Section 15: Development of Ethics in Scholarly Activities

15.4 Academic Misconduct

Ohio State’s Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) is charged with investigating allegations of academic misconduct. Graduate students are expected to be familiar with relevant policies and procedures governing academic and scholarly conduct at Ohio State. For complete information, please consult the Office of Academic Affairs.

Student should take advantage of workshops on campus designed to define and reduce plagiarism such as Preparing Papers at the Dennis Learning Center or investigate plagiarism and copyright resources compiled by the University Libraries.

‘‘I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.’’

- Maya Angelou, Activist/Writer

WHAT IS ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT?

In the University Rules and Bylaws, the Code of Student Conduct defines academic misconduct as "any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University, or subvert the educational process." While many people associate academic misconduct with "cheating," the term encompasses a wider scope of student behaviors which include, but are not limited to, the following:

Violation of course rules;
Violation of program regulations;
Knowingly providing or receiving information during a course exam or program assignment;
Possession and/or use of unauthorized materials during a course exam or program assignment;
Knowingly providing or using assistance in the laboratory, on field work, or on a course assignment, unless such assistance has been authorized specifically by the course instructor or, where appropriate, a project/research supervisor;
Submission of work not performed in a course: This includes (but is not limited to) instances where a student fabricates and/or falsifies data or information for a laboratory experiment (i.e., a "dry lab") or other academic assignment. It also includes instances where a student submits data or information (such as a lab report or term paper) from one course to satisfy the requirements of another course, unless submission of such work is permitted by the instructor of the course or supervisor of the research for which the work is being submitted;
Submitting plagiarized work for a course/program assignment;
Falsification, fabrication, or dishonesty in conducting or reporting laboratory (research) results;
Serving as or asking another student to serve as a substitute (a "ringer") while taking an exam;
Alteration of grades in an effort to change earned credit or a grade;
Alteration and/or unauthorized use of university forms or records.