Original thinking and intellectual honesty are central to a college education. Research projects require the use of existing works. As such, students must conduct themselves with proper regard for the intellectual property rights of others, as well as those of the College. WMCC does not accept or condone plagiarism and cheating. Students involved in such activities are subject to serious disciplinary action.
The following are presented as examples of academic dishonesty:
- Misrepresenting as one’s own academic work that is done by someone else with or without permission of the original author
- Providing or using prohibited assistance in assignments and examinations, including but not limited to unauthorized use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
- Communicating with other students during an examination without authorization; collaborating in the preparation of reports or take-home examinations; copying, giving aid, or failing to follow the instructions of the faculty member in charge
- Tampering with or falsifying official college records.
- Infringing upon the right of other students to fair and equal access to college library materials and comparable academic resources
- Falsifying data collected for and presented as part of a course assignment
- Presenting another person’s work as one’s own without proper acknowledgement
Faculty members may identify other instances of academic dishonesty.
WMCC does not tolerate academic dishonesty. The College expects students to do their coursework honestly, be it laboratory projects, examinations, or term projects. When a student is suspected of academic dishonesty, the faculty member involved identifies the infraction and confronts the student, giving specific evidence to support the charge: the act was seen firsthand, it was reported by another student, the work handed in was of higher quality than usual, the language used is too close to another text for it to constitute original work. Judicial procedures and consequences for cases of academic dishonesty are described in the Student Handbook.