Academic Integrity Policy

LIM College does not tolerate any act of academic dishonesty, intentional or unintentional. A student who is involved in an academic dishonesty incident is subject to a range of sanctions including, but not limited to, a failing grade for the assignment or exam, a failing grade for the course, suspension, or expulsion. Any infractions of the academic integrity policy will also result in lost eligibility for graduation honors, honor societies or awards.

Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to the following.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to representing words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise without providing proper documentation of source.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

Copying information from a source without using quotation marks and giving proper citation
Paraphrasing information from a source without giving proper citation
Representing another’s intellectual work as one’s own, including but not limited to, audio-visual and computer-based materials, slide presentations, computer files, artistic compositions, graphic design, photographs, paintings and/or drawings
Using content generated by artificial intelligence without proper citation and/or using it in courses where the instructor requires permission or prohibits its use.

Facilitation

Facilitation refers to assisting any person in the commission of an academic integrity violation. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Allowing another student to copy one’s answers during an examination
Giving another student one’s assignment or paper
Taking an examination or writing a paper for another student
Signing an attendance sheet for a student who was not present in class
Providing to another person an examination or portions of an examination prior or subsequent to the administration of the exam

Cheating

Cheating refers to intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Copying from another student’s examination, homework assignment, computer program, report, or project
Gaining or attempting to gain unauthorized access to examination materials
Looking at another student’s examination before or during an examination
Possessing and/or using an electronic device that contains unauthorized information
Talking, whispering, or using a cell phone during an examination
Submitting, without prior permission, any work submitted to fulfill another academic requirement at LIM College or any other institution
Allowing another person or artificial intelligence (AI) to do one’s work and submitting it as one’s own
Having or providing unauthorized outside help, such as homework assistance applications/websites, when completing tests, presentations, or assignments

Self-Plagiarism

LIM strictly prohibits the practice of self-plagiarism, defined as the submission of one’s own previously presented work as if it were new, without explicit, written permission from the faculty member overseeing the current work. This includes submitting papers, reports, projects, videos, or any part of previously evaluated assignments for new credit in a different course or context. To ensure the advancement of original thought and respect for academic processes, students are required to seek and obtain direct authorization from their instructors before incorporating any portion of their prior submissions into new assignments. Failure to adhere to this policy will be considered a violation of academic integrity and will be subject to the corresponding disciplinary actions outlined in our academic integrity guidelines.

Unauthorized Collaboration

Unauthorized collaboration is working with other student(s) without the instructor’s permission in the preparation of homework assignments, take-home exams, term papers, research projects, reports, or projects, or otherwise failing to abide by the instructor’s rules governing the academic exercise.

Fabrication and Misrepresentation

Fabrication refers to the falsification, misrepresentation, or invention of any information, data, or citation in any academic exercise. Misrepresentation refers to misrepresenting or tampering with, or attempting to tamper with, any portion of one’s transcripts or academic record, either before or after coming to LIM. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Forging a change of grade form
Tampering with computer records
Falsifying or omitting academic information on an application or resume

Special Note - Online Plagiarism: At LIM, significant effort is made to maintain the integrity of online work including exams, projects, videos and papers. Online work must be the student’s own, and the following rules must be followed.

Use of textbooks or class notes is not allowed unless the professor explicitly identifies the examination as an open book or open notes.
In certain instances, a professor may allow students to use websites, books, or publications to complete or support all or part of an exam. In these instances, students must properly cite their sources in their answers.
Unless allowed by the professor and clearly stated in the examination or project instructions, collaborating with other students on an online examination or project is strictly forbidden.
Using a surrogate to complete online work, including, but not limited to papers and examinations, is strictly forbidden.
Unless allowed by the professor, using artificial intelligence (AI) to complete online course work including, but not limited to, discussions, presentations, assignments, and tests

Violations of the Academic Integrity Policy

Academic Sanctions

Instructors will evaluate student work and assign grades in accordance with their academic and professional judgment, as well as the Academic Integrity Policy.

