Suffield Academy's English Department

Suffield Academy English Department

Statement on Academic Integrity and Acceptable Practices for Student Work

            The English Department places a very high value on academic honesty. Plagiarism, the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to the source, is seen as contrary to the central purposes of student work in English classes and is treated as a major school rule violation. Individual teachers discuss with their classes the philosophy and policies of the English Department in relation to academic integrity at the outset of each school year. In addition, students are expected to understand the following guidelines:

      At all times, students should follow their teacher’s specific directives regarding appropriate use of primary and secondary resources; in many instances, teachers will expect students to confine their reading to the primary source only. In addition, students must understand the importance of the acceptable use of technology—and that unacceptable use may carry academic as well as disciplinary consequences. Given Suffield's open access to information technology, students should remember that even cursory browsing of Internet sites related to an assigned text will influence their consideration and interpretation of the work.

      Teachers may encourage group work and peer-editing on certain assignments; however, students should understand that unauthorized cooperation is also prohibited. Individual teachers will clearly establish appropriate boundaries for collaboration on specific assignments. When in doubt, students should assume that an assignment—whether a routine vocabulary exercise or a major, analytical essay—is intended as an independent task. 

I have read thoroughly and understand the policies of the English Department regarding academic honesty and acceptable practices for student work.

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Signature                                                                     Date

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Printed Name                                                                      English Class / Teacher