Cheating and plagiarism are important issues at the University and must be kept at a minimum. However, they are not easy to identify or deal with. Even when you are sure you have evidence of cheating, you may be wrong. Academic dishonesty has only occurred if there was an intention to be dishonest. What appears to be dishonesty may simply be caused by misunderstanding or inexperience. For example, it may appear that a first year student is guilty of plagiarism, when in fact, she is simply too inexperienced and inflexible with language, or she may not understand what plagiarism is and why it must be avoided. Similarly, it may seem that one student has copied the lab report of another student, when in fact, they simply worked together while writing the reports, learned from each other, and made no particular attempt to express the same idea in different words. We should deal with academic dishonesty as teachers, rather than as police. We can prevent cheating by improving our teaching methods rather than by becoming better police officers. There are different kinds and levels of academic dishonesty. They can be categorized into roughly four groups:

1. Plagiarism - defined in the Dalhousie calendar as: "the presentation by an author of the work of another author, in such a way as to give one's readers reason to think it to be one's own"… "plagiarism is a form of academic fraud."

2. Copying lab reports or essays written by other students;

3. Cheating on tests or exams; or

4. Submitting the same essay for a grade in two classes, without the expressed permission of both instructors.

1. Plagiarism. As teachers, our goal is to understand the students' perspective so we can help them improve their work (to educate, not punish), and to provide surroundings that promote learning, rather than suspicion. Many come to university knowing nothing about plagiarism. Many students are not committing the crime of plagiarism, because they have no real intention to mislead. Unless we explain in advance why copying is unacceptable, we cannot with good conscience punish them. Therefore we should:

- Educate. Explain how to use the ideas of others correctly. It is not sufficient to circulate a threatening statement about plagiarism at the beginning of the year.

- Set a good example. Be sure you are not using the words and ideas of others when teaching. There should be no double standards.

- Recognize and acknowledge the difficulties of avoiding plagiarism in disciplines like science. It is rarely possible to come up with valid, acceptable original ideas in scientific subjects. In addition, the languages of science are so specific that wording cannot be changed easily. There are few sources of valid information in science, and it is hard to be original when talking about work done by others.

- Recognize that students have not yet fully developed their abilities to use language. Students will have trouble rewording text and expressing it as well as the source. A student who puts all ideas into his own words is likely to get a lower mark than one who copies but is not caught. When marking assignments try to reward original effort on the part of the student, even if ideas are awkwardly expressed.

- Give feedback, in a non-threatening way, before major problems arise. When you see a few sentences that have been copied while marking, make a casual comment such as, "Be sure you always use your own words," or "This sounds like a quotation, be sure to use quotation marks." Equally, comment on the efforts made, "Good effort at reworking these ideas." If you can recognize efforts at originality, and catch small problems, plagiarism will not be an issue.

2. Copying lab reports or essays written by other students. If you think one student has copied the assignment of another, speak to both of them privately. Do not make accusations. Show them your evidence and ask for an explanation. If there is any chance that the explanation is valid, accept it. If the case is serious, pass it along to the professor. This kind of cheating is more likely to occur if students believe their teacher does not read their work carefully. Mark carefully and make comments and explanations where appropriate. Similarly there will be less copying if assignments are changed each year.

3. Cheating on tests or exams. If you are faced with undeniable cheating, suit your punishment to the seriousness of the crime. It is usually appropriate to bring the matter to the professor's attention. Advise the student about the Ombud's Office (4th floor, Student Union Building). If you are being fair, the Ombud will confirm this. If you make a mistake, admit it.

4. Submitting the same essay for different classes. Whether or not this is defined as academic dishonesty really depends upon the policies of individual professors. While in most cases students are expected to do original work for each class, they may receive permission to undertake research, writing, or projects which they submit for more than one class with the expressed knowledge and consent of all instructors. You should make it clear to students that, without such consent, work done for another class is not acceptable.