Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and Plagiarism
The University does not condone academic cheating or plagiarism in any form, including by the unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence or other automated systems (AI systems). The faculty is expected to uphold and support the highest academic standards in this matter. Instructors should be diligent in reducing potential opportunities for academic cheating or plagiarism to occur, including by the unauthorized use of AI systems. Students' rights shall be ensured through attention to due process, as detailed below.
The University recognizes that AI systems may be used in academic, professional, or creative contexts, but students must avoid academic dishonesty in such use. Students must strictly comply with instructors’ directions concerning the permitted or prohibited use of AI systems and the proper disclosure of that use. Any use of AI systems in submitted academic work must be disclosed, but instructors shall determine the appropriate form and level of that disclosure. Instructors shall provide clear direction to students concerning AI system use and its proper disclosure in course syllabi and/or as assignments or assessments are given. Regardless, students must never use AI systems to fabricate or misrepresent academic work (e.g., by inventing references, quotations, data, or results) or to impersonate a student (e.g., by taking quizzes, exams, or otherwise participating in a course on their behalf).
Definition of Cheating
Cheating is defined as obtaining or attempting to obtain, or aiding another to obtain, credit for work, or any improvement in evaluation of performance, by any dishonest or deceptive means. Cheating includes, but is not limited to: lying; copying from another's test or examination; discussion at any time of questions or answers on an examination or test, unless such discussion is specifically authorized by the instructor; taking or receiving copies of an exam without the permission of the instructor; using or displaying notes, "cheat sheets," or other information devices inappropriate to the prescribed test conditions; allowing someone other than the officially enrolled student to represent the student.
Cheating in the use of AI systems consists primarily in using them to perform academic work in ways unauthorized by the instructor or in failing to properly disclose that use. Instructors shall determine when the use of AI systems is permitted, limited (in specified ways), or prohibited for academic work in their courses. Instructors shall provide clear direction to students concerning the use of AI systems in course syllabi and/or for each assignment as it is given. In the absence of such direction, or where direction is unclear, however, student use of AI systems to perform academic work shall, for purposes of this policy, be treated in the same manner as assistance from another person.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, using AI systems to produce papers, proposals, or outlines when such use is unauthorized or without proper disclosure, or to generate answers, solve problems, write code, produce translations, create images or media, draft discussion posts, complete quizzes or examinations, or otherwise perform academic work, in whole or in part, when such use is unauthorized or without proper disclosure.
Cheating also includes using AI systems to fabricate or falsify academic work by, for example, inventing or altering quotations, citations, references, sources, data, or other results; and using AI systems to impersonate a student by, for example, posting to discussion boards online or taking quizzes or exams or other assessments or otherwise participating in a course on a student’s behalf.
Procedure for Addressing Cheating
a) Instructors should be confident that cheating has occurred; if there is any doubt, the student should be consulted and/or additional information sought prior to taking action for cheating.
b) In cases involving the possible misuse of AI systems, instructors should consider the totality of the available evidence. Automated detection software results alone should not be treated as conclusive evidence of cheating. If there is any doubt whether students have cheated by the unauthorized use of AI systems, the student should be consulted and/or additional information sought prior to taking action for cheating.
c) The student should be notified by memorandum of the instructor's determination that cheating has occurred and the intended punishment. Said memorandum should notify the student, if s/he they deny cheating, that: (1) the department head of the course of record will be given an opportunity to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of both parties; and (2) if the situation remains unresolved, an appeal of the finding of cheating (though not of the punishment, if the finding of cheating is upheld) is available through the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSRR).
d) Cheating requires, at a minimum, an "F" assigned to the assignment, exam, or task, and this "F" must be reflected in the course grade. The instructor may assign an "F" course grade for an incidence of cheating.
e) Irrespective of whether an appeal is made, the instructor is obligated to submit to the OSRR director a Confidential Faculty Report of Academic Dishonesty. Physical evidence, circumstantial evidence, and testimony of observation may be attached. In cases involving AI systems, such evidence may include drafts, revision histories, prompts, outputs, metadata, source materials, discrepancies in citations or quotations, automated detection software results, process tracking, statistical analyses, or other relevant documentation. Automated detection software results alone are insufficient evidence to establish cheating, however.
f) If an appeal is made, the grade assigned for cheating and the associated course grade cannot be appealed to the Fairness Board should the OSRR confirm the incidence of cheating.
g) The OSRR director shall determine if any disciplinary action is required in addition to the assignment of a failing grade. Disciplinary actions which are possible include, but are not limited to: required special counseling, special paper or research assignments, loss of student teaching or research appointments, removal from a course, loss of membership in organizations, suspension or dismissal from individual programs or from the University. The most severe of the possible actions shall be reserved for grievous cheating offenses or more than one offense by an individual.
