Module 2: Graduate Honor Code
This is the second of a series of four modules in the Ethics Training series provided by the School of Education
Here, in Module 2, we examine the Graduate Honor Code
The Graduate Honor Code is comprised of a set of ethical and integrity standards that all graduate students are mandated to follow in all their academic endeavors – whether it be teaching, coursework, or research.
They are like laws. The same way we have moral codes in society that regulate our behavior, at Virginia Tech, there is an Honor Code to regulate and control performance.
It is important that you understand what are considered violations of the Honor Code so that you can avoid committing such actions and guide those around you.
After completing this module, you should be able to: Distinguish among the four types of Graduate Honor Code violations: cheating, plagiarism, falsification, and academic sabotage.
Read about each of these four types below. Be sure to click any hyperlinks and read the linked material before moving on to the next module.
Violation 1: Cheating
What is Academic Cheating?
According to the Graduate Honor System (GHS) Constitution of Virginia Tech, academic cheating means receiving and/or giving unauthorized aid, assistance and/or unfair advantage.
The definition can be broken down into 3 key components
- Assistance is unauthorized
- Giving such assistance is as bad as seeking and/or receiving such assistance
- Whether it's done intentionally or not is irrelevant
The GHS Constitution defines cheating as "Cheating is defined as the giving or receiving of any unauthorized aid, assistance, or unfair advantage in any form of academic work" (Constitution of the Graduate Honor System, 2021, p. 1).
It further clarifies this definition as: “Cheating applies to the products of all forms of academic work. These products include, but are not limited to, in-class tests, take-home tests, lab assignments, problem sets, term papers, research projects, theses, dissertations, preliminary and qualifying examinations given for the fulfillment of graduate degrees, or any other work assigned by an instructor or professor, graduate committee, or department that pertains to graduate work or degrees.”
Reference
Constitution of the Graduate Honor System - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. (2021, April). https://graduateschool.vt.edu/content/dam/graduateschool_vt_edu/graduate-honor-system/Constitution2021.pdf
Strategies to Avoid Cheating
- Value your honor and integrity.
- Treat each assignment as an opportunity to learn rather than a task to finish.
- Manage time effectively so that other activities don’t compete with your homework for time.
- Read assignment instructions carefully to determine which resources are allowed and which ones are prohibited, and always follow the instructions; if in doubt, verify with your instructor.
- If you do need help with your assignments, contact your instructor first to seek authorization.
- Don’t talk about, leave unattended or let others have your finished assignments or exams before everyone else turns in theirs.
Violation 2: Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
The GHS Constitution defines plagiarism as "a specific form of cheating, and is defined as the copying of the language, structure, idea, and/or thoughts of another and claiming or attempting to imply that it is one's own original work. It also includes the omitting of quotation marks when references are copied directly, improper paraphrasing, or inadequate referencing of sources" (Constitution of the Graduate Honor System, 2021, p. 2).
They continue, "plagiarism can be broadly defined as the act of appropriating the literary composition, language, structure, ideas, and/or thoughts, drawings, laboratory reports, or computer programs of another or parts or passages thereof, and of passing them off as the original product of one's own mind" (p. 18).
Strategies to Avoid Plagiarism
- When taking notes, mark someone else's words with a big Q, for quote, or use big quotation marks.
- Indicate in your notes which ideas are taken from sources with a big S, and which are your own insights (ME).
- When information comes from sources, record relevant documentation in your notes (book and article titles; URLs on the Web).
- Proofread and cross-check with your notes.
- Allow enough time to complete assignment and proof read.
How to Avoid Plagiarism:
Detailed Explanation of Plagiarism with Examples:
Violation 3: Falsification
What is Falsification?
At its simplest level, it means to falsify, and according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, to falsify means “to make (something) false: to change (something) in order to make people believe something that is not true.”
According to the Graduate Honor System (GHS) Constitution of Virginia Tech, falsification can be defined as Any attempt to falsify, whether orally, in writing, or via electronic media, any circumstance relevant to academic work. (GHS Constitution, 2021, p. 2)
Some Examples of Falsification:
- The forgery of official signature
- Tampering with official records or documents
- False data or results in any paper or report submitted for a grade, as a degree requirement, or for publication
- Fraudulently adding or deleting information on academic document
- Fraudulently changing an examination or testing period or due date of an assignment
- The unauthorized accessing of someone else’s computer account or files
Activity: Now that you have a fairly good understanding of what falsification is, let’s look at two examples.
A graduate student, Zahra, has been conducting a quantitative research for the semester-long project. As it draws close to the project due date, Zahra hasn’t collected enough data from the experimental group. She was worried and wanted to submit the project on time.
She makes up some data in order to prove her hypothesis. Is this an example of falsification?
Yes. Recall that falsification is any attempt to falsify, whether orally, in writing, or via electronic media, any circumstance relevant to academic work.
Moore wanted to graduate on time, but had not yet completed an assignment that he needed for one of his courses. Moore needed the signature of the professor of the course in which he still had coursework due in order to graduate. The professor would not sign the document until Moore handed in his work.
Moore decided to sign the document in the professor’s name. He figured no one would bother correcting him if he was graduating. Is this an example of falsification?
Yes, this is an example of falsification. Moore forged an official signature.
Violation 4: Academic Sabotage
What is Academic Sabotage?
It is important to note that sabotage can occur with many types of academic materials.
These materials include:
- Writing material - such as notes, outlines, paper or electronic drafts or final works.
- Laboratory or field experiments - such as equipment, materials, recordings, or other data.
- Equipment used in teaching or research - such as presentation materials, or presentation aides.
- Computer files or programs- such as software, or programming codes.
On page 2 of the Graduate Honor System (GHS) Constitution of Virginia Tech, we are told that Academic Sabotage includes the purposeful destruction or theft of:
- Writing material
- Laboratory or field experiments
- Equipment used in teaching or research
- Or computer files or programs used in an academic context with the intent to prevent or delay the academic progress of another individual or group.
Now that you have a fairly good understanding of what falsification is, let’s look at an example.
A Virginia Tech graduate student named John is frustrated that his lab results have not been very good this semester. He fears that he is about to lose funding. But another graduate student in the lab has had good results and is about to be rewarded for their efforts with funding for another year.
John decides that if he interferes with his colleague’s results, their findings will be wrong and their research will fail to gain funding. John then titrates extra chemicals into one of his colleague’s experiments changing the results of his colleague’s experiment.
Do you think this is an example of sabotage?
Yes. In this case John prevented or delayed the academic progress of his colleague by titrating extra chemicals into one of his colleague’s experiments, which changed the results.
Strategies to Avoid Academic Sabotage
- Do not compare yourself with other students, the root of sabotage tends to be jealousy. Spend time to do quality work and you will succeed.
- Graduate programs are designed to ensure that all who are admitted succeed, take advantage of the help available.
- Avoid other people’s computers and their academic work.
- Celebrate your success and that of your colleagues.
Once you have reviewed this module, please move on to Module 3 using the button below.
Reference
Constitution of the Graduate Honor System - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. (2021, April). https://graduateschool.vt.edu/content/dam/graduateschool_vt_edu/graduate-honor-system/Constitution2021.pdf