Code of Academic Integrity
Undergraduate and Graduate
The students, faculty, and staff at Northwest endeavor to sustain an environment that values honesty in academic work, that acknowledges the authorized aid and intellectual contributions of others, and that enables equitable evaluation of student work. Sustaining academic integrity at Northwest is the responsibility of the entire university community.
Students are responsible for performing with integrity in all academic situations. Students must be especially attentive to academic integrity whenever submitting work for evaluation, honors, or publication.
Students are responsible for understanding the eight areas of academic behavior which violate the Code of Academic Integrity:
- knowingly obtaining unauthorized aid or information;
- knowingly giving unauthorized aid or information;
- committing plagiarism from written, electronic, or internet sources;
- misrepresenting facts or data;
- offering bribes;
- using library resources unethically;
- using computer resources unethically;
- knowingly engaging in acts of deception, falsification, or misrepresentation that interfere with equitable academic assessment and evaluation; and
- knowingly assisting in any of the above practices.
Faculty and staff will bring charges of violation when a preponderance of the evidence indicates that one or more of the prohibited eight academic behaviors has been committed.
Students who have witnessed, or who have evidence of, a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity are encouraged to speak with a faculty or staff member. Faculty and staff are obligated to treat seriously allegations of violations brought to their attention by Northwest students. When faculty or staff believe a preponderance of the evidence indicates a violation has occurred, the evidence provided by a student may be used by the faculty or staff filing an official charge of violation.
If a student feels he/she/they has been erroneously charged with a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity, the student has a right to appeal. Appeals committees, which determine whether there is a preponderance of the evidence to sustain the charge, will offer charged students an opportunity to review all evidence and to provide oral testimony. Appeals must be made in writing within 10 academic days of receipt of the official letter of violation.
If the violation is related to a course that the student is currently enrolled in, the instructor may impose a course-level sanction up to and including failure of the course. Course-level sanctions for violations are at the discretion of the individual faculty member.
Any violation of the Code of Academic Integrity will initiate a review by the Academic Integrity Panel, whose membership includes university students, faculty, and staff. After reviewing a student’s academic record and all violations, the Academic Integrity Panel may recommend to the Provost an administrative sanction up to and including dismissal from the university.
Any changes to the Code of Academic Integrity must be implemented following the close of the academic year in which the changes are approved.
The full Code of Academic Integrity can be found in the University Policy Library at the following link: https://www.nwmissouri.edu/policies/academics/Academic-Integrity.pdf.