RAQA Policies on Academic Honesty and Integrity (Honor Code)

Temple University upholds the principles of academic honesty and integrity. Students involved in regulatory affairs and quality assurance are responsible for professional behavior at all times. Academic honesty fosters the concept of interdependence and respect for others as foundations of intellectual growth. All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited and subject to disciplinary action.

Academic dishonesty includes: Plagiarism, Violating the Rules of an Assignment, Cheating on Exams, and Copying Class Materials without Permission of the Instructor or the School.

1. Plagiarism

Attribution of sources is essential.

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of the ideas or words of another person or use of their assistance (without acknowledgment) in the composition of an academic assignment, including papers, examinations, homework exercises, laboratory reports, oral presentations, etc. All work is expected to be the individual effort of the student presenting the work.

All forms of plagiarism are prohibited. These include:

• repeating a sentence written by someone else as your own;
• adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own without attribution;
• copying someone's exam answers or reports or homework;
• submitting a paper or presentation that is not your own;
• paraphrasing the argument of someone else as your own without attribution or citing the source;
• cutting and pasting passages from the lecture notes, published sources, or the Internet and presenting them as original writing;
• presenting the line of thinking created by someone else in the development of a thesis as though it were your own.
• using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to write a paper, assignment, class project or any document required for admission or courses in all RAQA graduate programs.

Some examples of plagiarism are obvious. You must not copy someone else's exam answers or reports, submit a paper written in whole or in part by someone else, or have a friend do an assignment or take a test for you.  In addition, you must not use AI to write assignments for you.

Other forms of plagiarism, however, are less obvious. Here are some guidelines concerning the types of materials that should be acknowledged by using citations:

• Quotations. Whenever you use a phrase, sentence, or written (or spoken) passage authored by someone else, you must enclose the words in quotation marks and indicate the exact source of the material (including Internet citations). This applies to quotations you have altered, whether the source is an article, journal, book, or material from the Internet.

• Paraphrasing another's language. Do not closely paraphrase another's words. All of these are examples of plagiarism: Rearranging the grammar slightly; changing the tenses of verbs; substituting a synonym for a owrd; or leaving out a word or occasional words.

  Why are they plagiarism? Because the original thought and language was taken directly from another source. If passages are copied from lecture notes, published sources, or the Internet word-for-word or paraphrased, it is considered plagiarism, unless you indicate the source of the passage, acknowledging the person (or source) who wrote the information.

  Various tools make it easy to trace plagiarism through the Internet, so be careful to cite any source that comes from another author. Even public domain material must be cited.

  You will not be penalized for citing and listing sources; you will be penalized for plagiarism.

• Facts. When writing a paper, you may use facts you obtained from a class lecture, written work, the Internet or other sources. If the facts are well known, it is usually not necessary to provide a source. (For example, in a paper on American history, you would not need to provide a source for stating that the Civil War began in 1861.) If the facts are not widely known or were developed by a specific source, you should identify the source.

• Ideas. If you use an idea or ideas that you learned from a lecture, written work, the Internet or some other source, then you should identify the source. Identify the source for an idea whether or not you agree with the idea. It does not become your original idea just because you agree with it.

  Using confidential, patented, proprietary, or original documents without permission is a form of plagiarism. Copying business or corporate documents and presenting them as your own is considered plagiarism.

• The School of Pharmacy expects students to write and submit original work. All RAQA course materials and class recordings, provided through Canvas, handouts, and other means are the property of the Temple University School of Pharmacy and may not be copied, taped, recorded, or duplicated in any format without the expressed prior consent of the course instructor and the RAQA Graduate Program of the Temple University School of Pharmacy. Doing so is a violation of the School's Honor Code and Code of Conduct and will be brought to the Graduate Committee and a Disciplinary Committee and could result in expulsion from the graduate program.

• Posting lecture materials on the Internet or sharing them with other colleagues or presenting them at work is regarded as a violation of the School of Pharmacy Code of Conduct and will be brought to the Graduate Committee and a Disciplinary Committee and could result in the student being dismissed from the program.

  How to avoid plagiarism
  All sources must be identified as clearly, accurately, and thoroughly as possible. It is always safer to use footnotes and a bibliography for all written assignments.
  If you are not sure how to cite sources correctly, ask your instructor to explain the expectations for the assignment. If you do not understand the directions, ask for clarification. Ask if footnotes are required for a paper or if end notes will suffice. List all sources you used in compiling your paper in a bibliography at the end; however, doing so does not relieve you from the requirement of quoting original sources. Writing an assignment consists of more than cutting and pasting paragraphs or citations from the Internet:  at the graduate level, students are expected to add their own ideas, insights, arguments, considerations to create a document that is uniquely theirs:  not a compilation of citations.

  2. Violating the Rules of an Assignment

  Academic course work is intended to advance the skills, knowledge, and intellectual competence of students. Academic dishonesty is breaking the general rules of academic work and/or the specific rules of individual courses. It includes all of the following:

  • Falsifying data.
  • Submitting, without the instructor’s approval, work you did in one course for another course;
  • Helping others to plagiarize or cheat in a course;
  • Downloading material from the Internet and submitting it as your own;
  • Piecing together numerous documents from the Internet and submitting it as your own;
  • Using reports, documents, or other materials from your place of employment as your own;
  • Doing work for another student.

