Clemson University Official Statement on Academic Integrity

"As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson's vision of this institution as a 'high seminary of learning.' Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form."

Procedure in a Case of Suspected Cheating

Page 26 of the Clemson University Undergraduate Announcements 2001-2002 states the following.

I. Academic Integrity Policy

"A. Any breach of the principles outlined in the Academic Integrity Statement is considered an act of academic dishonesty.

B. Academic dishonesty is further defined as:
  1. Giving. receiving, or using unauthorized aid on any academic work;
  2. Plagiarism, which includes the copying of language, structure, or ideas of another and attributing the work to one's own efforts;
  3. Attempts to copy, edit, or delete computer files that belong to another person or use of Computer Center account numbers that belong to another person without the permission of the file ownder, account owner, or file number owner;
C. All academic work submitted for grading contains an implicit pledge and may contain, at the request of an instructor, an explicit pledge by the student that no unauthorized aid has been received.

D. It is the responsibility of every member of the Clemson University community to enforce the Academic Integrity Policy.

II. Academic Integrity Committee

The power to hear cases of academic dishonesty is vested in an Academic Integrity Committee.
  1. When, in the opinion of a faculty member, there is evidence that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall make a formal written charge of academic dishonesty, including a description of the misconduct, to the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Services. At the same time, the faculty member may, but is not required to, inform each involved student privately of the nature of the alleged charge.
  2. ...
  3. When the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Services has received a formal charge of an alleged violation, he/she will contact the student involved privately to notify him/her of the charge and at the same time will provide the student with a copy of the charge and a copy of the procedures that the Academic Integrity Committee has adopted.
Penalties

Upon a finding of "not guilty" by a hearing board, the student's record will not reflect the incident.

Upon a finding of "guilty" by a hearing board, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Services will notify the student and faculty member of the decision immediately. If the offense is the first for the student, then the faculty member has the ability to determine the academic penalty, which shall not exceed a grade of F for the course."

Tools Used

All student labs and programs will be run through several Similarity Analysis Tools which compare each student's program with every other student's program. Note that:
  1. The analysis programs will compare programs of students in the same as well as in different sections.
  2. The analysis programs will compare programs of students in the same as well as in different semesters.
If it is determined that two or more students violated the Academic Integrity Policy, copies of the programs will be sent to the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Services together with a letter describing the violation. The students involved may or may not be informed, as prescribed in the regulations quoted above.

A sample output of one of the analysis programs is shown below. Note that two students had analysis measurements of 196.77 44 and 196.77 46, respectively. Closer inspection of the student programs revealed that they had indeed collaborated. Note further that another group of six students had analysis measurements of 249.94 61, 249.94 62, 249.94 62, 249.94 63, 249.94 64, 249.94 65. Closer inspection revealed that, of the six, two students had colaborated and the other four students had collaborated.

