Academic Integrity

Ponce Health Sciences University subscribes to the principle of Academic Integrity or Academic Honesty:

Any type of academic dishonesty by students or faculty is unacceptable behavior at Ponce Health Sciences University. Two specific forms of academic dishonesty are cheating and plagiarism. The following sections describe Ponce Health Sciences University’s official policy in relation to these two forms of academic dishonesty.

Cheating

Cheating is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as: to get something by dishonesty or deception. Cheating suggests using trickery that escapes observation. In an academic setting cheating usually refers to obtaining or sharing information using deception during examinations or other academic assignments.

Ponce Health Sciences University will enforce compliance with academic integrity and professional behavior. Any student that cheats in any examination incurs in an intolerable behavior that may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal from the institution. Department faculty, chairpersons and program directors must ensure that appropriate supervision is available for all examinations. Faculty members have the primary responsibility to ensure the security and supervision of their examination.

Any type of communication among students during examination is strictly prohibited. All pagers and cellular phones must be turned off and must remain off throughout the examination. It is prohibited to use any unauthorized electronic devices.

Ponce Health Sciences University recognizes that it may be difficult in some cases to prove with certainty whether a certain behavior is sufficient evidence of cheating. The following behaviors during an examination could be considered as evidence of cheating:

• Looking at another person’s examination.
• Talking to another student during an examination.
• Consulting notes or materials, including use of electronic devices, not specifically authorized by the instructor during an examination.
• Employing a surrogate to take an examination.
• Falsifying a signature or misrepresenting someone on attendance sheets for a class, examination or any compulsory didactic activity.
• Stealing a test or any other material.
• Engaging in any act that a reasonable person would conclude, when informed of the evidence, to be a dishonest means of obtaining information.

Any student observed with a behavior considered evidence of cheating during an examination will be reported to the Department Chairperson or Program Director. This person will evaluate the evidence and if found positive, will inform the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Student Affairs. They will investigate the incident and if cheating is proven, the student will be referred to the Student’s Promotion Committee or the President with a recommendation for dismissal from Ponce Health Sciences University.

In order to minimize the opportunity that any student may incur in such behavior a series of precautions are recommended to be taken by faculty members before and during examinations.

Recommendations Before the Examination:

• Attend examined groups with more than 25 examinees by two persons, one of which would be a faculty member.
• Divide groups larger than 50 students in two groups. Each group will be attended by two proctors, one of which would be a faculty member.
• Plan the seating of the students ahead of time. Assign seats in a way that may not be predictable by students.
• Number all tests. Use a sign-in sheet for each row, by examination number, to record where students sit.
• Prepare several versions of the same test with different questions order. Ensure that you prepare the appropriate code for each test.
• Only allow on the desk pencils and any other material authorized by the department providing the examination.
• Erase all messages on the boards before the examination starts.
• Check all bulletin boards for material related to the content of the examination.
• Establish some rules to control visits to the restroom during the examination.

Recommendations During the Examination:

• Constantly supervise the examination to identify any suspicious behavior that suggests cheating.
• If students raise their hands for any complaint, attend them one at a time.
• If for an extreme reason the student must temporarily leave the room, have one of the proctors accompany him.
• If a student exhibits behavior suspicious of cheating but not enough to qualify as evidence, record the name and inquire about the behavior after the examination.

If Evidence of Cheating is Observed During an Examination, the Person Observing the Behavior Should:

• Allow the student to complete the examination.
• Wait to the end of the examination and call the student aside.
• Confront the suspicious conduct, identify those involved and record their names.
• Notify the student about the findings and that PHSU policy requires to file a report.
• If a student appears to be using notes or has visible notes, promptly and discreetly confiscate the notes. These materials may be important evidence during a later investigation.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined by the Random House Webster Dictionary (1997) as: the unauthorized use of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own. Ponce Health Sciences University considers such behavior as unacceptable from any person of the academic community. Behaviors that are considered examples of plagiarism include:

1. Appropriating ideas by another author as the presenter’s original ideas.
2. Copying word by word the work of another person without due citation.
3. Downloading information from the internet and presenting it as original work.
4. Presenting work as the result of the presenter’s independent effort without acknowledging the contribution of co-authors or collaborators.
5. Taking a report or work done by another person (or purchasing it from internet or other sources) and presenting it as his/her own.
6. Any other action in which people are led to believe that what is presented is an original work when it is not.

Informal Procedure of Intervention with Alleged Plagiarism

Ponce Health Sciences University recognizes that in some occasions, people unknowingly engage in conducts which could be defined as plagiarism. The Institution encourages an informal approach to resolving concerns about plagiarism. In the case that a faculty member observes a conduct of alleged plagiarism in a student or other faculty member, an informal discussion about the problem may resolve and clarify the issue. This will be the first step and will be initiated by the person observing the conduct. Every attempt should be made to respect the rights of the alleged violator.

Formal Procedure of Intervention with Alleged Plagiarism

A formal procedure occurs when a faculty member and a student or member of the academic community who allegedly engaged in plagiarism are unable to reach agreement on the alleged violation and resolution, or when the faculty member believes that the alleged violation is so serious as to warrant a formal proceeding.

If a member of the academic community decides to make a formal allegation of plagiarism by a student or other member of the academic community, she or he will make a written report to the Department Chairperson or Program Director. This person will evaluate the evidence and if found positive, will inform the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Student Affairs. They will investigate the incident and if plagiarism is proven, the guilty person will be submitted to disciplinary action which will depend on the seriousness of the violation and the particular situation in which the event occurred. Possible actions include one or more of the following:

1. A note or letter to the individual’s record.
2. Requirement to complete an alternative assignment or examination.
3. Repetition of a course.
4. A failing grade for an assignment.
5. A failing grade for a course.
6. Dismissal from Ponce Health Sciences University.
7. Any other disciplinary action exposed in the Offenses and Sanctions PHSU Policy.

A specific undesirable behavior that has been described in academic environments is termed “self- plagiarism”. In self-plagiarism a person presents as new a piece of work that has already been presented for other purposes. In the sciences, self-plagiarism generally refers to the practice of submitting an article or presentation with the same data to more than one journal or scientific forum. The new article or presentation may differ only slightly from the original by changes to the title, format or order of the authors.

Ponce Health Sciences University encourages an informal approach as described previously to resolve concerns about self-plagiarism.

Any student or member of PHSU academic community who has been subjected to a disciplinary action because of cheating or plagiarism has the right to appeal the adverse decision. This appeal will be done according to the regular Due Process Policy of Ponce Health Sciences University.