OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

70 Sip Ave., 4th Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306 | 201-360-4010 | academicaffairs@hccc.edu

Office of Academic Affairs Webpage

Academic Integrity Standards

Academic integrity is central to the pursuit of education. For students at HCCC, this means maintaining the highest ethical standards in completing their academic work. In doing so, students earn college credits by their honest efforts. When they are awarded a certificate or degree, they have attained a goal representing genuine achievement and can reflect with pride on their accomplishment. This is what gives college education its essential value. 

Violations of the principle of academic integrity include:

•  Cheating on exams.

•  Reporting false research data or experimental results.

•  Allowing other students to copy one’s work to submit to instructors.

•  Communicating the contents of an exam to other students who will be taking the same test.

• Submitting the same project in more than one course without discussing this first with instructors.

• Submitting plagiarized work. Plagiarism is the use of another writer’s words or ideas without properly crediting that person. This unacknowledged use may be from published books or articles, the Internet, or another student’s work.

• Using artificial intelligence and/or machine learning tools/aides to complete an assignment (e.g., essay, research paper, discussion forum, exam, quiz, etc.) an represent the work entirely as one's own.

Violations of Academic Integrity

When students act dishonestly in meeting their course requirements, they lower the value of education for all students. Students who violate the College’s policy on academic integrity are subject to failing grades on exams or projects, or for the entire course. In some cases, serious or repeated instances of academic integrity violations may warrant further disciplinary action.

Violations are reported to the School Dean or the Dean of Student Affairs Depending on the severity of the violation(s), the School Dean will determine whether further disciplinary action is warranted. The Dean of Student Affairs assists Academic Affairs in maintaining a high level of academic integrity on the campus. The Dean of Student Affairs works with the faculty and School Deans to educate students about academic dishonesty and to adjudicate disciplinary cases in which there are suspected violations of College policies. Should a violation of HCCC’s academic integrity standards warrant a disciplinary hearing with the Dean of Students, sanctions may include suspension, expulsion, or other measures deemed appropriate. 

Detailed information on the College’s Academic Integrity policy may be found in the HCCC Student Handbook. The handbook also contains useful information for students on completing research projects and avoiding plagiarism.