College comes with a lot of “wait, am I actually allowed to do that?” moments. Academic integrity might be one of them. The good news? You don’t have to memorize the entire Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy to stay on track. You just need to know where the lines are and what to do when you’re unsure. According to the policy, students can be held accountable for academic integrity violations, even if they didn’t intend to break the rules or didn’t realize their actions were counted as a violation.
So, before you find yourself saying “wait, I didn’t know that counted,” here are the six areas where students trip up the most.
1. “We studied together, so our answers look alike.”
Group chats before an exam, splitting the reading or having a friend “just look it over.” All of that is fine when your instructor allows collaboration or editing and is a violation when they do not. The easiest way to know where the line is? Check the instructions or ask your instructor.
2. “It was only a rough draft.”
Sources have to be credited in any draft you hand to an instructor, graded or not. And it is not just papers. Presentations, images and code, all count. If a presentation slide deck has a photo you pulled off the Internet, credit the photographer. If a classmate gave you the idea, credit the classmate. If you’re not sure whether something needs a citation, it’s always OK to ask.
3. “I already wrote this. It is literally my own work.”
Submitting the same work for two different classes is a violation, unless you get advance written approval from every instructor involved. This applies to art, design projects, film, code and oral reports, not just essays. This also includes work you did in high school. In some cases, a professor may let you build on an old project or take it in a new direction. Just have that conversation first.
4. “My professor never mentioned AI, so I figured it was fine.”
This is the big one. The policy says permitted use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) changes from course to course and assignment to assignment, depending on what that assignment is supposed to teach you. Something allowed in one class might not be allowed in another. If your syllabus or assignment instructions aren’t clear, ask your professor before using it. A quick email can save you from a much bigger headache later.
There are two additional details worth knowing. First, standard features inside required software, like spell check or the thesaurus in Microsoft Word, are not treated as generative AI. Students are permitted to use sites such as Purdue OWL or thesaurus.com, but it is important to be cautious of embedded weblinks such as Citation Machine that may not be permitted by instructors. Your instructor can still set their own rules for what you can use, so when in doubt, ask.
5. “My phone was on my desk.”
Having a prohibited resource within easy reach during an exam is a violation whether or not you actually use it. Leave it in your bag and save yourself a very awkward conversation. Before an exam starts, make sure you know what resources your instructor allows. If your instructor says your phone, notes or another resource are not allowed during an exam, put it away.
6. “I really needed that extension.”
Need an extension? Running behind? Something unexpected happened? Talk to your instructor instead of making up a reason. Communicating honestly is a big expectation, sitting right next to citing sources, doing your own work and supporting academic integrity.
Remember: You are responsible for your own actions.
You don’t have to know every answer before you start an assignment. If you’re unsure whether you can collaborate with a classmate, reuse something you’ve written, use AI or bring a resource into an exam, ask before you act.
- Your instructor is the first stop.
- Next stop is the Academic Integrity Office. You can email them at aio@syr.edu or call them at 315.443.5412. And don’t worry, you can ask them a hypothetical.
Knowing the rules ahead of time means less time worrying about whether you crossed a line and more time focusing on your actual work.
Written By Ava Swidler ’27, College of Arts and Sciences