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the act of using the ideas or work of another person as if they were one's own without giving proper credit, required acknowledgment, or both; or by using the ideas or work of an AI system without proper disclosure. Such an act is not plagiarism if it is ascertained that the ideas were arrived at through independent reasoning or logic or where the thought or idea is common knowledge. Acknowledgment of an original author or source must be made through appropriate references; e.g., quotation marks, footnotes, commentary. Any use of the ideas or work of AI systems in submitted academic work must be properly disclosed.
Instructors shall determine a policy for the proper form and level of disclosure or acknowledgment of the use of the ideas or work of AI systems and clarify that policy for students in course syllabi and/or on a per-assignment basis. If instructors fail to determine a policy, or where the policy is unclear, then the standard for proper disclosure of the use of the ideas or work of AI systems shall, for purposes of this policy, be the same as the standard for acknowledgment of the use of the ideas or work of another person.
Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to the following: the submission of a work, either in part or in whole, completed by another person or completed by an AI system without proper disclosure; failure to give credit for ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions that rightfully belong to another or the failure to properly disclose that they were generated by an AI system; failure to use quotation marks (or other means of setting apart, such as the use of indentation or a different font size) when quoting directly from another or from an AI system, whether it be a paragraph, a sentence, or even a part thereof; close and lengthy paraphrasing of another’s writing without credit or originality or of the writing of an AI system without proper disclosure; use of another’s project or programs or those of an AI system, or part thereof, without giving credit or without proper disclosure.
In general, cheating in the use of AI systems consists in the unauthorized use of AI systems to perform academic work, while plagiarism consists in the use of the ideas or work of AI systems without the proper level and form of disclosure. The use of AI systems in courses or assignments may constitute plagiarism, cheating, or both, depending on instructors’ prior directions concerning whether or how that use is authorized and, when it is, the proper form and level of disclosure of that use that is required. In the absence of such direction, for purposes of this policy, the use of AI systems to perform academic work, or the use of the ideas or work of AI systems, should be treated according to the same standards for cheating or plagiarism that would apply if the AI system were another person.
Procedure for Addressing Plagiarism
a) Instructors should be confident that plagiarism has occurred; if there is any doubt, the student should be consulted and/or additional information sought prior to taking action for plagiarism.
b) Plagiarism may be considered a form of cheating and therefore subject to the same procedure which requires notification to the OSRR director and, at a minimum, an "F" assigned to the assignment, exam, or task (See Section 684.2). However, plagiarism may be the result of poor learning or poor attention to format or misunderstanding or confusion about the proper disclosure of the use of AI systems when that use is authorized, and so may occur without obvious intent to deceive; consequently, some instructor discretion is appropriate. Provided that there was no obvious intent to deceive, an instructor may choose to counsel the student and offer a remedy (within their authority) which is less severe than that required for cheating. (If in doubt about their authority to offer a particular remedy, the instructor should consult OSRR.) Even under these circumstances, the instructor must submit to the OSRR director a Confidential Faculty Report of Academic Dishonesty.
c) An instructor may not penalize a student for plagiarism in any way without advising the student by memorandum that a penalty is being imposed. The instructor should further advise the student in said memorandum that if they deny committing plagiarism: (1) the department head of the course of record will be given an opportunity to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of both parties; and (2) if the situation remains unresolved, an appeal of the finding of plagiarism (though not of the punishment, if the finding of plagiarism is upheld) is possible through OSRR.
Source:
Academic Senate Resolution: AS-1017-26 "Resolution to Update Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and Plagiarism Policy to Address Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence" (PDF). Approved 28 July 2026.
Reference:
Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities: "Academic Integrity at Cal Poly".
Updated: 8/8/2026