Academic Misconduct

What is academic misconduct?

Academic integrity is critical to maintaining fair, knowledge-based learning at Portland State University. Academic misconduct in any form is a serious violation: it undermines the bonds of trust and honesty between members of our academic community, degrades the value of a degree and puts at risk those who may eventually depend upon our students' knowledge and integrity.

Examples of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to:

• cheating on an exam
• copying from someone else
• submitting work for credit that was not the student’s own original work (including plagiarism and paraphrasing without citing sources)
• stealing examinations or course materials
• knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above

If you are unsure of whether or not academic misconduct has occurred, the Student Conduct office is available for a consultation, which may involve reviewing student-submitted material or the situation to determine if it violates any aspect of the code and if a complaint should be submitted.

Academic Misconduct and AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs have rapidly expanded in their technological capabilities and access to the average person. While there are phenomenal prospects for the use of AI to assist in almost any field, students should be cautious about the use of AI for academic work. AI programs generate content by pulling from a number of sources and while it can appear to be an easy solution for academic work, there are a number of concerns that accompany the growing use of AI.

At PSU, the expectation under our Code is that work students submit is their own original work, completed without the use of unauthorized materials and tools. This is stated in section 9 of the Code, "Unless otherwise specified by the faculty member, all submissions, whether in draft or final form, must either be the Student’s own work, or must clearly acknowledge the source(s)." While the code doesn't explicitly prohibit AI technology, it does prohibit cheating, the use of unauthorized materials in the general sense, which would include tools like AI generators, and plagiarism, which is using content without citing appropriate sources.

Please know, the use of AI (or any other unauthorized materials), without prior explicit authorization from the instructor assigning the work, would be considered a potential violation of the code and would be referred to the Director of Conduct for review and possible disciplinary action. If you do use materials and sources, including AI generators, that are not your own original work, you would need to properly cite the sources of that work to give appropriate attribution to the author.

When an instructor does permit the use of AI programs, or any other resources and materials, they should be used as specified in the assignment instructions. If you have questions about the use of any resources and materials, or the proper citations of sources, check with your instructor, use the library, or reach out to the Writing Center.

What happens next?

After a report is made by an instructor, the Director of Conduct will review the report to determine if the Conduct office has purview, refer to other campus offices if appropriate, and assess if there is a potential policy violation. If the information reported falls under the purview of the Code and may constitute a policy violation, the Director will initiate a Conduct Review.

In the Conduct Review process, the Student will be provided:

1. Notice of the report, allegations, and which sections of the Code are alleged to be violated,
2. Opportunity to participate in the conduct review, via either a meeting or written statement, and provide information relevant to the allegations for review (participation is not required; students may opt out and an outcome will be determined without the benefit of their input),
3. The ability to bring a support person with them to any meeting,
4. Notice of outcome of the review and, if found responsible, any sanctions,
5. Opportunity to appeal the outcome, and
6. A right to privacy with regards to their conduct record.

Please note that faculty members who report academic misconduct are granted the right to be notified of the outcome of the report by our Student Code of Conduct, upon request. If you are interested in learning more, please contact our office by writing to conduct@pdx.edu or calling (503) 725-4422.