard. If, after a reasonable period, the student has not responded to you, please complete the Academic Misconduct Form without their input. There is an option that indicates the student did not attend the meeting. 

This website is considered a "live document" and will be updated frequently. If you are aware of additional resources that Student Rights & Responsibilities can provide but do not see them on our website, please email StudentRR@tamusa.edu.