Academic Honesty and Integrity

Academic integrity is important because it recognizes and appreciates the work done by other scholars and promotes behaviours that avoid dishonesty, plagiarism and cheating. By acknowledging others’ previous academic contributions, you can also demonstrate how your work builds on existing knowledge.

At North Island College we believe in the principles of academic integrity: honesty, fairness, and ethical behaviour. Not understanding or following these principles may have serious consequences that will negatively impact your success as a student. But what exactly is academic misconduct? What is plagiarism? How do I make sure that I am never accused of cheating?

Familiarize yourself with NIC Policy 3-06, Community Code of Academic, Personal and Professional Conduct. It’s important to note that being uninformed about policies does not prevent you from facing disciplinary action for academic misconduct.

The NIC Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) Tutorial is your first step in understanding the personal and academic value of honesty in all the work you do as a student. Successful completion of this module will help you avoid academic misconduct. You will find this tutorial in the Discover area of Brightspace.

Learn More about NIC’s Academic Integrity Matters Tutorial

Here are six core values to guide your actions and behaviours in ensuring you are academically honest during your studies. (ICAI, n.d.).

  • Following your instructor’s guidelines and expectations for assignments and tests
  • Submitting original work and completing individual assessments independently
  • Being dependable and reliable in your work, commitments and actions
  • Following your instructor’s directions and completing work by the set deadline
  • Doing readings and pre-class activities on time and in a fulsome way
  • Consistently and accurately citing the work of others in your assignments
  • Keeping academic materials and instructor’s intellectual property private (e.g., class slides, assignments, tests, video recordings of classes etc.), and not sharing these without the instructor’s and/or classmates’ permissions
  • Treating others equally without self-interest or prejudice
  • Following the College’s rules and not trying to gain unfair advantages in assessments, mid-terms or tests (e.g., copying someone else’s answers, using their phone to look up information during an exam, emailing someone during a digital exam, taking screenshots of exam questions and emailing to friends etc.)
  • Completing your individual and group work to the best of your abilities and being accountable to yourself, your instructors, your classmates, and the College
  • Seeking help If you are struggling or are not sure of expectations
  • Being brave and standing up for what is right, even in challenging situations. If you think someone has committed an academic offense or is violating a rule – you alert your instructor or a staff member

Credit: University of Waterloo, Academic Integrity for Students