Plagiarism Prevention & Awareness

The Code of Student Conduct provides a framework of standard acceptable behavior for students. To better understand the University's stand on plagiarism and research misconduct, please see section Appendix B:  Academic Honesty

The code is set forth to give students general notice of prohibited conduct; it should not be regarded as an exhaustive definition of misconduct or construed as a contract between the student and the University. Students are responsible for understanding and complying with this Code. Copies of the Code of Student Conduct are available in the Office of the Vice Chancellors for Academic and Student Affairs, in the undergraduate catalog and graduate bulletin, in the UMass Boston Student Handbook, and on the University’s website.

Academic Honesty Violations

The University defines violations to include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Submitting as one’s own an author’s published or unpublished work (e.g. material from a journal, Internet site, newspaper, encyclopedia), in whole, in part, or in paraphrase, without fully and properly crediting the author.
2. Submitting as one’s own work or materials obtained from another student, individual, or agency without full and proper attribution.
3. Submitting as one’s own work material that has been produced through unacknowledged or unauthorized collaboration with others.
4. Submitting substantially the same work to more than one course without prior approval from all instructors involved: i.e., dual or multiple submission.
5. Using any unauthorized material during an examination, such as notes, tests, calculators, cell phones, PDAs, or other electronic or mechanical communication devices. Abuse of cellular devices with photographic capabilities and use of devices for purposes of photographing test questions or other notes and materials are also prohibited.
6. Obtaining answers to examination questions from another person with or without that person’s knowledge; furnishing answers to examination questions to another student; using or distributing unauthorized copies of or notes from an examination.
7. Submitting as one’s own an examination taken by another person; or taking an examination in another person’s place.
8. Gaining or seeking to gain unauthorized access to, or altering or destroying the paper or electronic files of a student, faculty member, or staff member for the purpose of gaining better academic standing and success.
9. Failing to adhere to professional standards or ethics of a discipline and/ or violating the rules of an agency in the course of completing field work, internship, practicum, student teaching, or clinical placement.
10. Interfering with an instructor’s ability to evaluate accurately a student’s competence or performance; misleading any person in connection with one’s academic work.