Academic Regulations, Honor Code

Academic regulations are established by the faculty to ensure the academic integrity of Guilford College. It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with all academic regulations of the College.

Academic regulations are subject to change. Students may choose to graduate according to the academic regulations stated in the catalog that is active their first semester of enrollment or in any later catalog that becomes active before they graduate. However, students are not permitted to satisfy requirements by mixing catalogs. Students must choose one catalog and meet all graduation requirements from that catalog. It is the responsibility of students, aided by their advisors, to familiarize themselves with academic regulations and to plan courses of study that meet all departmental and College graduation requirements.

The Academic Honor Code

To foster individual responsibility, Guilford subscribes to the principles of an honor system and encourages a mature understanding and acceptance of the code.

Honor Code. The statement, “I have been honest and have not observed any dishonesty,” gives testament to the honor system and should be pledged in writing on all academic work. Compliance is assumed even if the statement does not appear on College work. Faculty members may insist that the statement be written on all academic work and may refuse to extend credit for work on which it does not appear.

Student Responsibility to the Honor System. In addition to adherence to the honor code, students are expected to confront other students who have apparently violated the code and to report such violations. A failure to confront or report such violation may be considered a violation of the honor code.

Violation of the Academic Honor Code. Academic honesty and integrity represent central elements of the liberal arts education at Guilford. As scholars pursuing knowledge and truth, informed by the Quaker testimony on integrity, we seek a community where each member acts responsibly and honorably in all activities and at all times. Acts of dishonesty represent a serious offense at Guilford. The academic honor code is violated when anyone claims credit, implicitly or explicitly, for work and ideas that are not her or his own. Violations of the academic honor code include, but are not limited to, the list below:

Plagiarism. Guilford defines plagiarism broadly as presenting the interpretations, wording, images or original conceptions of others as one’s own without appropriate acknowledgement. Individual faculty members determine what constitutes “appropriate acknowledgement” within the context of their courses, either by specifically stating requirements or by acknowledging the standard practice within a given discipline. The charge of plagiarism applies to any and all academic work whether done inside or outside the classroom and whether submitted as a rough draft or a final product.

Unauthorized Collaboration. Students may not combine efforts on any and all academic work, done inside or outside the classroom, submitted to an instructor as a rough draft or a final product, unless specifically permitted by the instructor. Although instructors should clearly define the limits of collaboration allowed, the absence of any instructions indicates that collaboration is not permitted. When uncertain, the student should seek clarification from the instructor.

In cases of unauthorized collaboration, any student giving aid is as responsible as the recipient, unless the former is unaware that she/ he has provided aid. A student who seeks unauthorized aid is responsible for participating in unauthorized collaboration whether the aid was given or received. The charge of unauthorized collaboration applies to any and all academic work whether done inside or outside of the classroom and whether submitted as a rough draft or a final product.

Unauthorized Use of Materials. It is the student’s responsibility to ascertain what materials may be used in any and all academic work whether done inside or outside of the classroom and whether submitted as a rough draft or a final product. The submission for credit of the same written work in more than one course is not permitted without the prior permission of both instructors.

Excerpted from the Guilford College Catalog, Page 201.