Policies and Procedures on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

1. COVERAGE

1.1 These policies and procedures shall apply to all faculty members, students and personnel undertaking research and/or academic pursuits, such as any program or project, that are operationally or strategically undertaken under the guidance of Sacred Heart College of Lucena City, Inc.

2. RATIONALE

2.1 Part of the school’s mission of offering quality education, promoting Christian Vincentian values and helping develop responsible and holistic personnel and graduates, is adherence to academic excellence and integrity. SHC aims to foster men and women who are not only intellectually endowed but are also imbued with a zealous commitment for justice and a passionate desire to serve others. The school firmly believes in the essence and value of intellectual honesty.

2.2 These policies and procedures on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty espouse the values of academic excellence and integrity that the school’s mission is committed to.

3. STATEMENT

3.1 It is the school’s policy to promote academic excellence and integrity in the exercise of its mission and vision as an educational institution, and to encourage its students, faculty members and personnel, to adhere to these standards in all their intellectual and research activities in their quest for knowledge and pursuit of learning.

3.2 These policies and procedures cover the rights, duties and responsibilities of students, faculty members and personnel, as well as the standards and practices, methods and procedures for governing the inquiry, evaluation and disposition of academic dishonesty cases in the pursuit of academic truth.

3.3 In line with these policies and procedures, Sacred Heart College of Lucena City, Inc. hereby adopts and incorporates the provisions from the school’s Student Handbook (2020). The provisions cover rules on “Offenses Against Honesty” and are reproduced below in Section 4 for students’ reference. Meanwhile, the school’s Faculty Manual may be referred to by faculty members and personnel for the same purpose.

3.4 Violations of the following policies and procedures regarding academic integrity are subject to interventions, penalties and sanctions as prescribed in the school’s Student Handbook (2020) and which are reproduced below.

4. PLAGIARISM AND OTHER OFFENSES AGAINST ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

4.1 Plagiarism

4.1.1 Plagiarism is an offense that generally strikes at two important educational values – the value of individual work and respect for others’ intellectual property. When a student fails to give due, or proper, credit to a source, thereby giving the impression that what is actually a borrowed idea or expression is his/her own, then s/he is said to commit plagiarism. Specifically, it can take the following forms:

  1. Passing other works as one’s own, like term paper, report, project case analyses, reaction papers, reflection papers, etc. without proper citation;
  2. Verbatim repetition of someone else’s words without acknowledgement;
  3. Presentation of someone else’s ideas without acknowledgement;
  4. Paraphrasing, translating, or summarizing someone else’s ideas without acknowledgement;
  5. Improper acknowledgement of sources, as with incomplete/imprecise documentation; and
  6. Having one’s work done by someone else or having one’s work substantially revised by someone else.

4.1.2 It is important to remember that plagiarism is identified not through intent but through the act itself. The objective act of falsely attributing to one’s self what is not one’s work, whether intentional or out of neglect, is sufficient to conclude that plagiarism has occurred. Students who plead ignorance or appeal to lack of malice are not excused. The extent of plagiarism, whether an entire paper, a single paragraph or a phrase, does not matter; nor does the occasion, whatever the form of academic requirement (research paper, reports, oral presentation, PowerPoint slides, computer programs, illustrations, creative work, etc.) Plagiarism is not restricted to printed materials.

4.1.3. Plagiarism, at its core, is an ethical question rather than a legal one. To claim that a specific work is in the public circulation (e.g. internet), or that permission to use the words or ideas has been granted, does not erase the moral imperative that one properly acknowledge sources.

4.2 Other Offenses Against Academic Integrity

These include any form of dishonesty committed in the context of an academic exercise, including the following:

  1. Cheating committed during examination or quizzes and in any written reports required for submission;
  2. Unauthorized possession of notes or of any equipment that may have relevance to materials relative to the examination, whether a student actually uses them or not;
  3. Deliberately looking at a neighboring student’s paper during examinations;
  4. Copying from or allowing another student to copy from his/her examination paper;
  5. Deliberately talking to another student without permission from the teacher/proctor during examination;
  6. Opening of books or notebooks during examinations or quizzes;
  7. Having someone else take an examination for another (in which case both parties shall be held liable); and
  8. Using cellular phones and other forms of electronic or non-electronic devices, with the exception of calculators, during examinations.

4.3 Fabrication or the submission of falsified data, information, citation/s, source/s, or results in an academic exercise

While plagiarism refers to claiming another person’s ideas, words or works as one’s own, fabrication refers to data which are manipulated or entirely false or fictional.

