Fundamental to the academic work you do at MIT is an expectation that you will make choices that reflect integrity and responsible behavior.
MIT will ask much of you. Occasionally, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to accomplish. You may be short of time, working on several assignments due the same day, or preparing for qualifying exams or your thesis presentation. The pressure can be intense. On the Working Under Pressure page, we suggest resources to help you manage your workload and prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed. However, no matter what level of stress you may find yourself under, MIT expects you to approach your work with honesty and integrity.
Honesty is the foundation of good academic work. Whether you are working on a problem set, lab report, project or paper, avoid engaging in plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, cheating, or facilitating academic dishonesty. Follow this advice:
| Plagiarism | |
|---|---|
| Do: | Don't: |
| Trust the value of your own intellect. | Don't purchase papers or have someone write a paper for you. |
| Undertake research honestly and credit others for their work. | Don’t copy ideas, data or exact wording without citing your source. |
| Unauthorized Collaboration | |
|---|---|
| Do: | Don't: |
| Trust the value of your own intellect. | Don’t collaborate with another student beyond the extent specifically approved by the instructor. |
| Cheating | |
|---|---|
| Do: | Don't: |
| Demonstrate your own achievement. | Don’t copy answers from another student; don’t ask another student to do your work for you. Don’t fabricate results. Don’t use electronic or other devices during exams. |
| Accept corrections from the instructor as part of the learning process. | Don’t alter graded exams and submit them for re-grading. |
| Do original work for each class. | Don’t submit projects or papers that have been done for a previous class. |
| Facilitating Academic Dishonesty | |
|---|---|
| Do: | Don't: |
| Showcase your own abilities. | Don’t allow another student to copy your answers on assignments or exams. Don’t take an exam or complete an assignment for another student. |