Academic dishonesty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Academic dishonesty is a form of cheating that occurs within an educational setting. It includes plagiarism, data falsification and contract cheating. Plagiarism is claiming another's work as one's own. Data falsification includes making false claims about research performed, including selective reporting of results to exclude inconvenient data to generating bogus data. It can occur at all levels of education, though is considered more serious when it occurs at higher levels; all too often graduate students and professors commit academic dishonesty. Contract cheating involves students putting assessments out to tender and having original work produced for them in return.
Punishments for academic dishonesty vary according to the age of the party involved and the nature of the infraction. In high school, a standard penalty for cheating is a failing grade; in college, it can result in expulsion. In rare instances, college professors have been fired when it was discovered that they plagiarized during college or graduate school.[citation needed] All parties involved in the dishonesty—not just the individual whose grade is increased by it—can be punished.
Several notable U.S. colleges have strict honor codes with penalties that include suspension or even expulsion. For example, the Duke University and the University of Virginia have honor codes which specifically state that any student caught lying, cheating, or stealing will be asked to leave the University.
The scientific peer review process places considerable reliance on the moral integrity of the participants, and therefore academic dishonesty often goes unnoticed. If found out, however, the penalties can be severe -- it can be the end of the perpetrator's career.