4.4 Deception or providing false information to the teacher regarding an academic activity or requirement, for example, providing false information for failure to meet a deadline, or falsely claiming to have submitted work.

Any form of concealment or misrepresentation done in the context of an academic exercise that does not fit the first three types falls under this. It involves any attempt to misconstrue the truth, whether by commission or omission of the student.

4.5 Dishonest behavior during quizzes, tests, exams or any form of assessment

Quizzes, tests, exams and any other form of assessment administered either face-to-face or online, require a specific set of strict conditions to objectively and fairly determine what has been learned by students. Dishonest behavior and acts can take various forms, such as, but not limited to those listed below. Unless explicitly allowed by the teacher/invigilator, the following behaviors and/or acts are considered unacceptable and will be construed as “academic dishonesty”:

  1. Unauthorized communication between or among students who are found to be talking/chatting/messaging via SMS, group chat, email or any other electronic means, after the distribution of exam/test papers.
  2. Unnecessary noise, such as talking to one’s self while reading or answering the test/exam questions, or not muting their microphone/audio during the entire assessment period.
  3. Calling the attention of others or looking at their papers during the assessment period.
  4. Making one’s test/exam paper visible to others or sharing one’s answers to classmates via text message, chatting online, or any other electronic means during or after taking the test/exam if the student finishes the test/exam early.
  5. Possession, or presence attributed to the person, and/or use of unauthorized notes of any materials or equipment that may have relevance or usefulness to the subject of an ongoing assessment, or that may be used in a dishonest act.
  6. Unauthorized access to online resources or reference materials that have relevance or usefulness to the subject of an ongoing assessment.

5. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

5.1 The procedure in the conduct of disciplinary cases and imposition of interventions, sanctions, penalties and other disqualifications in the Student Handbook (2020) implemented by the Office of Student Activities, Development and Discipline (SADDO) shall apply to cases involving plagiarism and other offenses against academic integrity covered herein. All records of the case will form part of the relevant student’s file.

5.2 On the academic side, the member of the faculty who is teaching the course where the student has allegedly committed an infraction may decide whether to give the student a FAILING MARK in the paper requirement or in the course, subject to a final decision reached by the Dean.

5.3 In the course of the investigation and disciplinary proceedings related to plagiarism and academic dishonesty under Sections 4.1 to 4.5 of the above, Sacred Heart College of Lucena City, Inc. shall be guided by the same principles laid down in the Student Handbook (2020), herein reproduced as follows:

Formative Interventions:

1st Offense: Failing grade in the quiz, term paper, report, project case analyses and examination related to the incident. Counseling with the student concerned

2nd Offense: Failing grade in the particular subject. Written notice to parents/guardian. Counselling with the student concerned

3rd Offense: Suspension of two (2) weeks

5.4 In the case of forging/tampering with and/or falsifying academic or official records, notices on bulletin boards:

  1. including clearances and organizational forms and other school or public documents and/or communication;
  2. including those in official administrative, college and organizational bulletin boards whether physical or electronic;
  3. removing notices/announcement from bulletin boards or tampering on notices/announcements or bulletin boards; and
  4. illegally obtaining or gaining access to and/or using restricted school documents

shall merit the following formative interventions:

1st Offense: Written reprimand, notice to parents/guardian, two (2) days suspension

2nd Offense: Suspension of one (1) week or 25 hours of In-School Community Service

3rd Offense: Suspension of two (2) weeks

5.5 Unauthorized distribution or display of printed materials which do not carry the name of the author or sponsor, endorsing, attaching or inserting unauthorized materials in school publications; unauthorized use of school equipment, fixtures and facilities; and committing any form of misrepresentation shall merit the following formative interventions:

1st Offense: Written reprimand, notice to parents/guardian, counseling

2nd Offense: Suspension of one (1) week or 25 hours of In-School Community Service

3rd Offense: Suspension of two (2) weeks

REFERENCES

  1. Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, “Ateneo Law School Policies and Procedures on Academic integrity and Plagiarism”. Retrieved on Jul 14, 2020 from https://ateneo.edu/sites/default/files/ALS%20Policies%20and%20Procedures%20on%20Academic%20Integrity%20and%20Plagiarism%20%20%2811-23-18%29.pdf
  2. The LS Code of Academic Integrity 2018 (Student Guide) web version. Retrieved on Nov 12, 2020 from https://www.ateneo.edu/sites/default/files/The%20LS%20Code%20of%20Academic%20Integrity%20%28Student%20Guide%29%202018%20edited%20Web%20Version.pdf