Skip to Main Content

Academic Integrity for Georgian Students

What are Breaches of Academic Integrity?

Georgian College's Academic Integrity Regulations outline seven breaches of academic integrity:

  • Cheating
  • Fabrication
  • Plagiarism
  • Facilitating a breach of academic integrity
  • Impersonation
  • Denying access to information and material
  • Copyright violation

If you do not uphold the 6 fundamental values discussed previously, it's likely that you will breach academic integrity.  

A breach of academic integrity can affect your grade on an assignment, your success in a course, or your progression through your program here at Georgian. Review the breaches below, along with some examples to improve your understanding. If you are not clear on any of the information, meet with your professor or your advisor to discuss.

Maintaining integrity: manage your time, ask for help, cite, reference and give credit, learn about academic integrity and read carefully and clarify instructions

Image source: Created in Canva (free) using template by Canvalisa

Learn more about the 7 Breaches of Academic Integrity

Cheating, as defined by Georgian College's (n.d.) Academic Integrity regulations, is:

"the use of inappropriate, prohibited, or unacknowledged materials, information aids, or misrepresentation in any academic work" (section 8.2.1).

What does this mean? Watch this quick video "Cheating" for an overview.

Problems viewing? Watch or read the transcript for Cheating (2:28) on YouTube

Examples of Cheating

Here are some examples of cheating as it applies to your academic work. Think about how each academic integrity breach would look in a co-op or work situation, to better understand how the habits you create in college may follow you into your chosen career.

Test & Exams

  • using a cheat sheet during an exam without permission
  • accessing ChatGPT to generate answers while writing a test
  • buying a copy of an exam or test in advance
  • copying from another student while writing a quiz
  • using a smart watch or phone or digital tool to share answers during a test

Assignments

  • using Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek (and others) when your professor has asked you not to
  • submitting work that someone else helped you write, when the assignment must be done independently
  • submitting work that someone else created, whether they did it for you or you paid for it. This is known as contract cheating 
  • copying from another student

Co-op & Work Situations

  • getting the answers to a proficiency test from a co-worker to improve your chance of getting a promotion
  • using unauthorized tools or processes to complete tasks

🎯Integrity Tip:  Effective time management, asking for help when needed, speaking with your professor (or advisor) or accessing Georgian's learning services are all good strategies for keeping yourself out of a situation where you might be tempted to cheat. 

Plagiarism, as defined by Georgian College's (n.d.) Academic Regulations, is the

"representation of another's words, computer code, design solution or ideas as your own regardless of how they are generated in any academic work" (section 8.2.3).


Problems viewing? Watch or read the transcript for Plagiarism on YouTube

Examples of Plagiarism

Here are some examples of plagiarism as it applies to your academic work. However, integrity at College sets you up for integrity in the real world. Think about how each academic integrity breach would look in a co-op or work situation, to better understand how the habits you create in college may follow you into your chosen career.

Assignments

  • submitting the work one has done for one class or project to a second class, or as a second project, without the prior consent of the faculty member receiving the assignment (self plagiarism)
  • using a portion of an article from the library without including an in-text citation and reference in your work
  • quoting a source but forgetting an in-text citation and/or reference
  • presenting someone else's work as something you one have written
  • summarizing, paraphrasing or quoting another’s writing or ideas without proper acknowledgement,
  • representing someone else's work or creation as your own.
  • using GenerativeAI to produce content, without providing a citation/acknowledgement of the tool*

*Please note, GenerativeAI tools have a tendency to plagiarize when they produce text. They usually cannot properly acknowledge any sources.

Co-op & Work Situations

  • reusing an article or web content without giving credit, instead of writing your own blog content for posting
  • taking a co-worker's idea and presenting it as your own
  • reusing email marketing content from a similar company to promote your product

🎯Integrity Tip:  Learning to work with credible sources and developing your writing and citing skills are key to avoiding plagiarism in your work. Check in with the Library, Writing Centre and Language Help Centre for assistance!

