As a part of the College, the Computer Science Department upholds and enforces the general College policies on cheating and plagiarism. All examinations and written homework assignments are subject to the usual standards of academic honesty as described in the College's Student Handbook and other related publications.

Furthermore, the Department expects of its students conduct appropriate to computer science professionals. Professional ethics demand that students abjure those additional forms of dishonesty and abuse that are uniquely possible in work involving computers. Unfortunately, many of those forms are relatively recent, and are not specifically covered in the general disciplinary regulations. This document attempts to make explicit the more specialized policies and procedures which the Department maintains in order to address cheating in computer-related assignments.
 

The instructor is free to set the ground rules for the honest completion of assignments within his or her course. The rules may vary from assignment to assignment. In particular, the extent to which group work is permissible depends solely on the instructor. Within the ground rules, the honesty of a student's behavior can usually be explored with the help of the two guidelines that follow.

Plagiarism is suspected if an assignment calling for independent design and implementation results in two or more solutions that differ only by simple mechanical transformations.

Cheating is suspected if an assignment calling for independent design and implementation results in a solution that can not be explained to the instructor, in terms of either general method or specific techniques.
 

It is impossible to attempt to define completely what constitutes cheating or not cheating. The following cases, however, should almost always be judged to be at their appropriate extreme.

Cheating

Submitting someone else's work, or a modification of that work, as your own, with or without that person's knowledge, regardless of the circumstances under which it was obtained, copied, or modified.

Allowing someone else to submit your work, or a modification of your work, as one's own.

Solving as a group a problem in which group work is prohibited, and submitting multiple copies, each as individual work.

Using someone else's work, including segments of permitted program libraries, without proper attribution.

Obtaining any privileged course-related information (examinations, solutions, grades, etc.) from the instructor's or his or her assistants' accounts.

Not Cheating

Submitting work done alone or with the help of the instructor or his or her assistants.

Solving as a group a problem in which group work in permitted, and submitting one copy as group work, identifying each member of the group.

Receiving help on the use of a feature of the operating system or system programs such as compilers.

Discussing the intention, as opposed to the solution method, of a problem.

Discussing course material for the sake of understanding. (As a general rule, such "high-level" discussion becomes suspect as soon as any notes are taken that can be directly incorporated into an assignment.)

It should be stressed that in cases of uncertainty it is the student's responsibility to ascertain from the instructor whether an activity is considered cheating or not cheating. In general, this decision is reserved to the instructor, and can not be made by his or her assistants.
 

The instructor will consult with the student in cases of suspected cheating. If a mutually agreeable resolution can not be arrived at, the procedures set forth in the Manhattanville College Student Handbook describing reporting of Academic Dishonesty will be followed.
 

This document has been reviewed and approved by the faculty of the Computer Science Department. The policy itself is modeled on the cheating policy of the Computer Science Department of Carnegie-Mellon University. This statement, with some modifications, is the statement on cheating of the Computer Science Department of Columbia University.