Cheating

CRONKITE SCHOOL ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The crux of our democracy is the ability of citizens to obtain honest, truthful and balanced information, and the credibility and integrity of the individual journalist and communications professional are crucial in that effort.

As the mission of the Cronkite School is to prepare students to become journalists and communication professionals, that credibility and integrity will be fostered within the educational environment of the school. To that end, a zero tolerance policy toward academic dishonesty will be enforced within every course and educational activity offered or sanctioned by the school.

Any allegations of academic dishonesty will automatically be referred to the Standards Committee of the school for review and recommendation to the dean of the school. If any student is found by the committee to have engaged in academic dishonesty in any form—including but not limited to cheating, plagiarizing and fabricating—that student shall receive a grade of XE for the class and will be dismissed from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Reinstatement will not be considered. There will be no exceptions.

Carol B. Schwalbe A trio of sea lions snooze at Bahia Gardner on Isla Española.

YOU CHEAT, YOU LOSE
This includes cheating on a test, helping someone else cheat, fabrication, plagiarism, working with others when independent effort was specifically assigned or any other violation of the ASU student code of conduct. You deserve a healthy learning environment and evaluations based on your honest, independent efforts. Dishonesty hurts us all. It adds suspicion and resentment to academic competition, and it distorts the meaning of grades. I’m sympathetic to the many pressures you face. Some students may consider committing acts of academic dishonesty as a way of relieving those pressures. This isn’t a legitimate solution; I can neither tolerate nor condone it. I will give you all the help I can with this course, and other resources are available on campus to help you with many of the academic and personal problems you may be facing.

FABRICATION
The making up of information is the most serious form of academic and journalistic dishonesty. Nothing justifies it. It destroys the public’s faith that what is presented is true.

PLAGIARISM
At most publications you’d be fired for using someone else’s work as your own or inventing sources and/or quotes. Be especially careful not to transfer electronic information from a database or the Internet directly into a story without giving proper credit. Do you need help with how to cite information in your work? Check out the following:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/plagiar.html

REPORTING CHEATING
Students are often reluctant to report cheating incidents. If you observe any form of academic dishonesty, I encourage you to tell me in private. I’ll keep your comments confidential unless you give me permission to identify you.

ORIGINALITY
All work must be created specifically for this class and based on research, reporting and interviews done this semester. To see examples of plagiarism, go to http://www.macloo.com/cheat/index.htm

ANY QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions, please come see me. I’m always willing to help you avoid a misunderstanding or mistake that could have long-term negative consequences.

ADVICE AND HELP
To do your best work, you may need to take advantage of some of the resources on campus. If you have problems with procrastination or poor study habits, the Learning Resource Center provides tutoring, peer coaching, academic skills workshops and software training to help students improve their academic performance. If you have personal difficulties, such as depression or relationship problems, that are interfering with your studies, Counseling and Consultation helps students with those types of problems. If you feel overwhelmed by deadlines, multiple assignments or other pressures, please come talk to me.