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2023 Academic Catalog > Student Information and Procedures > Academic Integrity

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Contents
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  • Student Information and Procedures
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    • Academic Integrity
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  • Teach-Out
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  • Teach-Out - Programs, Certificates, and Courses
  • Appendix of Changes
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Academic Integrity

Trident regards academic integrity as vital to the success of its students and to the reputation of the University as an institution of higher learning. Students attain their educational goals and enjoy an enriched academic experience only when there is effective learning. Effective learning occurs when students conduct their own research and are the sole authors of their work. The assessment of that learning is undermined when the originality of students’ work is questionable.

Trident therefore expects students to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity in all their work.

Plagiarism

The most common form of academic dishonesty is presentation of the work of another person as one’s own and is referred to as “plagiarism.” Plagiarism is a serious academic infraction that tarnishes everyone associated with it. Civil and criminal penalties may also apply where conduct violates U. S. copyright laws. Also, students violating this policy by failing to submit original work may be subject to loss of eligibility for tuition assistance or financial aid including cancellation of awards and disbursements of aid.

In addition to the most common form, plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

  • Contract Cheating: Hired and/or compensated another person or organization to prepare and/or complete academic work on their behalf. This includes hiring individuals or services to perform data collection and/or analyses for doctoral research studies.
  • Copy and Paste: Pieced together the work of other people, section by section or as-a-whole, and presented such copied work as their own.
  • Direct Duplication: Copied of the work of another person and presented such copied work as their own; may include work from an article, website, book, online repository, or another student.
  • Paraphrasing: Paraphrased without citing the original author; did not give credit to another person's work when the ideas/facts presented were not their own.
  • Submitting or Facilitating the Submission of Prior Work: Submitted work previously submitted for assessment whether created by themselves or another student.
  • False References: Used false references (incorporated references that are not relevant to misrepresent resources).
  • Manipulated Assignment Submission: Manipulated an assignment to avoid detection of content that is non-original and/or similar to other sources by plagiarism software.
  • Submission of Prior Work in Repeated Courses: Students are not permitted to use previously submitted assignments. The only exception is if a student is repeating the same course and would like to use a previously written assignment from that failed course. The student must revise the assignment and apply any feedback from the prior instructor. The student must notify the current instructor if they are repeating the course.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Submitted a paper primarily or completely written by artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, Grammarly Go, or similar, without instruction from your professor. Please note that using tools to review grammar, spelling, and punctuation is acceptable if you write your own original material. You can use a grammar checker to review for errors, but all aspects of your written work must be original

Facilitating academic dishonesty is also a violation of Trident’s Academic Integrity policy. It includes but is not limited to:

  • Intentionally assisting another student to commit an act of academic dishonesty.
  • Attempting to assist another student to commit an act of academic dishonesty.

While facilitating academic dishonesty may not directly benefit the facilitator, it does assist another student in violation of the policy.

Students can access the Trident APA LibGuide or the Trident Plagiarism LibGuide to learn more about how to avoid plagiarism.

Procedure for Reporting and Resolving Charges of Plagiarism

Charges of plagiarism may be raised by anyone including but not limited to:

  • Professors
  • Administrators
  • Peers (other students or co-workers)

The following procedures apply when a student is suspected of plagiarism:

  • If the charge is deemed credible, the Professor shall notify the student via email and request an explanation.
  • Based on the email response from the student, the Professor will consult with the Department Chair and do one the following:
    • Notify the student by email to resubmit the assignment(s) in question and assign a grade for the resubmitted assignment.
    • Notify the student by email that they may not resubmit the assignment(s) in question and assign a failing grade for assignment(s) in question.
    • If there is a history of violations, the appropriate disciplinary action(s) will be applied.
  • If the student does not respond to the Professor’s email and does not provide an explanation, this does not prevent the Professor and Department Chair from taking disciplinary action(s).
  • A student may not avoid an academic integrity allegation or disciplinary action by dropping or withdrawing from a course.
  • Students seeking financial aid will not satisfy the disbursement requirements by submitting plagiarized assignments.

Disciplinary actions may include:

  • Assign a failing grade for the assignment.
  • Assign a failing grade in the course.
  • Inability to cancel a failing grade in the relevant course.
  • If a pattern of academic integrity violations is established, the Department Chair may elevate the concern to the Dean.

Multiple Academic Integrity Violations

If a pattern of academic integrity violations is confirmed, the student will be notified by the Dean and asked for an explanation. The Dean may forward the case to the Student Conduct Committee and recommend expulsion from the university. Students with more than one academic integrity violation are subject to the following actions:

  • Establish a learning plan and sign an Academic Integrity Acknowledgement form in collaboration with a college designee.
  • Referral to the Student Conduct Committee wherein a recommendation may be made for suspension and expulsion from the university.
  • Additionally, the college may recommend removing the option to cancel a failing grade in a course.

Trident reserves the right to review all current and previous coursework (whether graded or ungraded; whether by a current student or graduate) of any student found to have engaged in plagiarism.

Right of Appeal

In cases where disciplinary action is applied, the student shall have the right of appeal. 

  • The student may appeal disciplinary action applied by the Department Chair within five business days to the college Dean.
  • The student may appeal disciplinary action applied by the college Dean within five business days to the Vice Provost.
  • Students may formally appeal Student Conduct Committee decisions with submission of a written grievance to the Office of the Ombudsman in the Trident CRS system, or at Ombudsman@trident.edu (for more information on the University grievance procedure, please refer to the policy handbook).