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What is Academic Integrity?
Academic integrity is about conducting your academic work with honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage.[1] All members of the KPU community have a responsibility to contribute to a culture of academic integrity. You demonstrate academic integrity by:
- Acknowledging where the ideas you use come from
- Learning about and following the university’s academic integrity rules
- Respecting copyright laws
- Making sure that the work you submit is your own
- Doing the right thing even when faced with challenges
Why is Academic Integrity important?
Academic integrity is important because:
- Your academic achievements should reflect your own learning and work
- Learning with integrity will ensure that you get the most out of your education and that you acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed not only in your studies but also in your career
- It is a way of showing respect for the hard work of your instructors and other students
- It ensures that KPU degrees and credentials reflect a high quality of education because all graduates will have achieved the necessary learning outcomes
- Breaches of academic integrity can have serious consequences
Academic Integrity at KPU
Requirements and ideas around academic integrity can vary among different universities, cultures, and languages. At KPU, we have specific rules and procedures for academic integrity which can be found here.
Your instructors will also have specific requirements related to academic integrity. For example, your instructor may tell you to use a specific reference and citation style in your writing to give credit to the authors whose ideas you write about.
Your instructors will also have rules about when you can work on a project with someone else and when you need to do the work by yourself. It is important to ask your instructor about these expectations.
Support Resources
KPU has free resources that can support you and help you avoid academic integrity issues.
- Student Rights and Responsibilities Office - The office will provide accurate, consistent, and balanced information on KPU policies and help you understand your rights and responsibilities as a KPU student.
- Counselling Services – Arrange a meeting with a counsellor for emotional support and guidance.
- KPU’s 24/7 Student Support Program – My SSP – Get mental health support by telephone or chat in your preferred language.
- Kwantlen Student Association Peer Support Resource Centre – Chat with trained student volunteers about university life and get connected with helpful resources.
- KSA Student Rights Centre - Contact the student advocacy coordinator for help navigating the process if you have been reported for an academic integrity violation or if you would like someone to attend a meeting with you for support.
- Academic Advising – Meet with an academic advisor who can help you find courses that will help you succeed in your studies.
- Learning Strategists – Meet with a learning strategist from the Learning Centres who can help you learn skills to prevent academic integrity violations and succeed in your courses.
- The Learning Centres – In addition to learning strategists, access tutoring, workshops, and learning aids that can support you in your studies.
- Library Academic Integrity Liaison – Speak with a librarian who can help you learn to avoid plagiarism by citing your sources correctly.