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Academic Integrity
December 2019
What is Academic Integrity?
Queen’s University is dedicated to creating a community free to explore a range of ideas, to build and advance knowledge, and to share the ideas and knowledge.
Queen’s students, faculty, and staff are all responsible for supporting and upholding the fundamental values of academic integrity. Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility (International Center for Academic Integrity), and by the quality of courage.
What Should Students do if they have Questions?
Students are encouraged to pursue their studies with integrity, and to reach out to professors or advisors if they are unsure of the expectations. Faculty and staff are happy to support students in learning more about academic integrity.
What is a Violation of Academic Integrity?
Although the Smith community is committed to a culture of integrity, violations do sometimes occur. A departure from academic integrity includes any deliberate attempt to gain unfair advantage academically for oneself or others. All forms of departure from academic integrity are considered serious offences within the University community.
What happens if there is a Violation of Academic Integrity?
The Smith School of Business Policy on Academic Integrity sets out the procedures and processes for handling suspected departures from academic integrity. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the policy. Normally, where a course professor has a concern about a possible departure from academic integrity, the professor will notify the student and investigate in accordance with Smith policy. The student will have an opportunity to respond and their response will be considered part of the evidence in the case.
Receiving such a notification can be upsetting, and many students make the mistake of rushing into action -- for example, by immediately phoning or e-mailing the professor with a poorly thought-out excuse or explanation -- before they fully understand the process and the principles involved. The best advice we can offer students is to calm down, read all documents carefully, and review the Smith Academic Integrity Policy. Students may also want to consult the University Ombudsperson.
Prepared with information from https://smith.queensu.ca/about/academic_integrity