CAPS - Honesty, Cheating, Plagiarism and Forgery
Academic dishonesty is inconsistent with scholarship, the pursuit of knowledge, and Christian character. Therefore, Indiana Wesleyan University expects students to exhibit honesty in all academic work and university records. It is the responsibility of each student to understand policies related to academic conduct, including definitions of academic dishonesty, potential sanctions, and the appeals process. Instances of cheating, plagiarism, falsification of documents, or other dishonest acts will be investigated and adjudicated by the appropriate academic leader.
Expectation for Coursework
Students are expected to demonstrate honesty in the classroom, on assignments, and during assessments. Each instructor should clearly define what constitutes honest work for their course, including any exceptions such as open-book exams or permitted use of notes.
Cheating is defined as the use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, assistance, or communication during any academic exercise.
Plagiarism
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (7th, 2020) indicates “Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, ideas, or images of another as your own; it denies authors or creators of content the credit they are due, whether deliberate or unintentional, plagiarism violates ethical standards in scholarship” (p. 254).
Students must not take credit for work that is not their own. Plagiarism is a moral, ethical, and legal offense.
Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:
• Copying another person’s or program’s words without quotation marks or citation.
• Paraphrasing ideas or theories without citing the source.
• Failing to acknowledge collaboration or AI-generated contributions.
• Using non–common knowledge without sourcing.
• Submitting downloaded or purchased papers, or content from the internet without proper citation.
• Reusing one’s prior work in a different course without permission (self-plagiarism, APA 7th, p. 256).
• Using AI tools to draft or complete assignments, code, art, or exams in any manner inconsistent with the AI Use in Coursework policy.
• Misrepresenting AI-generated content as fully original work.
The above examples are representative, not comprehensive; other forms of misconduct may be subject to institutional review and sanctions.
AI use in coursework
Unless otherwise specified by faculty or course syllabi, students may use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grammarly, or other generative models) to support their coursework, provided the use is appropriately documented, credited, and does not replace original thought, critical thinking, or the student's own academic voice.
Use of generative AI to produce, complete, or revise work—without disclosure or instructor permission—may constitute plagiarism or cheating.
Sanctions
Because the matter of cheating cumulatively leads to dismissal, faculty are required to report each case to the appropriate university administrators who in turn reports the case to the academic leader of the specific college/school. Evidence must be in hand before any action will be taken to confront and accuse a student of cheating.
Any student apprehended and charged with cheating, including plagiarism, during his or her college matriculation, shall receive the following discipline:
• First incident of cheating: no credit (i.e., no points given) in paper, assignment, or exam. This includes AI-related violations, such as unauthorized AI use or failure to disclose AI assistance as required by the course policy.
• Second incident of cheating: failure in the course involved.
• Third incident of cheating: dismissal from the university.
• Graduate students in graduate programs or graduate courses are expected to understand clearly the nature of cheating and are subject to dismissal from the university for any egregious act of academic dishonesty or cheating, without the need to follow the steps listed above. For graduate-level or doctoral work, where expectations of scholarly originality and integrity are heightened, the unauthorized use of AI may constitute grounds for immediate course failure and/or program dismissal.
• Discovery of any dishonest action for students who have been awarded an IWU degree may result in rescinding of said degree without the need to follow the steps listed above.
A student who is not satisfied with the disciplinary action may follow the grievance and appeal policies of the appropriate academic unit.
University Records Falsifying or forging any university record or using unauthorized access to any university system is considered a dishonest action and is subject to review and possible sanctions. Incidents of such will be investigated and judged by the appropriate academic leader. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of policies regulating academic conduct including definitions of academic dishonesty, the possible sanctions, and the appeals process.
Falsification of Academic Records or University Documents Falsification of academic records or documents includes but is not limited to altering any documents affecting academic records; forging signatures; or falsifying information of an official document such as a grade report, ID card, financial receipt, or any other official university letter or communication. This includes information downloaded (printed) from student information available via Web (online) services.
Unauthorized Access to Computerized Academic or Administrative Records or Systems Unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems means viewing or altering the university's computer records without authorization; copying or modifying the university's computer programs or systems without authorization; releasing or dispensing information gained through unauthorized access; or interfering with the use or availability of computer systems information.
Students who are found to have falsified university documents or participated in unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems are subject to the following sanctions:
• Dismissal from the university for a single incident.
• Discovery of any dishonest action for students who have been awarded an IWU degree may result in rescinding of said degree.
• The university may consider legal action for any individual found to have participated in these actions.
A student who is not satisfied with the disciplinary action may follow the grievance and appeal policies of the appropriate academic unit.