When making an allegation of academic dishonesty, the faculty member determines an appropriate academic sanction. Such sanctions may include: a warning to the student, a request that the student resubmit relevant assignments, an assignment grade reduction, awarding a zero for the assignment, and, if appropriate, awarding a zero for the course grade.

Faculty are encouraged, where appropriate, to issue an assigned learning plan for students to better their understanding of academic integrity and how to avoid academic dishonesty. This could include referral to tutoring or other educational support resources such as the Academic Resource Center and/or referral to sites like plagiarism.org.

Reporting Violations

In a case of academic dishonesty, the faculty member will inform the student of the allegation and the relevant sanction, as described above. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions to clarify the nature of the allegation and any sanctions that may be involved.

Faculty must also complete an Academic Integrity Violation form to review with the student and include a copy of the Turnitin Similarity Report when applicable or other supporting evidence. The form will indicate that they have been found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy. Forms must be signed by the faculty member, the department head, Director of Academic Support Services and the student*. It is then kept on file in the Provost’s Office. If the Director of Academic Support Services is unavailable the next signer in the sequence will be the Dean of Undergraduate Students.

* Note: Students have 10 days to sign the form (sent via College email only). If not signed by the deadline the student will be de-registered from all classes for future semesters and a registration hold placed on their Sonis account.

All Academic Integrity forms received by the Provost will be reviewed to assess the level of violation and to determine whether the student has any previous warnings of the Academic Integrity policy. If the Provost, or designee, determines that the violation does not rise to a student conduct** level and no prior violation has occurred, no further sanctions may be taken.

If the Provost’s Office determines there are other active or previous violations, the Provost will refer the case to the Academic Integrity Review Committee for a hearing. The Provost’s Office will notify the faculty and student of the referral to the Board via LIM email. In such cases, the Committee may impose further sanctions as described below. If the Provost’s Office determines that the violation constitutes a potential violation of the Student Code of Conduct such cases will be brought to the attention of the Vice President of Student Affairs, who will adjudicate the matter under the procedures outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, including the appeal procedures listed in the Student Code of Conduct.

**When in doubt, refer to Standards and Offenses section of the Student Code of Conduct portion of the Student Handbook for non-academic sanctions.

Additional Sanctions

Students found in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy are subject to loss of academic privileges such as study abroad or internship opportunities and suspension or expulsion from LIM.

In cases in which suspension or expulsion from LIM is the recommended sanction, the Director of Academic Support Services will refer the matter to the Academic Integrity Review Committee, which consists of three faculty members. The student and the instructor will be given the opportunity to present all relevant information to the Director of Academic Support Services, who will provide that information to the committee. The committee’s proceedings are confidential.

All decisions rendered by the Academic Integrity Review Committee will be made in writing to the Director of Academic Support Services, who will inform the student in writing as to the committee’s decision. The Director of Academic Support Services will also notify the instructor. Any relevant grade changes will be made by the Deans of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies and Director of Academic Support Services in conjunction with the LIM College Registrar.

Students found in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy may file an appeal with the Director of Academic Support Services. The appeal must be made in writing using LIM email within 10 days of receiving notice of the violation and any related sanctions. Appeals can only be made on one or both of the following grounds:

The student can provide support to show they were denied the opportunity to present relevant information in support of their position.
The student can provide support to show that there is a flagrant discrepancy between the violation and the sanctions.

The appeal must include the ground(s) for the appeal and any supporting materials.

The decision made by the Director of Academic Support Services is final and there are no further options for appeal.

In cases where the Director of Academic Support Services is the instructor who initially found the student in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, the Provost will facilitate the above procedures.

The one exception to the above procedures is in cases where a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty outside of a specific course (e.g. submitted false information on an admissions application). Such cases will be brought to the attention of the Vice President of Student Affairs, who will adjudicate the matter under the procedures outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, including the appeal procedures listed in the Student Code of Conduct.