If this situation were to occur this semester, copies of the programs of all eight students would automatically be sent to Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Services for a hearing. 
      195.76 45 section_/lab_/student_
      196.77 44 section_/lab_/student_
      196.77 46 section_/lab_/student_
      198.77 46 section_/lab_/student_
      202.77 49 section_/lab_/student_
      211.81 49 section_/lab_/student_
      220.86 48 section_/lab_/student_
      222.82 63 section_/lab_/student_
      228.88 52 section_/lab_/student_
      235.89 55 section_/lab_/student_
      239.93 62 section_/lab_/student_
      243.91 55 section_/lab_/student_
      244.95 60 section_/lab_/student_
      246.88 69 section_/lab_/student_
      246.94 65 section_/lab_/student_
      247.92 56 section_/lab_/student_
      249.100 65 section_/lab_/student_
      249.91 54 section_/lab_/student_
      249.94 61 section_/lab_/student_
      249.94 62 section_/lab_/student_
      249.94 62 section_/lab_/student_
      249.94 63 section_/lab_/student_
      249.94 64 section_/lab_/student_
      249.94 65 section_/lab_/student_
      249.97 67 section_/lab_/student_
      250.94 64 section_/lab_/student_
      251.99 65 section_/lab_/student_
      252.100 64 section_/lab_/student_
      252.100 72 section_/lab_/student_
      252.92 71 section_/lab_/student_
      252.94 63 section_/lab_/student_
      252.95 66 section_/lab_/student_
      254.100 55 section_/lab_/student_
      255.101 74 section_/lab_/student_
      255.94 78 section_/lab_/student_
      255.97 52 section_/lab_/student_
      255.97 62 section_/lab_/student_
      255.97 62 section_/lab_/student_
      256.98 56 section_/lab_/student_
      256.98 73 section_/lab_/student_
      257.101 64 section_/lab_/student_
      258.94 61 section_/lab_/student_
      258.95 67 section_/lab_/student_
      259.94 68 section_/lab_/student_
      260.97 61 section_/lab_/student_
      261.97 62 section_/lab_/student_
      261.97 70 section_/lab_/student_
      262.100 66 section_/lab_/student_
      262.101 56 section_/lab_/student_
      262.104 58 section_/lab_/student_
      263.100 66 section_/lab_/student_
      265.100 72 section_/lab_/student_
      265.105 65 section_/lab_/student_
      265.97 64 section_/lab_/student_
      265.97 64 section_/lab_/student_
      266.115 58 section_/lab_/student_
      266.99 67 section_/lab_/student_
      267.106 61 section_/lab_/student_
      267.96 61 section_/lab_/student_
      267.98 69 section_/lab_/student_
      268.101 67 section_/lab_/student_
      268.111 59 section_/lab_/student_
      268.98 68 section_/lab_/student_
      270.100 70 section_/lab_/student_
      270.101 71 section_/lab_/student_
      270.103 73 section_/lab_/student_
      271.103 64 section_/lab_/student_
      271.104 68 section_/lab_/student_
      271.99 59 section_/lab_/student_
      273.103 65 section_/lab_/student_
      274.104 62 section_/lab_/student_
      274.104 67 section_/lab_/student_
      274.108 66 section_/lab_/student_
      274.109 68 section_/lab_/student_
      276.107 59 section_/lab_/student_
      276.115 64 section_/lab_/student_
      277.102 63 section_/lab_/student_
      277.98 76 section_/lab_/student_
      278.104 62 section_/lab_/student_
      278.106 63 section_/lab_/student_
      279.105 66 section_/lab_/student_
      280.116 67 section_/lab_/student_
      280.95 77 section_/lab_/student_
      282.104 67 section_/lab_/student_
      282.109 67 section_/lab_/student_
      282.115 72 section_/lab_/student_
      282.115 74 section_/lab_/student_
      282.118 74 section_/lab_/student_
      284.98 77 section_/lab_/student_
      285.100 68 section_/lab_/student_
      285.109 64 section_/lab_/student_
      285.115 65 section_/lab_/student_
      285.117 65 section_/lab_/student_
      285.118 60 section_/lab_/student_
      286.109 62 section_/lab_/student_
      286.110 70 section_/lab_/student_
      286.114 60 section_/lab_/student_
      287.105 69 section_/lab_/student_
      288.102 70 section_/lab_/student_
      288.116 61 section_/lab_/student_
      288.116 62 section_/lab_/student_
      289.114 64 section_/lab_/student_
      290.119 62 section_/lab_/student_
      291.114 65 section_/lab_/student_
      291.115 63 section_/lab_/student_
      294.104 72 section_/lab_/student_
      294.122 70 section_/lab_/student_
      295.125 68 section_/lab_/student_
      296.109 65 section_/lab_/student_
      298.104 83 section_/lab_/student_
      298.120 72 section_/lab_/student_
      299.107 68 section_/lab_/student_
      300.121 62 section_/lab_/student_
      303.124 65 section_/lab_/student_
      308.113 63 section_/lab_/student_
      310.124 79 section_/lab_/student_
      310.128 62 section_/lab_/student_
      317.131 67 section_/lab_/student_
      317.134 61 section_/lab_/student_
      327.127 73 section_/lab_/student_
      335.142 92 section_/lab_/student_
      336.158 84 section_/lab_/student_
      351.139 75 section_/lab_/student_
      351.145 92 section_/lab_/student_
      358.166 75 section_/lab_/student_
      359.177 67 section_/lab_/student_
      360.146 76 section_/lab_/student_
      523.204 124 section_/lab_/student_
      544.214 125 section_/lab_/student_
      640.255 160 section_/lab_/student_