Academic Dishonesty
Inter-chapter 1
When you are submitting assignments for any of your courses, it is important that you are aware of the rules regarding academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is a serious matter that can result in dismissal from the university. DON’T RISK IT. Iowa State University outlines university policies in the Student Disciplinary Regulations #4.2.1 Academic and Research Misconduct.
Academic Misconduct. The academic work of all students must comply with all university policies on academic honesty. Examples of academic misconduct are:
- Attempting to use unauthorized information in the completion of an exam or assignment;
- Submitting as one’s own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs or other products prepared by another person;
- Knowingly assisting another student in obtaining or using unauthorized information or materials; or
- Posting past assignments and answers to internet study sites, such as quizlet, studyblue, chegg, course hero, etc. or using the answers posted to those sites.
- Plagiarism.
Academic honesty policies are included in the policy on Academic Dishonesty, polices and procedures on Academic Misconduct Investigations, and the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources policy. Additional information on academic dishonesty is available in the Iowa State University Catalog (see Resources below). In addition, students are responsible for following ethical standards adopted by the various colleges and departments:
Student Code of Conduct. 2022. Iowa State University Policy Library. https://www.policy.iastate.edu/policy/SDR
Biology 2120L Expectation
All work submitted by you for grading in Biology 2120L is expected to be your own work, not something plagiarized from an outside source or from a colleague in Biology 2120L. Our goal is for you to demonstrate that you have achieved the learning outcomes by being able to express your thoughts in your own words and figures.
In Biology 2120L, there are a number of potentially problematic areas where students could be tempted to violate university policies on academic responsibility, or through neglect or carelessness submit work that raises questions about whether the work submitted is the student’s original work. We have outlined a number of the most common areas below and provided ways for students to avoid suspicions of academic misconduct. Students should note that instances of academic dishonesty are not limited to the categories listed below. These are just some of the more common examples.
Graph Submissions for Lab Experiments
Concern
Since students are working in groups to carry out experiments and collect data, they are often tempted to share electronic data files (including graphs and photos) when they work on their assignments and complete data analyses. One of the educational outcomes of Biology 2120L is that students will be able to produce graphs that effectively and clearly present their data to others. If the same graph is submitted by multiple students, there is no way for the TA or your instructors to determine whether or not all students have achieved this outcome.
Helpful Suggestions
How to prepare your submitted work to demonstrate that it is uniquely yours, and to avoid suspicion of plagiarism or academic misconduct.
- Do not share electronic data files with other students.
- Create your own graphs and figures using Excel (instructions are provided in the lab manual) along with video tutorials posted on Canvas).
- Change the default graphing settings in Excel so your graph is uniquely yours (change labels, data point symbols, colors, graphic representation format (line graph, bar graph, scatterplot), etc.). This has the added benefit of teaching you how to modify your graphs to more clearly represent your data.
- Make your graph titles very descriptive and add your name or initials to the title to help identify it as your own.
- If you are concerned that your graph may be too similar to your lab partner’s graphs, ask your TA (BEFORE SUBMISSION) to look at your graphs and provide you with guidance. The TAs are here to help. ASK BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR WORK.
Plagiarism
Concern
When students don’t know the answer to a question, their first instinct is to Google the question to look for an answer. The internet is an incredible resource and can be very helpful for students looking to supplement their lab experience. However, students run into trouble when they copy and paste material directly from online (or printed) resources without citing them properly.
Helpful Suggestions
How to Avoid Suspicion
- NEVER “Copy and Paste” – any answers that you submit on assignments should be in your own words. Read the information, think about it, close the source, think about it more, and summarize the information using your own words.
- Copying and Pasting and then changing a few words here and there is still plagiarism.
- To remove temptation to copy phrases from your resource, after reading the information close the book or internet browser and then write your answer. You are less likely to recreate the exact wording if you don’t have it right in front of you.
- If you are concerned that your answer might be too close to the original source or someone else taking the lab, ask your TA (BEFORE SUBMISSION) to look at it and provide you with guidance.
Additional notes about online resources: The fact that information is present on the internet does not automatically mean that the information is correct. There is plenty of misinformation available online. Students must be mindful of the sources they access online for information. The best practice is to use multiple credible sources to confirm the information, always properly site your sources, and use your own words to summarize what you’ve read. Sources like Chegg, Quizlet, Course Hero, and Study Blue are often misleading or blatantly incorrect, so they are not reliable sources of information. Students providing any Biology 2120L course information to these (or similar) sites are committing academic misconduct.
The Biology 2120L instructional team does not post any course content on any site other than the course Canvas page. Students encountering any materials posted online that appear to be Biology 2120L course materials can assume they are online as a result of academic misconduct. These materials are often incorrect or misleading. Students should report any online content that appears to be from this course to the Biology 2120L teaching team (TA, Lab Coordinator, Faculty in Charge).
