Academic Violations

Academic misconduct violates the principle of intellectual integrity that is the foundation of our institution. To violate that principle is one of the most serious offenses a student can commit. Faculty and instructors may list specific expectations on a course syllabus and examples of academic misconduct are listed in the Bulletin and policies of the schools at Columbia University. The expectations outlined below apply to all academic activities and work that students conduct during their time at the University, graded or ungraded. Violations of academic integrity, or attempts to violate, include, but are not limited to:

Knowingly or negligently engaging in behavior that assists another student in a violation of academic integrity is prohibited. 

Giving unauthorized assistance to another student or receiving unauthorized assistance from another person on tests, quizzes, assignments or examinations, without the instructor’s permission, is prohibited.

Offering or giving any favor or something of value for the purpose of improperly influencing a grade or other evaluation of a student in an academic program is prohibited. 

Wrongfully using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, study aids, or the ideas or work of another in order to gain an unfair advantage, is prohibited. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the possession, giving of, use, or consultation of unauthorized materials or using unauthorized equipment or devices on tests, quizzes, assignments or examinations, working on any examination, test, quiz or assignment outside of the time constraints imposed, the unauthorized use of prescription medication to enhance academic performance, or submitting an altered examination or assignment to an instructor for re-grading. 

Collaborating on academic work without the instructor’s permission is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, unauthorized collaboration on tests, quizzes, assignments, labs, and projects. 

Falsification, forgery, or misrepresentation of information to any University official in order to gain an unfair academic advantage in coursework or lab work, on any application, petition, or documents submitted to the University, is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, falsifying information on a résumé, fabrication of credentials or academic records, misrepresenting one’s own research, providing false or misleading information in order to be excused from classes or assignments, or intentionally underperforming on a placement exam. Furthermore, another party providing false information on another student’s behalf is prohibited.

Violating established institutional policies related to the ethics, honor codes, or professional standards of a student’s respective school, is prohibited. 

Failure to take precautions to safeguard one’s own work is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: leaving work on public computers; sharing work with other students for a completed course without authorization from the course instructor; and sharing course notes without instructor authorization.   

Unauthorized taking, circulating, or sharing of past or present course material(s) without the instructor’s permission is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, assignments, exams, lab reports, notebooks, and papers. Methods of obtainment and distribution include but are not limited to: taking photographs, videos, or screenshots; uploading to public websites such as CourseHero, Chegg or Github; e-mailing or other messaging platforms; sharing through Courseworks or Canvas; or taking and/or distributing unauthorized recordings of lectures/course instructions/office hours. 

Unauthorized advance access to exams or other assignments without an instructor’s permission is prohibited.

The use of words, phrases, or ideas that do not belong to the student, without properly citing or acknowledging the source, is prohibited. This may include, but is not limited to, copying computer code for the purposes of completing assignments for submission. 

Inappropriately and deliberately harming or attempting to harm someone else's academic performance is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: altering another student’s experiment data; disrupting the experiments or tests of others; taking actions which prevent others from completing work; or making modifications to parts of a group project without the knowledge of contributors. 

Using any material portion of an assignment to fulfill the requirements of more than one course, without the instructor’s permission, is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, submitting original writing or any previous assignments (including assignments submitted for a prior course and/or degree). 

Compromising a testing environment, violating specific testing conditions, and/or violating test instructions to intentionally or unintentionally create access to an unfair advantage for oneself or others, is prohibited. for a prior course and/or degree). 

Absent a clear statement from a course instructor granting permission, the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to complete an assignment or exam is prohibited. The unauthorized use of AI shall be treated similarly to unauthorized assistance and/or plagiarism.