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Science-specific Academic Honesty Policies and Guidelines

 

The Science Department subscribes to and endorses the basic academic honesty policies as written in the Albuquerque Academy Handbook and Directory. In addition, the following department-specific policies and guidelines have been adopted by the Department to address situations and circumstances unique to science education and the scientific process. The purpose of having such policies and guidelines is to encourage student learning which is founded on and directed by principles of integrity and responsibility, essential elements in the scientific process, as well as the basis for good educational practice.

 

1.  Clarification regarding copying work done by others:   It is never acceptable to copy verbatim the work of another and submit it as one’s own.

 

2.  A clarification regarding joint or shared work on laboratory assignments:  Collaboration is one of the cornerstones of the discipline of Science. Often the laboratory experience is not a solo effort. The Science Department expects students to acknowledge in writing whenever data gathered during experiment with a partner or partners was not the sole result of any single student’s effort. To that end, laboratory reports will acknowledge by name all of the individuals that participated in the performance of the experiment. Normally, analysis of data and conclusions are prepared by individual students, however, at the discretion of individual teachers attributed multiple-authorship may also apply to the writing of the Analysis and Conclusion parts of a laboratory report.

 

3. Clarification regarding research projects and activities conducted by student teams:  When specifically instructed by the teacher, a team or group of students may work collaboratively in conducting a research project or original-work activity in which multiple students participate, providing that the roles played by each student and their relative contribution to the collective effort are clearly documented and individually attributed as part of the final report.

 

4. Clarification regarding attribution of sources (whether documentary, electronic, and external data) used in research papers and formal reports:  Anytime information, data, or ideas are used or included as part of a formal written report or research document submitted for a science class, the source of that information must clearly be attributed using standard reference attribution format (either as directed by the teacher or as used in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers)   Any substantial inclusion of non-attributed words or ideas or data produced by someone other than the student author will be regarded as plagiarism.

 

5. Clarification regarding group contribution and completion of homework assignments: Unless instructed otherwise by your teacher, it is permissible for students to work together in completing routine homework assignments, so long as the final work product submitted represents the work of each individual who is submitting the work.  If the submitted work has been done or contributed to by several students or a student other than the individual submitter, the names of all who contributed must be clearly indicated at the top of the front page.

 

6. Clarification regarding the collection and use of scientific data:  Data collection is the foundation of experimental science and bad data leads to bad science.  The integrity of the data collection process is paramount.  In keeping with this, students are expected to keep clear, accurate records of raw data which is developed during the experimental process.  A copy of the raw data should be submitted with the laboratory report.  Under no circumstances should a student alter or fabricate any of the data in an experiment or report.  Students are expected to use their own (or their group’s) data.  They may not use any other data without the consent of the instructor.