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Academic Integrity

In January 2022 all faculties and schools at Queen’s began following the Senate’s Academic Integrity Procedures – Requirements of Faculties and Schools approved on October 26, 2021. We are in the process of updating this page to reflect changes in the new procedures. Until this notice is removed, however, the most accurate sources of information are the procedures and Queen’s University Academic Integrity website.

The new Academic Integrity Procedures were approved by Senate in October 2021. Smith School of Business academic regulations, policies and procedures dealing with academic integrity issues will be updated shortly to align with the Procedures. Until that time, if there is a discrepancy between Smith's academic regulations, policies or processes that deal with academic integrity and the provisions of the Senate Academic Integrity Procedures, the Procedures take precedence.

Academic Integrity at Queen's

The Queen’s University Senate Policy on Academic Integrity (“the Policy”) states that students, faculty, and staff have responsibilities to support and uphold the fundamental values of academic integrity: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

The purposes of the Senate-approved Academic Integrity Procedures are to:

  • affirm the University’s dedication to the values of academic integrity and the seriousness with which it treats departures;
  • protect the academic integrity of the University and the value of its courses, programs, and degrees;
  • explain the responsibilities of students, instructors, and staff;
  • ensure the rights of students are protected; and
  • ensure consistency among Faculties and Schools and the equitable treatment of students.

The Policy and these Procedures apply to all members of the Queen’s University community including students, instructors, and staff. They govern all assessed academic activities that receive acknowledgement from the University.

Proceedings under these Procedures are also governed by the Senate Policy on Academic Integrity, any applicable rules of the Smith School of Business, Senate and the University, and the principles of procedural fairness.

Policies

Integrity in Action: the Core Values

Queen’s University is dedicated to creating a scholarly community free to explore a range of ideas, to build and advance knowledge and to share the ideas and knowledge that emerge from a range of intellectual pursuits. Each core value of academic integrity, as defined in the Senate Academic Integrity Policy, gives rise to and supports the next.

Honesty appears in presenting one’s own academic work, whether in the context of an examination, written assignment, laboratory or seminar presentation. It is in researching one’s own work for course assignments. It is also present in faithfully reporting statistical results even when they do not conform to an original hypothesis. Further, honesty is present in acknowledging dependence on the ideas or words of another and in distinguishing one’s own ideas and thoughts from other sources.

Trust exists in an environment in which one’s own ideas can be expressed without fear of ridicule or fear that someone else will take credit for them.

Fairness appears in the proper and full acknowledgement of the contributions of collaborators in group projects and in the full participation of partners in collaborative projects

Respect, in a general sense, is part of an intellectual community that recognizes the participatory nature of the learning process and honours and respects a wide range of opinions and ideas. However, “respect” appears in a very particular sense when students attend class, pay attention, contribute to discussion and submit papers on time; instructors “show respect by taking students’ ideas seriously, by recognizing them as individuals, helping them develop their ideas, providing full and honest feedback on their work, and valuing their perspectives and their goals” (“The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity”, 3rd Edition, p. 8).

Responsibility is both personal and collective and engages students, administrators, faculty and staff in creating and maintaining a learning environment supported by and supporting academic integrity.

Courage “differs from the preceding values by being more a quality or capacity of character – the capacity to act in accordance with one’s values despite fear” (“The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity”, 3rd edition, p. 10). Courage is displayed by students who make choices and decisions with integrity that are followed by action, even in the face of peer pressure to cheat, copy another’s material, provide their own work to others to facilitate cheating, or otherwise represent themselves dishonestly. Students also display courage by acknowledging prior wrongdoing and taking proactive measures to rectify any associated negative impact.

All of these values are not merely abstract but are expressed in and reinforced by the University’s policies and practices.

Departures from Academic Integrity

The six fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage support the entire educational experience of the University. Adhering to these values in all academic work ensures the value of the degree, the integrity of the institution and the integrity of individual achievement. Contravening any of these values compromises the integrity of the student’s experience in completing academic work, working with peers, and interacting with instructors.

Some examples of specific conduct and actions that may constitute departures from academic integrity are listed below. The list is not exhaustive, as other conduct and actions may also be found to be departures.

“Conduct” may include any actions or oral or written statements that may give rise to concerns about a possible departure from academic integrity, or taking steps in furtherance of a plan to engage in a departure from academic integrity.

“Work” may include essays, papers, assignments, journal entries, tests, examinations, research reports or results, or any other product of academic work.

Plagiarism involves presenting another’s ideas, words, or work as one’s own.

  • Copying or using quotations or paraphrasing material from a print or other source, including the internet, without proper acknowledgement
  • Copying another student’s work;
  • Submitting the same piece of work in more than one course without permission

Contract cheating is a very serious form of plagiarism that involves outsourcing academic work to pay-for-profit websites or others and submitting the work as one’s own.

  • Purchasing a term paper or assignment to be submitted as one’s own
  • Submitting essays or assignments that have been obtained – whether for pay or freely – from homework sites, essay mills, tutor sites, friends, family members or classmates
  • Hiring an exam impersonator

Use of unauthorized materials involves accessing material that the instructions for the academic work explicitly or implicitly prohibit you from utilizing.

  • Using or possessing unauthorized written material or an electronic device with memory and/or web access such as a calculator, cell phone or smart watch that is not permitted during a test or examination
  • Copying another student’s test, examination and/or assignment answer(s)
  • Unauthorized removal of materials from a library
  • Utilizing materials that have been received directly or indirectly from former students to aid in the completion of tests, examinations and/or assignments

Falsification involves misrepresenting one’s self, one’s work or one’s relation to the University.

  • Altering transcripts or other official academic documents; impersonating someone in a test or examination
  • Submitting take-home or other examination responses written, in whole or in part, by someone else
  • Fabricating or falsifying laboratory or research data; fabricating or falsifying a rationale provided to an instructor and/or administrator for late submission of work or failing to submit work

Using the intellectual property of another for academic, personal, or professional advantage without the authorization of the owner.

  • Uploading course materials to a note-sharing website without the instructor’s permission
  • Providing course materials to a commercial study-prep service not sanctioned by the University
  • Distributing, publicly posting, selling or otherwise disseminating an instructor’s course materials or providing an instructor’s course materials to anyone else for distribution, posting, sale or other means of dissemination, without the instructor’s express consent

Unauthorized collaboration involves working with others, without the specific permission of the instructor, on academic work that will be submitted for a grade.

  • Working with others on in-class or take-home tests, papers, or homework assignments that are meant to be completed individually
  • Communicating with another person during an exam or about an exam during the exam window

Failing to abide by the Smith School of Business or University academic rules and regulations.

  • Failing to follow rules imposed by course instructors, or others (for example, teaching assistants, guest or substitute instructors), regarding the preparation, writing, and submission of academic work
  • Failing to follow rules set out by instructors or the Exams Office in the writing of tests and examinations; failing to follow regulations governing ethics reviews
  • Failing to comply with assigned remedies and sanctions resulting from a departure from academic integrity

Individual instructors or Program Directors should point out to students, in writing, any areas of specific concern not covered above. Students are encouraged to consult instructors if they are unsure of the standards of academic integrity appropriate to an academic program, course, or activity.

Sanctions for Departures from Academic Integrity

Any student who is found to have committed a departure from academic integrity may face a range of sanctions, from receiving a written warning to a grade of zero on the assignment to requirement to withdraw from the university for a period of time, or even that a degree should be rescinded.

You may consult with the Office of the University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities and guidance on policy and procedure.