Carnegie Mellon

Whose Responsibility is it?

Promoting academic integrity is the responsibility of the entire Carnegie Mellon community.

Because we seek to maintain the highest possible standards at Carnegie Mellon, the urge to get ahead can sometimes tempt students to use questionable or inappropriate methods - especially when the stakes seem to be high. In difficult or ambiguous situations people often rely on a variety of indirect signals to decide what is and isn't an acceptable action. These signals include perceptions of what others are doing, interpretations of “fair or unfair” assignments or grading procedures, the level of investment by the instructor in the course, the value placed on the course material, and experiences outside of Carnegie Mellon.

Under stress or time pressure people may rationalize that no one is hurt if a student "takes a shortcut” or if an instructor does not report a suspected violation. But each person's attitudes and actions contribute to our individual and community standards. Bit by bit, what may seem like small ethical compromises sacrifice the integrity of our academic community.