  Falsifying data or making up data is consideed plagiarism.

  Submitting work in one course which was done for another: If you wish to build upon a paper you submitted in a previous course, you should discuss this with your current instructor. Doing this type of progressive assignment can deepen your understanding, as long as you are doing more advanced research and writing in the second class. Make sure you instructor is aware and approves this approach.

  Helping others to plagiarize or cheat: Both parties are considered guilty of plagiarism.

  Downloading materials from the Internet and submitting it as your own: This is a form of plagiarism and can lead to failure or dismissal. At the graduate level, you are expected to know how to research numerous Internet sources and develop original thought and writing. Copying directly is a form of cheating.  Using Artificial Intelligence for papers and assignements is considered a form of plagiarism.
   
  Cutting and pasting various documents from the Internet and combining them together in a document is not considered original work: it is considered a form of plagiarism and will be treated as such. 

  Submitting work reports as homework: Company reports and data are usually considered proprietary and should never be submitted for a class assignment. Doing so is considered plagiarism.

  Doing the work of another person: All work done in graduate courses should be done by the registered student. Discussing an approach to an assignment or critiquing writing can be very helpful, but ultimately you are responsible for the material you submit for a grade. You will need the skills and competencies that RAQA courses are teaching in your professional career. Every hour you put into your courses will reward you in the future.

  3. Cheating on Examinations

  Examinations are intended to test your understanding and retention of course material. Violations of academic honesty include:

  • Obtaining help during the exam from other students, colleagues, friends or family;
  • Reading and copying another student’s answers while taking an exam;
  • Failing to complete the exam alone during the test period;
  • Using written aids (notes, books, the Internet, etc.) during a closed book exam;
  • Using electronic devices (cell phones, notepads, i-pads, laptops, etc.) during a closed book exam.

  Your instructor determines the format of an exam. A “closed book” exam means that you should not use notes or any other written aids during the test. All electronic devices are also prohibited, including cell phones, notepads, laptops, etc., unless specifically allowed by the instructor.

  If you are unsure of what you may use in an exam, ask. When an exam is “take home,” that means it is given outside of class. Generally that means you may use class notes, texts, or even material from the library that is properly cited. Your instructor will specify what is allowed.

  During a “take home exam,” your instructor and the School assume that you will complete the examination alone. You should not obtain help from other students, colleagues, or family members in developing your answers and turn them in as if they were your work. Again, if you are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism, ask.

  All RAQA courses require at least one proctored exam. Violating the RAQA program's SOPs for Proctoring is considered a breach of academic honesty. All proctors must be approved by the RAQA Office. Proctors are expected to abide by the RAQA Proctoring Procedures, which includes staying in the room during the entire exam. If the rules are violated, disciplinary action may be taken.  RPNow is an online proctoring platform used for RAQA exams.  Students are expected to abide by the SOPs provided for taking exam through RPNow.

• 4. Copying and disseminating RAQA course materials

  RAQA graduate courses and course materials are the property of Temple University School of Pharmacy and may not be copied, taped, recorded, or duplicated in any format without the prior, written authorization of the course instructor and the School of Pharmacy. 

  The RAQA Graduate Program and instructors may record class lectures, but students do not have permission to copy, tape, record, or duplicate classes or class recordings without obtaining written permission from the instructor and the RAQA program first. 

  All materials distributed in RAQA courses are for class use only and are not to be copied, duplicated, or distributed in any format outside of RAQA courses without prior written authorization of the course instructor and the School of Pharmacy.

  Violating these rules is a breach of the Academic Honesty Code of the RAQA Graduate Program and will be dealt with accordingly.

• 5. Procedures and Penalties for Academic Dishonesty

  If an instructor believes an incident of plagiarism has occurred, the instructor must notify the student, the Assistant Dean for RAQA, and the Director Graduate Studies.

  Within two weeks of the incident, the student may submit an explanation in writing to the Assistant Dean of RAQA and the Director of Graduate Studies.

  The Assistant Dean of RAQA will gather all materials, which includes conferring with the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies. 

  All pertinent facts will be considered in light of University and School of Pharmacy Policies on Academic Honesty. The Assistant Dean of RAQA and the Director of Graduate Studies may meet individually with the student or with the student and instructor. Upon review, a decision may be made if sanctions should be imposed or the case may be referred to the Graduate Committee for further review.

  The penalty for academic dishonesty can vary depending on the nature of the offense and can be one or more of the following:

  • A reprimand and receipt of a failing grade for a particular assignment,
  • A grade of Failure for the entire course,
  • Suspension or expulsion from the program or School.

  When plagiarism is found and proven in a paper or assignment, the instructor has the right to give a grade of “F” or zero for that assignment, and, in certain circumstances, fail the student for the course. Occasionally an instructor may allow the student the chance to rewrite the assignment in his/her own words with the understanding that the grade of “F” still stands (so even if the second paper is an “A,” the highest grade achieved is a “C”).

  Under all circumstances, a note will be placed in the student’s file with the understanding that any further plagiarism will automatically result in an “F” for the course and possible expulsion.

  For more information about what constitutes Academic Dishonesty or about disciplinary and/or academic grievance procedures refer to the Temple University Statement on Academic Honesty and the Student Code of Conduct or contact the Student Orientation Office, 215-204-8531.