Suffield Academy English Department

Academic Integrity Statement

2014

The English Department at Suffield Academy is committed to academic honesty. We honor and
respect original thought and original work. We want to encourage all students to push through
challenges and learn the skills necessary to read analytically and to write clearly. To this end, we
are committed to honest scholarship.

As part of college preparation, we feel it is necessary for students to develop a sound
understanding of academic honesty. Plagiarism in any form has dire consequences in the
collegiate world and beyond; it is also, quite simply, immoral.

In order to educate all students about academic honesty, we require everyone to read this
thoroughly then sign the paper, submitting that you have read and understood our expectations.
You will receive a copy of this page, along with your signature, later in the week. Your teacher
will keep the original.

If you have any questions about academic honesty, please talk with your teacher. We are
committed to your understanding of this important issue.

Plagiarism
This is the act of representing someone elses ideas or work as your own.

This includes (but is not limited to) the following:
! Anything found online. Unless you are stating a commonly known fact (the number of
states in the US, for example, or Suffield Academys address), even something like an
online encyclopedia needs to be cited. It is not difficult, and it is important.

! An idea that comes from another source. Reading Sparknotes, for example, then using the
ideas in class discussion is actually plagiarism. You did not come up with the ideas
yourself, but you are pretending that you did: that is plagiarism. If you write an essay
yourself, but you get the topic from an unauthorized source, that is plagiarism. It was not
your idea, but you are pretending that it was.

! A summary or paraphrase of someone elses idea or research. That is correct even if
you summarize something using your own words, you still need to give credit to the
original source. Changing the order of the words or omitting words does not eliminate the
need to cite.

! Exact words from any source, whether that source is printed or spoken, or comes from an
individual, or it comes from a website with no apparent author. Essentially, if you did not
come up with the exact words first, you need to give credit to the person or entity that
did.


Additional examples of academic dishonesty

! Using work that has been used previously for another class, unless otherwise approved by
your teacher. While this is not plagiarism in the traditional sense, it does constitute
academic dishonesty.


! Accessing notes or other sources of information during an assessment, even if they are
your own, unless you have been given explicit permission to do so. Using phones to look
up vocabulary words while taking a quiz, for example, is dishonest.

! Submitting a paper that is heavily edited by someone other than you. Be careful if you
are getting help with a paper from a parent, a peer, or even another Suffield teacher,
significant editing and rewriting and subsequent submission as your own work is
dishonest. We want to help you become a better writer: when we grade a paper partially
written by your dad or your tutor, we are not getting a correct understanding of your
skills, so we cannot help you improve.

! Using or submitting work that has been completed by someone else. Copying a peers
work and submitting it as your own work is dishonest. If group work or group study is
allowed, students often come away with the same understanding of a topic. However, this
does not mean that identical responses are appropriate. Articulate your own
understanding in your own way. If you cannot, it is possible that you do not really
understand the answer.

Consequences for Academic Dishonesty

First and foremost, we want you to understand what academic dishonesty is, and we want to
ensure that you will not make the same mistake again. A conversation with your teacher, the
department chair, and/or the class dean should be expected. In addition, your advisor will be
notified.

There will be an impact on the grade of the assignment. In most cases, a zero will be the assigned
grade with no chance for reparation. You may be required to rewrite an essay or retake a quiz in
order to ensure the skills are learned, but the initial grade of zero will likely remain.

Should the infraction be severe or repetitive, you will be required to meet with the Academic
Dean, the Academic Committee, and possibly the Discipline Committee. In this case, a letter will
go into your academic file and a copy will be sent home. Your commitment to your education at
Suffield Academy will be in question.

Your Commitment

By signing your name, you attest to the fact that you have read this entirely and understand the
commitment we have made to you, and the commitment you have made to your own
development as a scholar. You understand our expectations, and you understand the likely
consequences of academic dishonesty.

___________________________ _________________________ ____________
PRINT your name SIGN your name date


___________________________ ________
your teachers name class period