What Is Cheating?
Is This You?
You’re dangerously close to failing your general psychology course, and during your midterm exam, you realize that you can clearly see how the person sitting directly in front of you is marking her answer sheet. The instructor seems to have stepped out of the classroom. Have you ever been this tempted to cheat? Review the section on the consequences of cheating and the Guidelines for Academic Honesty box.
Institutions vary widely in how they define broad terms such as lying or cheating. One university defines cheating as “intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids, or other devices . . . [including] unauthorized communication of information during an academic exercise.” This definition would apply to looking over a classmate’s shoulder for an answer, using a calculator when it is not authorized, obtaining or discussing an exam (or individual questions from an exam) without permission, copying someone else’s lab notes, purchasing term papers over the Internet, and duplicating computer files.
On most tests, you don’t have to credit specific sources. (Some instructors do require it, though, so when in doubt, ask!) If your instructor expects you to credit your sources when taking a test or exam, failure to do so could be considered plagiarism. Chapter 10 gives more detail about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Many schools prohibit certain activities in addition to lying or cheating. Some examples of prohibited behaviors are intentionally inventing information or results, earning credit more than once for the same piece of academic work without permission, giving your work or exam answers to another student to copy during the actual exam or before that exam is given to another section, and bribing in exchange for any kind of academic advantage. Most schools also outlaw helping or attempting to help another student commit a dishonest act.