Fabrication, as defined by Georgian College's (n.d.) academic integrity regulations, is:

"falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic work or program and employment documentation" (section 8.2.2).

What does this mean? Watch the short video "Fabrication" for an overview.


Problems viewing? Watch or read the transcript for Fabrication (2:30 mins) on YouTube.

Examples of Fabrication

Here are some examples of fabrication as it applies to your academic work. However, integrity at College sets you up for integrity in the real world. Think about how each academic integrity breach would look in a co-op or work situation, to better understand how the habits you create in college may follow you into your chosen career.

Assignments

  • creating or using a citation and reference for a resource that doesn't exist, that you didn't look at, or didn't really use in your assignment
  • inventing data or changing results to complete a lab report or experiment
  • forging a signature or creating fake documents

Co-op & Work Situations

  • creating fake testing data from a new product evaluation
  • creating or falsifying personal information such as criminal record check, clinical permits or other paperwork needed to fulfill academic or work requirements
  • adding fake experience or education to make your application look better
  • forging a signature or creating fake documents

🎯Integrity Tip: Generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Bard, and more) have been known to fabricate sources and information. Always ensure you have permission to use these and check the output generated carefully to avoid introducing fabricated information/evidence into your work. Review the Evaluating GenAI output guide for more details. 

Georgian College's (n.d.) academic integrity regulations, state:

"Facilitating a breach of academic integrity occurs when you put yourself in a position where you could be suspected of having made your work accessible to others, having copied another’s work, or having used unauthorized aids" (section 8.2.4).


Problems viewing? Watch or read the transcript for Facilitating a Breach of Academic Integrity on YouTube.

Examples of Facilitating a Breach of Academic Integrity

Here are some examples of facilitating a breach of academic integrity as it applies to your academic work. However, integrity at College sets you up for integrity in the real world. Think about how each academic integrity breach would look in a co-op or work situation, to better understand how the habits you create in college may follow you into your chosen career.

Tests & Exams

  • allow other students to see your test, quiz or other assignment answers
  • providing the answers to a test or exam to other students
  • help another student to cheat or impersonate

Assignments

  • share assignments, quiz questions or answers or other course work with other students or friends (online or in person)
  • upload or share course materials using services such as Chegg, Course Hero, web based repositories and other homework sharing sites
  • lend your laptop or other device to another student without ensuring digital files are protected
  • hide or misrepresent information related to breaches of academic integrity
  • help another student to cheat, fabricate information, plagiarize, impersonate, deny access to information or violate copyright

Co-op & Work Situations

  • allowing a friend to scan your diploma and replace your name with theirs
  • acting as a fake reference on your roommates reference list

 

🎯Integrity Tip: You can be responsible for facilitating a breach of academic integrity even if you didn't benefit from the breach. You may want to help out a friend or classmate, but you need to be careful to ensure you're not helping them breach academic integrity. Don't share your version of an assignment, the answers to a test or other resources. Instead, direct classmates to resources such as Blackboard, Library and Learning Services or an advisor if they need help.

 

Georgian College's (n.d.) academic integrity regulations define impersonation as:

"pretending to be another person for the purpose of deception" (section 8.2.5).

Problems viewing? Watch or read the transcript for Academic Integrity - Impersonation (1min) on YouTube

Examples of Impersonation

Here are some examples of impersonation as it applies to your academic work.  Think about how each academic integrity breach would look in a co-op or work situation, to better understand how the habits you create in college may follow you into your chosen career.

Assignments, Tests & Exams

  • completing your classmate's online quiz, discussion board, or group work activity
  • paying someone to write and submit your paper for you
  • having a family member complete a written exam

Co-op & Work Situations

  • attending a job interview on your friend's behalf
  • completing an eligibility quiz or assignment for a friend, to qualify them for a job interview

 

🎯Integrity Tip: In a situation where a student or other individual impersonates another student to complete work, an assessment, a job interview on someone else's behalf, both people involved have breached academic integrity. Encourage your friend or classmate to connect with Student Success or Learning services to avoid this situation.

