Policy number: AA014EN
Last review: Fall 2023
Next review: Fall 2025
Issuing office: Academic Affairs
The continuous evaluation of student learning is an integral part of the educational process at The American University of Paris as it is in all American universities. Students must demonstrate their knowledge and comprehension through a wide range of academic exercises, which may include written assignments, research, in-class essays, graphical and computer modeling, examinations or oral presentations. For faculty to perform such assessment, students must maintain integrity and ethical behavior in their academic work. The Code of Academic Integrity is the foundation of teaching and learning at AUP. It is an indispensable attribute of serious scholarship, and a hallmark of the university's mission and scholarly reputation. As members of the AUP community, students are responsible for upholding the tenets of this code, and for being aware of academic policies and procedures. Ignorance of any part of the Code of Academic Integrity and/or AUP policies concerning academic misconduct does not excuse violations.
A number of actions compromise academic integrity and honesty. The most egregious examples of academic misconduct include plagiarism, fabrication, and cheating. Infringements of the Code of Academic Integrity are serious and can lead to failing grades or dismissal from the University. Due to the international nature of the AUP student body, a few examples and explanations are provided below for clarity.
Failure to acknowledge the sources and authors of all borrowed, quoted, copied, directly translated, or paraphrased material (in any format) constitutes a serious violation of academic integrity. All use of, or references to, the work or ideas of others (including books, research, opinions, statistics, Web/Internet content, electronic communications), whether published or unpublished, must be correctly cited. Plagiarism includes the use or submission of someone else's work as one's own work. It is considered theft and is unacceptable practice at AUP. Plagiarism can take the following forms:
The AUP Writing Lab offers workshops and individual consultations for all students who have questions about plagiarism. Writing Lab tutors are experts in citation guidelines and can explain when, why and where to attribute ownership of ideas and content included in research papers and assignments. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and other citation guides are available to students In the Academic Resource Center.
Fabrication is the practice of inventing information, or knowingly submitting dishonest work. It includes the falsification of research, data, quotations, studies or other findings, and thus is an unacceptable practice. Examples of fabrication or falsification include the following:
Academic integrity requires compliance with all testing and evaluation procedures so that the results honestly demonstrate a student's mastery of information. Cheating is the act or attempted act of deceiving, misleading or misrepresenting this mastery and is unacceptable behavior. Examples include:
Academic integrity policies are important to students’ success and fair treatment. If student work, progress and performance are not measured under equitable conditions, one student may obtain an unfair advantage over his/her peers. Additional examples of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to:
Students should consider very carefully the penalties for cheating and other violations of Academic Integrity. Faculty members are responsible for evaluating students' work, verifying the originality of assignments, and enforcing the university's standards of fairness and academic honesty. Professors who have questions about the originality of student work may question students about the methods and materials used on a paper or assignment; they may also ask to see notes, rough drafts or other materials. Faculty members also have access to plagiarism detection software. Finally, the Office of Academic Integrity provides guidance, support and mediation to both faculty and students. If a student has violated the Code of Academic Integrity, he/she will be subject to an appropriate sanction, which can include, for example:
Sanctions within a given course are determined and enforced by the professor of that course. Suspension or expulsion is determined by the Provost, and will be enforced in the case of repeat offences.