The syllabus is a critical document that will help you set the tone about academic integrity and your expectations for the class.
It is also important to set clear expectations of what behavior is acceptable, and what will constitute academic misconduct. What may appear to you as an instructor as obvious may not be to students. Making your expectations clear will help students avoid unintentional misconduct.
The Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards recommends using the statement below on each syllabus for your courses.
Recommended Syllabus Statement
“By virtue of enrollment, you agree to uphold the high academic standards of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; academic misconduct is behavior that negatively impacts the integrity of the institution. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, and helping others commit these previously listed acts are examples of misconduct which may result in disciplinary action. Examples of disciplinary action include, but is not limited to, failure on the assignment/course, written reprimand, disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion.”
Common examples of academic misconduct include
- Cheating on an examination.
- Collaborating with others in work to be presented.
- Contrary to the stated rules of the course.
- Submitting a paper or assignment as one’s own work when a part or all of the paper or assignment is the work of another.
- Submitting a paper or assignment that contains ideas or research of others without appropriately identifying the sources of those ideas.
- Stealing examinations or course materials.
- Submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course.
- Tampering with the laboratory experiment or computer program of another student.
- Knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above, including assistance in an arrangement whereby any work, classroom performance, examination or other activity is submitted or performed by a person other than the student under whose name the work is submitted or performed.
Explore detailed information on Academic Misconduct.
Supplemental Statements
In an effort to help principal and supervisory instructors create syllabi which address specific types of conduct they wish to prohibit, we have provided the following statements. Please include these in your syllabus, in addition to the General Statement, if you wish to prohibit these specific behaviors.
Multiple Submissions
Students may not submit their own previously submitted work for credit without the permission of the course’s principal instructor and with proper citation.
Sharing of materials
Students may not share their work with another student regardless of the forum or means, unless authorized by the principal instructor.
Collaboration
Students may not collaborate on any work both submitted and/or performed without expressed permission of the principal instructor. If unsure of whether collaboration is permitted, it is the student’s responsibility to ask the principal instructor for clarity.
Cell phone
Cell phones and other electronic devices are prohibited from being in your physical possession during exams and quizzes. All cellphones and electronic devices should be kept in a bag, turned off, and remain unseen during the entire class period in which an exam or quiz is proctored.
Unintentional misconduct
It is the responsibility of the student to understand all the details of the syllabus and UW-Madison policies. Lack of understanding regarding how to properly cite, the presence of specific course policies, and University expectations, does not excuse behavior.