Code of Ethics

Code of ethics for faculty:

1) Faculty recognizes that their primary responsibility is to spend their time pursuing the interests of the college and not private, personal interests. In addition, faculty who agree to serve on college committees should follow through on that commitment and be active, contributing committee members.
2) Faculty who are involved in professional organizations serve diligently and follow the guidelines and procedures required by the professional organization with regard to paper submissions, reviews of papers, etc. As reviewers and journal editors, faculty members protect the intellectual property rights of contributors. The content of a manuscript is the property of its author(s). It is therefore inappropriate to use ideas from a manuscript, or to show another person a manuscript one has been asked to review, without the explicit
permission of its author(s), obtained through the journal editor. Journal editors and reviewers exercise their positions or privilege in a confidential, unbiased, and constructive manner.
3) As grant recipients, faculty members accurately represent themselves and their proposed research and manage that research as promised.
4) Throughout the time faculty members work on consulting and/or public service projects, they maintain high quality standards and work diligently to complete the projects. In addition, faculty members treat clients with respect and do not exploit these professional relationships. Faculty recognize that these public service and consulting activities, while important, are secondary to the primary responsibility they have as teachers.

STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM AND RESEARCH ETHICS:

Plagiarism includes “taking over the ideas, methods, or written words of another, without proper acknowledgment”, and with the intent that these ideas, methods, or written words “be taken as the work of the deceiver. It is theft of a special kind, for the true author still retains the original ideas and words, yet they are diminished as the author’s property; and a fraud is committed upon the audience that believes those ideas and words originated with the deceiver. Plagiarism is not limited to the academic community, but has perhaps
its most pernicious effect in that setting. It is the antithesis of the honest labor that characterizes true scholarship and without which mutual trust and respect among scholars is impossible.”

1) “Any discovery of suspected plagiarism should be brought at once to the attention of the affected parties” and when appropriate, to the proper academic authorities. It is unethical to file frivolous complaints that are intended primarily to harm the accused.
2) “The gravity of a charge of plagiarism, by whomever it is made, must not diminish the diligence exercised in determining whether the accusation is valid.” Accusations of plagiarism should be brought forward discreetly to protect the rights of the accused and, “in all cases, the most scrupulous procedural fairness must be observed, and penalties must be appropriate to the degree of the offenses.” Final decision of charge is taken by head of institution.

In dealing with graduate students, professors must demonstrate by precept and example, the  necessity of rigorous honesty in the use of sources and of respect for the work of others. The same expectations apply to the guidance of under graduate students, with a special obligation to acquaint students new to the world of scholarly research with its standards and the importance of ensuring intellectual honesty.