Academic integrity
Academic integrity is a demonstration of personal integrity in an academic environment. Integrity in academic work is central to all learning. It forms the basis of academic work in any institute of higher learning and is built on the principles of fairness, honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, and courage. Making a commitment to not engage in acts of dishonesty, falsification, misrepresentation, or deception is the first step in preserving academic integrity.
- Principles of Academic Integrity »
- Why is Academic Integrity Important? »
- Student’s Responsibility »
- Cultural Differences »
Academic Integrity Principles
The Principles of Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is built on six overlapping principles that reflect the core values needed for good academic work. These principles are:
Fairness
Fair treatment is essential to an ethical community. Important components of fairness include reasonableness, transparency, impartiality, and just treatment. We are fair to each other and to the community when we act with honesty and do our own work. We are fair to authors and writers when we acknowledge borrowed ideas, words, and work. We are fair to the academic community when we respect and uphold academic standards and practices.
Honesty
Honesty means being truthful and sincere, as well as acting in ways that are fair and free from deceit. Honesty begins with individuals and extends to the larger community. To seek knowledge and grow from that knowledge, we must be honest with ourselves and each other. Cultivating and practicing honesty lays a foundation for lifelong integrity.
Trust
Trust is a belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Trust is a necessary foundation of academic work. Trust enables us to collaborate, share information, and circulate new ideas without fear that our work will be undermined or misused, or our careers or reputations diminished.
Respect
Respect is a feeling of admiration for someone or something based on abilities, qualities, or achievements. Mutual respect means valuing others as you would like them to value you. In academic communities, respect means showing that you care about the opinions, reputation, and well-being of the academic community.
Responsibility
Being responsible means standing up against wrongdoing, resisting negative peer pressure, and serving as a positive example. Responsible individuals hold themselves accountable for their own actions and work to discourage misconduct by others. For members of the academic community, this means safeguarding the integrity, scholarship, teaching, and research.
Courage
Courage is an element of character that allows you to commit to the quality of your education by holding yourself and your fellow students to the highest standards of academic integrity – even when doing so involves risk or prompts negative consequences from peers. Being courageous means acting in accordance with your convictions.
Why is Academic Integrity Important?
Throughout your time at Langara, you will operate within a wider system that includes others you encounter on campus and relationships you have outside of the academic environment. This includes relationships with friends, family, instructors, other professionals, and current and future employers. Your reputation with these individuals and the degree of respect these individuals may hold for you are based on whether they see you as honest, fair, and trustworthy.
Friends, family, and others want to know they can trust and rely on you. They want to know that you will treat them fairly and with respect and that they will not be used or taken advantage of. Employers prefer to hire individuals who have graduated from a reputable institution whose credentials they can trust. They want employees who show integrity and can add value to a business and enhance its reputation.
Society values honest, responsible, and courageous individuals who balance their own needs and interest with those of other people.
Learning and the acquisition of meaningful knowledge can be applied later in life and in future careers. In your academic journey at Langara, you must demonstrate that you, as an individual, have acquired the necessary learning and knowledge. To demonstrate knowledge, you must do your own work.
The reputation of our institution rests upon academic excellence, and that excellence gives value to the credential you earn upon graduation.
"Academic Integrity is super important, not only because it reflects good academic work, but also because it’s a reflection of me as an individual." – Tyler W
What is the Student’s Responsibility?
The College places a high value on academic honesty. It is expected and required in all settings, whether on campus or at an off-site location such as a practicum, a co-op site, during on-line courses, or when undertaking academic work from home.
Students are expected to demonstrate academic integrity in all academic work. It is your responsibility to know and follow the rules and expectations around academic integrity, and this site will help you understand your obligations, introduce the policies and processes around academic integrity, and provide some tips and advice to make sure that you are acting with integrity.
"Academic integrity is what makes people believe diplomas, certificates, and degrees mean something. If someone can cheat their way through college, they're not only fooling themselves, but also diminishing the value of their colleagues' hard work." – Gabriel M
Cultural Differences
Upon arrival at Langara College, some students may have to adjust to many new and different things: different language, different culture, and a different climate. You may be missing family and home while trying to make new friends and encounter to a new educational environment. It may be unlike anything you have experienced before.
In many places, education systems are based on a model where professors or teachers are experts and only they are qualified to pass on this knowledge. Students are expected to learn by listening, writing, repeating, and memorizing exactly what the professor shares with them. It is the professor who passes on information, ideas, and solutions to problems to their students.
At Langara College students are expected to be active participants in the educational process. This means that you will be expected to debate, analyze, think critically, ask questions, and be invested in your own academic growth. When some international students arrive at Langara they may initially have some difficulty adapting to this model which includes unfamiliar learning activities like participating in classroom discussions, conducting independent research, and writing critical papers. This can be challenging and a little scary if you have never done it before.
There are many places to turn to for help with issues of research, writing, and citation. Explore the academic integrity resources available to help you.