Academic Integrity
Introduction & Resources
As a Christian learning community, Regent College upholds the values of honesty, justice, and respect for others. We expect to see these values lived out in all areas—including our research, writing, and other aspects of scholarship.
- For example, we understand that it is important to be truthful about how other people's ideas have contributed to our understanding.
As members of an academic institution in a specific cultural context, members of the Regent community demonstrate our commitment to these values in part by following specific rules and norms that are recognized by other scholars in this context.
- For example, we indicate that we have learned from other scholars' ideas by citing their work in ways that other scholars can easily interpret (in footnotes, bibliographies, etc.).
Depending on your background, you may be more or less familiar with how institutions like Regent define academic integrity and related offences, such as plagiarism. Requirements around citing sources, quoting or paraphrasing others, and using tools like generative AI may be different from what you've experienced in other contexts.
Whatever your previous experience, as a Regent student you're responsible to understand and follow the standards of academic integrity outlined in the following sections. If you're not sure how something works or what is appropriate, it's always best to seek further clarification. Asking questions and using a variety of resources where needed can help you avoid even accidental academic offences.
Library Resources
The Allison Library website has a number of helpful resources for research and writing. The following pages may be especially useful:
- Academic Integrity & Plagiarism
- Student Writing Guide (particularly Sections 6, 7, and 8)
You can also get in touch with the library directly. Regent's library staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help students. Visit in person, or email [email protected].
Writing Centre & EAL/ESL Writing Centre
Regent's Writing Centre offers 30-minute appointments in person or via Zoom. If you have particular questions about the use of sources for an assignment, a Writing Centre tutor can be a great resource.
AI Guidelines
While the sections below incorporate Regent's policies on the use of generative AI, the College has also produced a brief, helpful summary of our community's posture toward AI text generators. It contains practical advice for how to approach these tools while studying at Regent.
View Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI
AI Policy Regarding Academic Offences
Regent College recognizes that AI technology is rapidly changing and becoming more integrated with the tools students use to research and write. Even so, many uses of AI fall under the Academic Offences described below. It is cheating to use AI in place of assigned reading, and all students are expected to complete assigned reading themselves and not through AI summaries. It is cheating to use AI for translation purposes for written assignments and exams. It is plagiarism to use AI to draft writing for assignments in part or in whole.
Academic Offences
All students at Regent College are expected to practise uncompromised integrity in all academic matters. The fact that Regent is a Christian college makes vigilance in this area all the more imperative. Consequently, academic offences shall not be tolerated.
Academic offences that are subject to penalty include, but are not limited to, the following:
Plagiarism
A student's work must be their own. Plagiarism is an academic offence in which someone presents, in whole or in part, the work of another person or AI text generator as his or her own work. Academic work properly involves the examination, critical evaluation, and utilization of contributions of other people. However, whenever someone uses the contributions of others in an academic setting, he or she must acknowledge the author of those contributions through footnotes or other acceptable referencing practices. Direct quotations must be clearly and properly indicated. Failure to do so, whether intentionally or accidentally, constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism can occur in written work (e.g., failure to acknowledge the use of other people’s words and ideas) and in non-written work (e.g., failure to acknowledge the use of other people’s images or creations in a work of art, or of other people’s words in an oral presentation).
Cheating
Cheating is an academic offence involving the failure to follow the instructions pertaining to the conditions for writing an assignment or examination, or falsifying material subject to academic evaluation. Cheating includes, but is not exclusive to, copying work from another person or text, using unauthorized materials or equipment in an examination, using unauthorized technology such as AI text generators, obtaining examinations or similar materials by improper means, and impersonating another student or submitting work under another student’s name.
Duplicating Assignments
It is an academic offence to submit the same, or substantially the same, essay, presentation, or assignment in more than one course, whether the earlier presentation was at Regent College or at another institution, unless prior approval has been obtained.
False Representation
Making false representation by submitting false records or information, whether in writing or orally, by falsifying or submitting false documents (including, but not limited to, the following: transcripts, letters of reference, financial aid documents), or by failing to submit required records or information, is an academic offence.
Penalties
The assessment of penalties for academic offences is at the discretion of the Academic Standards Committee; recommendations for suspension shall be referred to the Senate. Where the Committee determines that a student’s behaviour does warrant discipline, it may impose one or more of the following penalties:
- A reduced grade, including a grade of zero or Fail, on the assignment, test, or exam in question
- A reduced grade, including a grade of Fail, on the course in question
- A notation to be placed on the student’s transcript stating that the student has committed an academic offence and indicating the penalty imposed
- Suspension or cancellation of any bursaries, scholarships, or other forms of financial aid
- Suspension from the College, whether for a specified period of time, an indefinite period of time, or permanently (i.e., expulsion).
- Rejection of admission to a program or to the College
Consideration of the severity of the offence shall be given in determining the appropriate penalty. Under normal circumstances, however, the penalties shall be as follows:
- In cases of plagiarism or cheating, the penalty for the first offence shall be failure of the course; the penalty for a subsequent offence shall be failure of the course and suspension from the College.
- In the case of duplicating assignments, the penalty for the first offence shall be a full letter grade reduction in the course and the student shall be required to re-write and submit the assignment in acceptable form; the penalty for a second offence shall be failure of the course and suspension from the College.
- In the case of false representation in the context of an application for admission, the penalty shall be rejection of admission to the College; in the case of false representation in the context of a course, the penalty shall be failure of the course and suspension from the College.
In all cases of academic offence, a notice shall be placed in the student’s file. In the case of suspension, a notation of the penalty shall be entered on the student’s record, which shall appear on his or her academic transcript. After at least two years following the termination of the suspension, the student may appeal to the Academic Standards Committee to have this notation removed. Students shall not receive credit for courses taken at another institution while on suspension.
Process
All work submitted by students may be reviewed, by whatever means seem appropriate, to ensure that an academic offence has not been committed. These means may include, but are not limited to, using one or more software and/or internet-based service to verify the authenticity and originality of students’ work. Professors who find that a student has committed an academic offence may, at their discretion, require the student to resubmit the assignment with an appropriate penalty. Alternatively, they may report their findings to the Registrar, with supporting evidence and a proposed penalty. If a professor chooses to allow the student to resubmit an assignment and the alleged offence is not remedied, it will be reported to the Registrar with evidence.
Upon receipt of a report from a professor of an alleged academic offence, the Registrar shall refer the matter, along with supporting evidence provided by the professor, to the Academic Standards Committee. The student shall also be invited to respond, in writing, to the allegations being raised against him or her. The student shall be given a minimum of fourteen days to provide a written defense before the Academic Standards Committee meets. The Academic Standards Committee shall consider the evidence provided by the professor and the defense provided by the student (if any), and any other information that may be relevant to the case, in determining whether or not an academic offence has been committed, and, if so, what the appropriate penalty shall be, with reference to the penalties outlined above. Where the penalty is suspension from the College, the Academic Standards Committee shall make recommendation to the Senate and the Senate shall make the final decision regarding the penalty.
In cases where the student thinks that the process was not followed properly or that new information has come to light since the decision made by the Academic Standards Committee, the student has the right to appeal, in writing, to the Senate the decision or recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee regarding a penalty against him or her. (Learn more about appeals here.) Letters of appeal must be submitted to the Academic Dean within thirty days of the decision of the Academic Standards Committee, failing which, no appeal shall be entertained by the Senate. The Senate shall consider whatever information has been provided by the Academic Standards Committee and by the student, and any other information that may be relevant to the case, in deciding whether to uphold the recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee, to impose a different penalty, or not to impose a penalty at all. All decisions of the Senate are final.
