Academic integrity is of the utmost importance at Deerfield Academy and must be one of the guiding principles in the life of every student. At the core of academic integrity is a bond of trust between teacher and student. By affixing their name to a piece of work, students pledge that, unless properly cited, the work is entirely their own. Students occasionally benefit from cooperative and collaborative learning; however, when work is submitted by teams or individuals, each student must be able to independently explain and defend the claims and ideas presented and must acknowledge the collaboration. Furthermore, students should be thoughtfully cautious in providing aid to their peers—donors of unauthorized aid may be in violation of the school’s Academic Integrity guidelines.
Academic dishonesty in all its various forms can be broad and complex, and no policy on academic integrity can list and describe every possible transgression. The Academy expects that each student will work to understand this complexity and will adhere to the highest standards of honesty. If there is doubt about the guidelines for academic integrity, students should discuss questions with a teacher.
Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas or work without proper acknowledgment. The source of the plagiarized material may, for instance, be another student’s paper, a conversation with a peer, an exchange with a tutor or parent, an encyclopedia, a scholarly text, or an Internet site; the source does not change the degree or seriousness of the plagiarism. Plagiarism usually occurs in two forms: 1) copying and 2) receiving outside writing help.
The first form of plagiarism (copying) may consist of the following:
- Copying or gaining any other advantage from another student during a quiz, test, or examination situation
- Exact copying of an author’s text without the use of quotation marks
- Using an author’s words, sentences, or passages—even with omissions or changes in wording—without proper acknowledgment
- Using an author’s argument or points from an argument without proper acknowledgment
The second form of plagiarism occurs when students receive unacknowledged help in preparing an assignment. Such outside help includes proofreading, editing, and assistance from, but not limited to, parents/guardians, proctors, tutors, or classmates. While students are encouraged to discuss assignments with faculty and other students, all writing should be their own. Again, when in doubt, students should acknowledge any help they receive. A student will receive a failing grade for any assignment in which plagiarism occurs. In order to ensure adherence to this policy and to resolve questions of authorship, the Academy reserves the right to electronically screen papers and other submitted work for authenticity.
If ever in doubt, students should speak with their teachers and document their sources.
Resubmission of Work
When a student submits work to a teacher in a course, the teacher expects that the work has been completed and submitted only in that course. Using the same assignment for credit twice is a shortcut that provides an unfair advantage. Students are credited for completing a course only when they have met in good faith all the requirements of/for that course specifically.
In cases where overlap between assignments in two different courses might lead the students to perform fruitful, interdisciplinary work, they may submit the same assignment for credit with approval from both teachers—who may attach additional expectations.
Access to Electronic/Smart Devices
During any quiz, test, or examination, or graded work, students may not access any electronic or smart device unless explicitly allowed by their teacher or by a documented academic or medical accommodation. Prohibited devices include—but are not limited to—phones, tablets, computers, smart speakers, smart wearables (watches, glasses, headphones).