 

Georgian College's (n.d.) academic integrity regulations define denying access to information or material as:

"denying others access to academic resources or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar" (section 8.2.6).

Denying access to materials can include hiding or making library materials unavailable, destroying or misplacing files, or deliberately misleading others. Source: Image created using Canva.

Examples of Denying Access to Information

Here are some examples of impersonation as it applies to your academic work. However, integrity at College sets you up for integrity in the real world. Think about how each academic integrity breach would look in a co-op or work situation, to better understand how the habits you create in college may follow you into your chosen career.

Assignments, Tests & Exams

  • signing out all of the library books on a particular topic, and not returning them
  • telling another student that the exam date has changed
  • giving false instructions to another student
  • misguiding students regarding how or where resources or supplies could be acquired.
  • purposely relay incorrect or false information about the project's expectations to impede another student's progress.

Co-op & Work Situations

  • deliberately not sharing important documents with a co-worker
  • destroying or damaging a resource needed for a team challenge
  • erasing a co-workers name off of the weekly schedule


🎯Integrity Tip: Instead of relying on your memory, refer friends and classmates to official Georgian resources - like your course's syllabus, Blackboard shell or assignment outlines for due dates and important details. Suggest they visit the Library's APA guide, Research Help, Writing or Language Help, Math or other services to avoid relaying incorrect information that could affect their success.

Georgian College's (n.d.) academic integrity regulations state that copyright violation occurs:

"when you use copyrighted material without permission" (section 8.2.7).

Watch the following 5 minute video for a brief discussion of the difference between plagiarism (using someone else's work without giving proper credit) and copyright infringement, and some insight into both issues in the work world.

Problems viewing? Watch Plagiarism vs. Copyright Infringement (5 mins) on YouTube

Examples of copyright violation include:

Here are some examples of copyright violation as it applies to your academic work. Think about how each academic integrity breach would look in a co-op or work situation, to better understand how the habits you create in college may follow you into your chosen career.

Assignments, Tests & Exams

  • making a photocopy of an entire textbook, rather than buying it
  • distributing library resources such as articles or eBooks on the web, by email or other method
  • posting course materials to homework websites such as Chegg

Co-op & Work Situations

  • using a photographer's photo from their instagram account in a promotional campaign without permission
  • taking the specifications for a new design from another company's website, and producing the item for sale
  • photocopying and distributing an article from a magazine to customers
  • adapting an app and applying your company's branding, then selling the app without securing the rights to use the app

 

🎯Integrity Tip: Proper use of sources and accurate citing and referencing are a big part of ensuring that you do not violate copyright in your academic work. Visit the Writing Centre for help!

 

What are the consequences of a Breach of Academic Integrity?

Penalties for Breaches of Academic Integrity range in severity, depending on the situation and the number of prior breaches.

The initial penalties for breaches of academic integrity at Georgian College may include:

  • verbal warning
  • resubmitting work
  • mark of zero in the work involved

Depending on the breach, your professor may also ask you to complete additional academic integrity training, attend a workshop or seek individual help to ensure that you can learn from the mistake and move on to be successful in your future assignments.

Breaches of Academic Integrity are recorded by the Registrar's office.

After one or more offences, penalties increase in severity and may also include:

  • mark of zero in the course (after multiple offences)
  • suspension from the college for one or more semesters
  • dismissal from program or college for varying periods of time

Review the Georgian College Academic Integrity Regulations for full details about academic integrity and breaches, including definitions, policies and procedures, and consequences.

Attribution

Except where otherwise noted, this page is adapted from "Academic Integrity for Students" by Centennial College Libraries, licensed under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0.

References

Georgian College. (n.d.). 8. Academic integrity. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://cat.georgiancollege.ca/academic-regulations/integrity/

Hern, A. (2022, December 4). AI bot ChatGPT stuns academics with essay-writing skills and usability. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/04/ai-bot-chatgpt-stuns-academics-with-essay-writing-skills-and-usability