Plagiarism and fabrication are serious offenses both in academia and in the professions of journalism and strategic communication. The Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication will not tolerate any form of these transgressions. The School's position on plagiarism and fabrication complies with the Student Conduct Code adopted and amended by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, which lists those as scholastic dishonesty offenses subject to appropriate disciplinary action. Sanctions at the University level might involve a written reprimand for first-time offenders or, if repeated, more serious consequences, including removal from the major or expulsion from the university. Because plagiarism and fabrication destroy the trust – and ruin the careers – of journalists, strategic communication professionals, and scholars, the Hubbard School takes a particularly strong position on these offenses.
Student Conduct Code and Definitions
Students are responsible for understanding and following the Student Conduct Code. According to the University’s Student Conduct Code, scholastic dishonesty means: “plagiarism; cheating on assignments or examinations, including the unauthorized use of online learning support and testing platforms; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work, including the posting of student-generated coursework on online learning support and testing platforms not approved for the specific course in question; taking, acquiring, or using course materials without faculty permission, including the posting of faculty-provided course materials on online learning support and testing platforms; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering, forging, misrepresenting, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis.”
Self-plagiarism at Hubbard
Students may not submit an assignment developed in one class to fulfill an assignment in another class without (1) the explicit permission of their current instructor and (2) a clear rationale as to how the assignment will be modified to fulfill the assignment goals for the course. Absent these conditions, submitting a previously completed assignment from a different class to fulfill the requirements of a second class is considered self-plagiarism and academic misconduct.
Additionally, if students retake an individual course, they may not reuse assignments submitted during previous attempts in that course without the explicit permission of their current instructor.
Artificial Intelligence
Discussions about the use (and potential abuse) of artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT have been dominating headlines. Our entire university community is learning to adapt to this new terrain, and it can sometimes be hard to know what is or is not acceptable use.
The permissibility of artificial intelligence tools will vary from course to course, depending on the specific learning and assessment goals of the instructor. You may have already heard from your instructor(s) about their policy in their classes, in their assignments, and on their finals. If you have not received clarification from an instructor and if you are thinking about using ChatGPT or another AI tool for any course assignment, we encourage you to communicate with your instructor to make sure you understand what is permitted.
Remember that, per the Student Conduct Code, unauthorized use of online learning support and testing platforms is considered a breach of academic integrity and is subject to the same set of sanctions that would result from other forms of scholastic dishonesty.
Syllabus statements were developed by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy as a resource for faculty and instructors, with options ranging from “no restrictions” to “ChatGPT and other AI tools may not be used under any circumstances.” These statements may be adopted or adapted to reflect a given instructor's course learning objectives and instructional / assessment style.
- For instructors who wish to embrace ChatGPT
Artificial intelligence (AI) language models, such as ChatGPT, may be used for any assignment with appropriate citation. Examples of citing AI language models are available at: libguides.umn.edu/chatgpt [or provide an alternative reference appropriate for your class]. You are responsible for fact-checking statements composed by AI language models.
- For instructors who wish to allow limited usage of ChatGPT
Artificial intelligence (AI) language models, such as ChatGPT, may be used for [assignment types A, B & C] with appropriate citation, but not for [assignment types D, E & F]. If you are in doubt as to whether you are using AI language models appropriately in this course, I encourage you to discuss your situation with me. Examples of citing AI language models are available at: libguides.umn.edu/chatgpt [or provide an alternative reference appropriate for your class]. You are responsible for fact checking statements composed by AI language models.
- For instructors who wish to prohibit the usage of ChatGPT
The Board of Regents Student Conduct Code states the following in Section IV, Subd.1: Scholastic Dishonesty:
"Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarism; cheating on assignments or examinations, including the unauthorized use of online learning support and testing platforms; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work, including the posting of student-generated coursework on online learning support and testing platforms not approved for the specific course in question; taking, acquiring, or using course materials without faculty permission, including the posting of faculty-provided course materials on online learning and testing platforms; ..."
Artificial intelligence (AI) language models, such as ChatGPT, and online assignment help tools, such as Chegg®, are examples of online learning support platforms: they can not be used for course assignments except as explicitly authorized by the instructor. The following actions are prohibited in this course [remove bullets as necessary]:
+ Submitting all or any part of an assignment statement to an online learning support platform;
+ Incorporating any part of an AI-generated response in an assignment;
+ Using AI to brainstorm, formulate arguments, or template ideas for assignments;
+ Using AI to summarize or contextualize source materials;
+ Submitting your own work for this class to an online learning support platform for iteration or improvement.
If you are in doubt as to whether you are using an online learning support platform appropriately in this course, I encourage you to discuss your situation with me.
Any assignment content composed by any resource other than you, regardless of whether that resource is human or digital, must be attributed to the source through proper citation. (Examples of citing content composed by digital tools are presented in: libguides.umn.edu/chatgpt [or provide an alternative reference appropriate for your class].)
Unattributed use of online learning support platforms and unauthorized sharing of instructional property are forms of scholastic dishonesty and will be treated as such.
Consequences of Plagiarism
We are resolved to impose the following consequences in all Hubbard School courses, other for-credit works (e.g., theses and dissertations) and exams regarding any instance of unambiguous and documented plagiarism, fabrication, or other academic dishonesty, or any instance of aiding another in such conduct, including a first-time offense:
- The student will receive, at the instructor’s discretion, one of two consequences: a grade of “F” on the assignment or a grade of “F” in the course (or a grade of N in the course, if the student is taking the course S/N.)
- The instructor will file a report on the incident with the Hubbard School's Director of Undergraduate Studies and/or Director of Graduate Studies as well as with the university’s Office for Community Standards. For more information on that university’s office’s handling of such reports, visit: https://communitystandards.umn.edu
View the Hubbard School's Canvas instructional site on Avoiding Plagiarism. Watch the full Canvas course on Avoiding Plagiarism and Fabrication. (You may need to "Enroll" to watch.)