Academic Integrity

Learn about how to avoid plagiarism and other academic offenses at U of T’s academic integrity site.

The Arts & Science academic integrity page explains the process followed when an instructor suspects an academic offense.

Some advice about avoiding academic offenses in CS courses: 

In our experience, students find themselves facing an academic integrity (AI) allegation because they made a quick decision under pressure, or they shared work in a way that they didn’t realize is considered plagiarism. Here are some suggestions to avoid these situations:

• Feeling stumped or under pressure? Ask your TA or instructor for help, and if you can’t, we encourage you to submit whatever you have completed on your own. It will be easier for your mark to recover from a partially complete assignment than from an AI sanction.

• Plagiarism doesn’t just mean copying and pasting code or other text from an existing file. It can also include using someone else’s idea or approach. And if someone else uses your work or ideas, you will also face an AI allegation. To avoid unintentional plagiarism, do not look at anyone else’s code or work, share your work with anyone or post it online, or even discuss in detail how you approached a problem. More details about what can be considered academic misconduct is available from the Student Academic Integrity office.

• Expectations can vary from course to course. Check your syllabus for course policies related to academic integrity, and talk to a TA or instructor if you are unsure what kind of collaboration or resources are appropriate in a given course.