Academic Honesty Policy

Policy on Academic Honesty

[Approved by the MSU Board of Regents on June 1, 2012]

Murray State University takes seriously its moral and educational obligation to maintain high standards of

academic honesty and ethical behavior. Instructors are expected to evaluate students’ academic achievements

accurately, as well as ascertain that work submitted by students is authentic and the result of their own efforts,

and consistent with established academic standards. Students are obligated to respect and abide by the basic

standards of personal and professional integrity.

Violations of Academic Honesty include:

Cheating - Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized information such as books,

notes, study aids, or other electronic, online, or digital devices in any academic exercise; as well

as unauthorized communication of information by any means to or from others during any

academic exercise.

Fabrication and Falsification - Intentional alteration or invention of any information or citation in

an academic exercise. Falsification involves changing information whereas fabrication involves

inventing or counterfeiting information.

Multiple Submission - The submission of substantial portions of the same academic work,

including oral reports, for credit more than once without authorization from the instructor.

Plagiarism - Intentionally or knowingly representing the words, ideas, creative work, or data of

someone else as one’s own in any academic exercise, without due and proper

acknowledgement.

Instructors should outline their expectations that may go beyond the scope of this policy at the beginning of each

course and identify such expectations and restrictions in the course syllabus. When an instructor receives

evidence, either directly or indirectly, of academic dishonesty, he or she should investigate the instance. The

faculty member should then take appropriate disciplinary action.

Disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to the following:

 Requiring the student(s) to repeat the exercise or do additional related exercise(s).

 Lowering the grade or failing the student(s) on the particular exercise(s) involved.

 Lowering the grade or failing the student(s) in the course.

If the disciplinary action results in the awarding of a grade of E in the course, the student(s) may not drop the

course.

Faculty reserve the right to invalidate any exercise or other evaluative measures if substantial evidence exists that

the integrity of the exercise has been compromised. Faculty also reserve the right to document in the course

syllabi further academic honesty policy elements related to the individual disciplines.

A student may appeal the decision of the faculty member with the department chair in writing within five working

days. Note: If, at any point in this process, the student alleges that actions have taken place that may be in

violation of the Murray State University Non-Discrimination Statement, this process must be suspended and the

matter be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity. Any appeal will be forwarded to the appropriate university

committee as determined by the Provost.