A commitment to the principles of academic integrity is essential to the mission of Northeastern University and of the College of Professional Studies. The promotion of independent and original scholarship ensures that students derive the most from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge. Academic dishonesty violates the most fundamental values of an intellectual community and undermines the achievements of the entire University.
How academic integrity is maintained
Northeastern’s Academic Integrity policy, administered by the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR), covers many aspects of academic integrity including: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, participation in academically dishonest activities, and facilitating academic dishonesty.
Guidance on Assistive Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
Use of assistive technologies (such as translation software, websites, and apps) and tools that utilize artificial intelligence (such as ChatGPT, Co-pilot, and Gemini) may circumvent learning tasks, constituting use of unauthorized aids according to Northeastern’s Academic Integrity Policy, and may result in a lower of failing grade. Please review An Insider’s Guide to Learning with AI, and contact your instructor before completing any assessments using these tools to clarify expectations.
What happens if you violate the academic integrity policy
By attending CPS classes, you agree to stay true to the tenets of the academic integrity policy. If you violate the policy, even unintentionally, it may result in additional work in the form of a reflection paper or educational workshop. It can also result in failing the assignment, course, or even expulsion.
How CPS protects your education
To safeguard the quality and value of your education, CPS conducts targeted and randomized spot-checking of discussion board posts and assignments in current as well as past classes. Violations found through these checks will be reported to OSCCR. Therefore, it is very important that you familiarize yourself with the policy. If you are a student or instructor who’d like to discuss these resources, the academic integrity policy, or a particular incident in more detail, please contact your program’s advisor or the CPS Associate Director of Academic Integrity, Mr. Ori Fienberg ([email protected]).
What steps to take if you are suspected of violating the academic integrity policy
- If you hear from your instructor, contact them so you can talk about what happened. It may be that a little clarification will help, or at least that you will have a better idea of expectations in the class.
- You may receive an e-mail or letter from OSCCR. Read the communication carefully, as it will provide useful resources and/or information about the next steps you should take.
- Contact your Career and Academic Coach. They can help you understand any communications you have received and suggest next steps.
In addition to reviewing these options and familiarizing yourself with the overview of the policy, you can access a variety of resources to help you avoid violations, as well as understand and maintain a high level of academic integrity. Please find below information on additional academic integrity resources.
Academic Integrity Review for Students (AIRS)
All active CPS students are enrolled in AIRS, an approximately one-hour review under My Organizations in Canvas containing videos from instructors and students, as well as interactive elements to help you learn about, engage with, and understand the connection between academic and professional integrity, common violations to avoid, as well as tools (some listed in the following sections) that you can utilize to ensure you meet academic expectations and complete your work with integrity.
Citation and Interactive Academic Integrity Checklist (CAIC)
Students can review the CAIC before they submit an assignment to help ensure they have not accidentally committed any of the most common violations of the Academic Integrity Policy. Additionally, if you are unsure how to do in-text citation or make a work cited page, the IAIC contains links to additional Northeastern resources.
Information about plagiarism can be found on the Snell Library website under their research tutorials. On the first page, you can find definitions and examples of plagiarism, and encouragement to keep track of citations. The second page contains guides to using four free citation management tools, as well as links to workshops to learn more about each one.
Tutoring Services
Students have a variety of tutoring service options, including the Northeastern Writing Center, the International Tutoring Center, and Wyzant, each of which can suggest sound research methods and ensure that you have cited sources in the proper format for your assignments.
Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR)
The Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution is responsible for hearing incidents of academic integrity violations and administering sanctions for students found responsible. On the OSCCR page you can learn more about their educational resources and the hearing process, access a broad overview of the academic integrity policy, and contact staff for more information about academic integrity at Northeastern.
Additional Resources:
- Plagiarism.org provides information about plagiarism including ten common forms, how to prevent it, explanations of citation, how to paraphrase, and resources on how to prevent plagiarism
- Virtual Academic Integrity Lab (VAIL) is a four-part Flash-based course on the importance of academic integrity and how to avoid plagiarism
- The American Psychology Association employs a commonly used style for citation. Students can get the basics of how to format in APA style by watching their tutorial video
- Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL, not to be confused with CPS’ OWL courses) contains a vast compendium of free writing tools and tips, tutorials on APA and MLA formatting styles, and information concerning how to conduct and use research