Forms and Resources

Academic integrity is the core set of values and behaviors that students, faculty, and staff commit to as members of the GW community. These values ensure the quality of research, graduates, and degrees for all at GW.  It is paramount that all members of the GW community abide by these values and behaviors.

To abide by the values of Academic Integrity means to commit to honesty, truthfulness, and an adherence to university rules while completing your graduate degree. 

To maintain Academic Integrity, it is important to:

• Avoid cheating, copying, and stealing the work and ideas of other people
• Be honest during exams, both take-home and in-person
• Avoid improper collaboration
• Produce original research with accurate citations

There are various types of cheating, all of which are prohibited at GW and other US institutions of higher education. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

Fabrication - making up data, information, or citations

Facilitating - aiding someone else in acting dishonestly

Falsification - knowingly making a false statement; signing someone else’s signature on a document (forgery)

Some common examples of cheating are:

Using unauthorized materials for and/or during an exam

Copying the work of another student

Submitting the same work in two classes without the permission of both instructors

1. Self-plagiarism is real! 

2. Always use accurate citations, even when referencing your own work!

3. Never submit the same paper twice (unless you have explicit permission from your instructors to do so) even if it is your own work!

Plagiarism is stealing the ideas or words of another and passing them off as your own.  It is the failure to cite or attribute quotations, paraphrases, or borrowed ideas and information.

Some common examples of plagiarism are:

• Directly copying and pasting a sentence from existing research without the use of an accurate citation
• Presenting an idea from existing research in your own paper or work and pretending that you came up with it
• Utilizing experiment data from the work of another individual, or group of individuals, without crediting them

What are some ways by which you can use the ideas of others and still avoid plagiarism?

Direct Quotations: Using exact words from another source and properly citing the source

Paraphrasing: Restating an idea using your own style and voice (NOTE: changing only a few words is not considered paraphrasing!) and properly citing the source(s)

Summarizing: Taking multiple main ideas from a source and restating them in your own words and properly citing the source

In all of these instances, you should be sure to provide a citation for the source!

There are many citation styles for different fields of study. In engineering, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Style is most commonly used.

Remember - Plagiarism can be accidental, so it is very important to be able to recognize and avoid it! When in doubt, ask your professors for advice and clarification.

Ask yourself…

• Did I know this information without having to look it up?
• Are the data, images, or other media my own work?
• Are these ideas my own?
• Notice anything important? ALL of these methods require the use of a citation!
• What is a citation? Why do we use them?
• A citation is a means by which an author gives credit to someone else’s ideas, research, data, phrasing, or written words.  It is a literal break in the original writing to show whose ideas the author is using.

We use citations to:

• Give credit to other researchers and authors
• Distinguish your ideas from those of others
• Legitimize your work
• Strengthen your arguments by showcasing supporting evidence and data

If you are found guilty of plagiarism, you could:

1. Fail the assignment on which you allegedly plagiarized
2. Fail the entire class in which plagiarism allegedly occurred
3. Be terminated as a student at GW
4. Face criminal charges since, in the US, plagiarism is illegal

Housed within the GW Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities, the Office of Academic Integrity is a GW office dedicated entirely to dealing with cases of academic dishonesty that occur within the University community. If you are accused of cheating or plagiarism, the Office of Academic Integrity would handle all hearing and disciplinary procedures.

Have questions about conducting research, proper citation styles, or more? Ask a GW Research Librarian!  All SEAS students have access to the GW Library and the research assistance its librarians provide.  You can find various style guides at the library and can even schedule a one-on-one consultation with a research librarian.

Staff at the GW Writing Center are available by appointment to assist students through all steps of the writing process, from brainstorming to publication.

The English for Academic Purposes Program offers a variety of online academic, and non-academic, resources geared specifically towards students for whom English is not their first language.