Cheating or plagiarism
It is unfortunate when it happens, but you may have to confront the possibility that a student has plagiarized or cheated on an assignment or examination. The UW has carefully specified policies and procedures for addressing academic misconduct, and it is important for you to know what they are if you find yourself facing these problems.
The first step is to try to prevent cheating or plagiarism from happening in the first place. For example, a careful explanation of the definition and consequences of plagiarism, coupled with strategies for helping students get through the stages of writing a paper, will pay off later in better work from your students and an atmosphere of trust and consistency. Similarly, taking steps to ensure honesty during the exam, as well as reducing the temptation to cheat, will result in fewer students doing so.
UW resources
- Tips for preventing academic misconduct from Community Standards and Student Conduct
- Report academic misconduct
- Grading and student academic conduct, from the Faculty Resources on Grading (FROG)
- Community Standards and Student Conduct faculty resources
- College of Engineering policy on academic misconduct
- UW Student Conduct Code
- Recommendations for teaching assistants (TAs) from Community Standards and Student Conduct
This four-minute video was designed for TAs, but the information may also be useful for instructors.