The Code of Student Academic Integrity governs the responsibility of students to maintain integrity in academic work, defines violations of the standards, describes procedures for handling alleged violations of the standards, and lists applicable penalties.  Except in cases of Research Misconduct, as set forth in Chapter 3, Section III.3 of the Code, the following conduct, or complicity in the following conduct, is considered Academic Misconduct under the Code:

• Cheating means using or attempting to use materials, or giving assistance or materials without Authorization to another in any academic exercise that could result in gaining or helping another to gain academic advantage. Cheating includes, but is not limited, to the following actions:
  • Copying - copying from another’s assignment, examination, or other academic exercise;
  • Use of Unauthorized Materials - using materials or equipment in connection with an assignment, examination, or other academic exercise which have not been authorized by the faculty member, including but not limited to, notes, calculator, websites, or other technology;
  • Misrepresentation - permitting another to substitute for one’s self in an academic exercise, or submitting of an academic exercise that has been prepared by another;
  • Unauthorized Collaboration - sharing the work or effort in an academic exercise with another individual or individuals without Authorization. See examples.
• Fabrication means providing fabricated information, including inventing or counterfeiting information, in any form in an academic exercise. See examples.
• Falsification means altering without Authorization any data or information, regardless of communication method (e.g., e-mail or other electronic communication), in an academic exercise. See examples.
• Misuse of Academic Materials means sharing, distributing, altering, acquiring, damaging, or making inaccessible academic materials without Authorization, that could result in gaining or helping another to gain an academic advantage. See examples.
• Multiple Submission means submitting academic work or substantial portions of the same academic work (including oral reports) in more than one academic exercise without Authorization. See examples.
• Plagiarism means presenting the words or ideas of another as one’s own words or ideas, including failing to properly acknowledge a source, unless the ideas or information are common knowledge. Plagiarism includes self-plagiarism, which is the use of one’s own previous work in another context without indicating that it was used previously. See examples.
• Research Misconduct means a determination that Research Misconduct has occurred under University Policy 309, Responding to Allegations of Misconduct in Research and Scholarship and its Supplemental Procedures. (See Chapter 3, Section III of the Code.)

A full explanation of these definitions, and a description of procedures used in cases where student violations are alleged, is found in the complete text of University Policy 407, The Code of Student Academic Integrity, as it may be modified from time to time.  Students are advised to contact the Dean of Students Office or visit legal.uncc.edu/policies/up-407 to ensure they consult the most recent edition.