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Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity

  1. Know Your Rights. Do not let other students in your class diminish the value of your achievement by taking unfair advantage. Report any academic dishonesty you see.

  1. Acknowledge Your Sources. Whenever you use words or ideas that are not your own when writing a paper, use quotation marks where appropriate and cite your source in a footnote, and back it up at the end with a list of sources consulted.

  1. Protect Your Work. In examinations, do not allow your neighbors to see what you have written; you are the only one who should receive credit for what you know.

  1. Avoid Suspicion. Do not put yourself in a position where you can be suspected of having copied another person's work, or of having used unauthorized notes in an examination. Even the appearance of dishonesty may undermine your instructor's confidence in your work.

  1. Do your own work. The purpose of assignments is to develop your skills and measure your progress. Letting someone else do your work defeats the purpose of your education, and may lead to serious charges against you.

  1. Never falsify a record or permit another person to do so. Academic records are regularly audited and students whose grades have been altered put their entire transcript at risk.

  1. Never fabricate data, citations, or experimental results. Many professional careers have ended in disgrace, even years after the fabrication first took place.

  1. Always tell the truth when discussing your work with your instructor. Any attempt to deceive may destroy the relation of teacher and student.