The University of Chicago is an academic community with high scholarly standards. It is contrary to the ethics, academic integrity, and spirit of intellectual inquiry to submit the statements, ideas, or work of others as one's own. Such conduct is punishable under the University's disciplinary system.
Instructors have a range of options in dealing with academic dishonesty. It is within the discretion of the instructor to use evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty as grounds for failing the student in all or part of the course. The area dean of students may be asked to speak with the student to issue a formal warning or to consider disciplinary action. For example, in the College, the Dean of Students will frequently open a confidential file, to be used only in the event of repeated abuses, for first offenders when the case is not serious.
Faculty are urged to report any incident to the student's dean of students, even when the dean of students is not expected to take direct action. In that way, the dean of students will be aware of multiple offenses and be in a position to respond to them appropriately.
With the internet an integral part of academic research and the ubiquity of word processing methods, the opportunity to lift and reformat texts has greatly increased and ambiguity about the boundaries of legitimate collaboration has been introduced. It is advisable for faculty to discuss these issues in classes early in the quarter and to be explicit about acceptable practices on joint projects, problem sets, and other collaborative efforts. One of the functions of teaching is to educate students in the norms and ethics of scholarly work, as well as in the substance of the field.
For more information about this and other academic policies, please visit the University of Chicago Student Manual site.