Submitting Identical Images for Study Guide Pages
Concern
For some lab topics, we ask students to submit study guide pages that they create using images they’ve taken of the samples in lab. Our expectation is that each student will take their own photos in lab using the digital cameras available on the lab microscopes (or with other digital equipment provided in lab). While students are encouraged to work together in class, all photos should be your own, don’t share electronic files and name your files using distinct labels.
Helpful Suggestions
How to Avoid Suspicion
- Take your own photos during lab.
- Edit your photos to include your name, section number, specimen identification, and magnification. You should also label any important structures seen in the photos.
- Save your photo files on Cybox so you can access them later. Make sure they upload successfully so you do not end up with corrupted (or missing) files.
- DO NOT SHARE your photo files with other students.
- Using another student’s photo but cropping it to look a little bit different is not acceptable and can be easily detected by your TA.
- If you are concerned that your photo may look too similar to another student’s photo, or you have trouble accessing your photo files from Cybox after lab, contact your TA for guidance BEFORE SUBMISSION.
Copying Another Student’ s Work
Concern
Students are encouraged to work together in lab to think through problems, work on solutions, and brainstorm ideas as they work through lab exercises and assignments. It can be tempting when working together to approach a difficult question by brainstorming an answer and having multiple people write down the exact same answer on their assignment for submission. However, when the TA grades the assignments, they have no way of knowing if this answer was truly a group effort, or if one student came up with the answer and it was copied by others.
Helpful Suggestions
How to Avoid Suspicion
- Always write down your answers in your own words. Feel free to brainstorm with your lab partners and work together to find an answer, but when you write an answer for submission, make sure you use your own words and phrasing.
- If you are concerned that your written answers may be too similar to your lab partners’, contact your TA (BEFORE SUBMISSION) to provide you with guidance.
Cheating on Quizzes or Exams
Concerns (include, but are not limited to, the following):
- Students may glance at another student’s answer sheet during an in-class quiz or practical exam.
- Students may attempt to use books, study guides, or other (non-approved) resources during in-lab quizzes or practical exam.
- Students may attempt to take photos of in-lab quiz or practical exam materials to be shared with other students. Students may also attempt to use phones, tablets, or smart watches to send text messages containing questions or answers to other students.
- Students may attempt to alter an in-lab quiz or practical exam by moving a microscope stage or pointer, by moving a pin or marker in a specimen, or by damaging a specimen during the quiz or exam.
Helpful Suggestions
How to Avoid Suspicion
- Keep your eyes on your own work. Do not attempt to look at another student’s answer sheet during an in-lab quiz or practical exam. Do not allow your eyes to wander during wait times, as it will look suspicious.
- Do not attempt to use any non-approved resources during an in-lab quiz or practical exam. During the post-lab quizzes and practical exam, students are allowed to use one hand-written page of notes. Students are not allowed to use printed photos, books, or any typed materials.
- Do not attempt to use any electronic devices during an in-lab quiz or practical exam. This includes (but is not limited to) phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches, etc. Your TA will ask you to put away all electronic devices before each in-lab quiz or practical exam. If you are a student who requires the use of an electronic device as part of a disability accommodation, please make sure that you discuss this accommodation with your TA and the lab coordinator in advance of any in-lab quizzes or practical exams.
- Do not in any way attempt to modify an in-lab quiz or practical exam by manipulating questions or specimens. If you think you may have accidentally changed something (for example, if you have accidentally moved the stage on the microscope and the pointer is no longer pointing at the original structure), please alert your TA immediately so the issue can be resolved before another student views the material.
How Academic Dishonesty is Handled in Biology 2120L
All Biology 2120L Teaching Assistants are given instructions to report any suspicions of academic dishonesty to the Lab Coordinator and not to handle the situation on their own. This is done to make sure that all similar cases within Biology 2120L are handled consistently, regardless of the TA.
- The Lab Coordinator and Faculty in Charge look at each reported case to determine if the suspicions are warranted.
- If the teaching team agrees that academic misconduct might be the cause of the suspicions, the Lab Coordinator will reach out to all of the students involved to alert them to a concern about one of their assignments and to request a meeting with the students.
- Students involved will meet with the Lab Coordinator and/or Faculty in Charge to discuss the concern. Students will be given an opportunity to share their perspective on the assignment in question.
- After the meeting, the teaching team will make a determination about how to handle the case, following University guidelines. The Lab Coordinator will contact the students involved to provide them with information about the decision and any instructions that are needed. Often cases are referred to the Dean of Students Office of Student Conduct for adjudication.
