Academic Integrity Quiz

A student reads an academic article to gather information for an essay. They paraphrase several ideas from the article but do not include citations because they believe paraphrased material does not need attribution. The final essay does not contain any direct quotes. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the student paraphrased the material.

• No, because the ideas were not copied verbatim.

• Yes, because paraphrased ideas still require proper citation.

• Yes, because the student did not ask the professor whether citation was necessary.

In a course with a take-home exam, students are allowed to use their textbooks and notes. However, one student discusses the exam questions with a classmate over a video call and they exchange ideas on how to answer the questions. The exam instructions did not explicitly state whether collaboration was allowed. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because collaboration was not explicitly prohibited.

• No, because they were using allowed resources like textbooks.

• Yes, because the take-home exam should be completed individually unless collaboration is explicitly permitted.

• Yes, because discussing answers with others constitutes cheating.

A student wrote a comprehensive essay for a previous course and wants to use sections of it in a new assignment for a different class. The new essay is on a related topic, and the student plans to include some of the old content without changing it. The student decides not to inform the new professor about this. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the student is the original author of both essays.

• No, because the topics are related and the content is still relevant.

• Yes, because reusing previous work without permission is considered self-plagiarism.

In a group project, one member contributes significantly less work than the others due to personal reasons, but the group agrees to divide the grade equally. The syllabus states that group members should report any issues with contribution to the professor. The underperforming student does not inform the professor. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the group agreed to share the grade equally.

• No, because the student had personal reasons for contributing less.

• Yes, because the student did not fulfill their share of the work as required.

While analyzing data for a lab report, a student realizes that one set of data points does not fit the expected trend. Believing that the data might be an outlier or an error, the student decides to exclude it from the report without consulting the professor, and the report’s conclusion aligns perfectly with the hypothesis. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the data was likely an error or outlier.

• No, because excluding outliers is common in data analysis.

• Yes, because the student excluded data without discussing it with the professor.

A student uses a secondary source (a textbook) that discusses a primary source (a historical document) in their research paper. Instead of reading the primary source directly, they cite the primary source as if they had consulted it themselves. The paper does not mention the textbook. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the textbook and primary source are both valid references.

• No, because the student is still referencing the primary source.

• Yes, because the student did not read the primary source themselves.

• Yes, because the student did not properly cite the secondary source.

A student completes a difficult homework assignment and posts their solutions on a class group chat to help classmates who are struggling. The assignment is graded, and no collaboration was mentioned in the instructions. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the student was just trying to help their classmates.

• No, because sharing solutions is not explicitly prohibited.

• Yes, because posting solutions violates the expectation of individual work.

A student applies for a scholarship and lists an academic award on their application that they did not actually receive. They believe that including the award will improve their chances and argue that the selection committee is unlikely to verify every detail. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the student is just trying to improve their chances.

• No, because it’s common to exaggerate achievements in applications.

• Yes, because the student fabricated an achievement, which is dishonest.

• Yes, because the student might get caught, which could have consequences.

A professor encourages students to form study groups to prepare for exams. One study group obtains a copy of a test bank with past exam questions from previous years and uses it to prepare. The professor did not explicitly mention the use of test banks but provided a list of recommended study materials. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the professor encouraged group study.

• No, because past exam questions are useful study tools.

• Yes, because using a test bank not provided by the professor is unethical.

A student hires an online service to write an essay for them. The student reviews the essay and submits it as their own work. The essay is well-written, original, and passes all plagiarism checks. Is this a violation of the honor code?

• No, because the essay is original and not plagiarized

• No, because the student paid for a service and the work is their property

• Yes, because the student submitted work that was not their own