The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools

THE STUDENT GUIDE

TO THE

CODE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

OF THE LOYOLA SCHOOLS
(2012 EDITION)
MESSAGE FROM

The Vice President for Loyola Schools

Truth is an academic institutions reason for existence. Upholding truth is a paramount
responsibility.
Contemporary developments in different spheres - social, economic, political, technological, even
within homes - are bringing about changes that may actually begin to challenge the very foundations
of a rational and just society. Integrity is the glue that makes possible a productive interaction
among responsible citizens.
It is important, therefore, that the Loyola Schools community engages this fundamental issue where
it is manifested on an everyday basis the academic exercise. This booklet seeks to define the
practice of Academic Integrity amidst the blurring influence of multi-varied developments in society.
It is our hope that through this, we, as an academic community, will be more empowered and
thereby be more impassioned in our advocacy of Truth and Integrity and a better country.

John Paul C. Vergara, Ph.D.

MESSAGE FROM

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

The search for truth is the raison dtre of the Univeristy. The authenticity of the search for truth is
guaranteed by an attitude of honesty and integrity. The medieval scholastics (those often maligned
founders of the University tradition) called it rectitudo. I wouldnt know how to translate it into
Pilipino, but it has something to do with being ma-tuwid, therefore with ka-tuwiran or reason too.
Without rectitudo, reason goes awry, blinded or manipulated by the forces of violence within us or
outside us. This is why the issue of academic integrity is not just an issue of personal or
interpersonal morality; social justice and the promotion of rationality are also at stake.
This primer on academic integrity codifies certain practices which cultivate rectitudo in our academic
community. May it help all of us to engage in the search for truth more meaningfully and
effectively.

Eduardo Jose E. Calasanz

1

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools

MESSAGE FROM

The Associate Dean for Graduate Programs

A review of research studies done on academic integrity shows an increase of academic dishonesty in
higher education institutions. The increase has been attributed to pressure from parents and/or
peers, plus very easy access to the Internet.
The Ateneo de Manila University, as a Catholic, Jesuit, Filipino university, puts a premium value on
academi integrity in its pursuit of academic excellence and service for others. The Code of Academic
Integrity for students and faculty is ADMUs explicit stand on it. The responsibility of all students,
especially those taking graduate studies, is to read and understand the fundamentals enshrined in this
Code and abide by the values of truth, respect for others, and personal integrity.

Ma. Celeste T. Gonzalez, Ed.D.

MESSAGE FROM

The Associate Dean for Student Affairs

The Loyola Schools is one with the Ateneo School of Government in the advocacy of Effective,
Empowering and Ethical Leadership. We believe that competent leadership is most meaningfully
practiced in the context of service. We believe that genuine leadership is anchored not on personal
ambition but on the desire to bring out the Truth of the fullness of human dignity in every person.
We believe that leadership and integrity are inseparable.
The challenges that continue to confront our nation demand some soul-searching on the part of
academic institutions. The persistence of the problem of corruption, not just among leaders but
among ordinary citizens as well, may be an unpleasant wake-up call to the education sector that has
traditionally been expected to produce the right leaders and citizens for the country.
Integrity as a life choice begins with small everyday acts that lead to personal habits that eventually
define character. It is our hope that integrity in the most pervasive aspect of a students life, the
academic, will be a humble but significant step in the right direction.

Rene Salvador R. San Andres

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools

SECTION 1:

THE
CORE PRINCIPLES
The Ateneo de Manila University, realizing that the preservation, extension, and communication of
truth means to dignify the human person and community, seeks to educate the whole person by
respecting academic integrity in all aspects of Ateneo life.
Given this identity of the University, every member of the Loyola Schools community is tasked to
become not just intellectually excellent, but morally virtuous as well. This is accomplished by honing
sapientia et eloquentia -- thinking and communicating ones thoughts -- always in the spirit of
honesty.
Only through this can magis be achieved. Only in truth can one be the best.
Only through this can cura personalis be practiced. Only in honesty can personal dignity be
cultivated.
Ultimately, justice is truth lived out in the context of the community. It is only in truth that we can
truly form professionals for others agents of justice who serve others by respecting, promoting and
defending the dignity of the human person, in word and work, and thus contribute toward the
development of the nation.

SECTION 2:

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

AS REGARDS THE PRESERVATION & DEFENSE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

There can be no intellectual life without academic integrity. Thus, it is fundamental that both
students and professors be thoroughly truthful in all their academic efforts/work, in recognition of
the potential effects of individual acts on the culture ad mores of the community. It is implicit,
therefore, in the very act of enrolling at the Loyola Schools, that a student agrees to take on the
following responsibilities:
1. It is the duty of all students to maintain the integrity of their work and assure the LS that such
work is the product of ones own actions, reflection and learning.
1.1 Higher education requires that one go beyond mere repetition of facts or opinions of
others. Although one will be exposed to many points of view in the learning process, it is
incumbent upon the student, while rooted in the assigned work, to bring ones own
3

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools
questions, concerns, insights, into the experience.
2. There can be no academic integrity where commitment and rigor are absent. As much as
academic integrity involves adherence to principles, it also requires attention to, and action
taken as regards, the seemingly minute details of giving acknowledgment where it is due.
When one does make use of external sources:
2.1 No matter what the source, it is the students responsibility to give complete and accurate
credit where credit is due.
Students are responsible for making themselves aware of and adept at the appropriate
convention of documentation for the particular field they are working with.
Part of benefitting from an Ateneo education is the need to be thankful to others for
what one learns, which enables one to contribute further to the field of knowledge.
2.2 External sources should enrich, not substitute for, ones ideas.
3. In opportunities for cooperative learning (as with group work/study) a student must always be
mindful of his/her own input as well as the final communal outcome.
4. Ones intellectual work should be valued as a part of ones self. As such, one should not allow
it to be used by others in a dishonest manner.
5. It is the moral responsibility of each member of the LS to respond to suspected acts of
academic dishonesty through the appropriate and given channels. Acts of dishonesty weaken
the community of learners. It is trust that underlies this relationship and any act of cheating
corrodes that trust.

SECTION 3:

ACTS OF

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Definition and Examples
The following section elaborates on the different types of academic dishonesty based on those
enumerated in the Code of Discipline of the Student Handbook. After each explanation are examples
of some instances that constitute offenses in that category. While these sample cases are not meant
to be exhaustive, they aim to give the reader a concrete understanding of acts that violate the
standards of the Loyola Schools.
4

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools

A. Dishonest behavior during exams or tests

Examinations and tests call for strict conditions in order to determine what has been learned.
Unless explicitly allowed by the instructor, the following behavior is unacceptable and will be
construed as academic dishonesty whether attempted, failed or consummated:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Any form of unauthorized communication

Making unnecessary noise (e.g. talking to ones self)
Calling the attention of others; looking at the papers of others
Making ones test paper visible to others
Possession, or presence attributed to the person, and/or use of unauthorized notes of any
materials or equipment that may have relevance or usefulness to the subject of an ongoing
examination, or that may be used in a dishonest act.

Sample Case 1: During a multiple choice exam, a teacher noticed one student murmuring. When confronted,
the student claimed to have the habit of reading test questions and the possible answers to herself, but
within hearing range of others.
Sample Case 2: A teacher became suspicious of a student who had his collar up during an exam. When he
approached the student, he discovered that the student had earphones on. The student claimed that he only
used it to block out the noise.
Sample Case 3: A student reported to her teacher that a classmate seated in front of her kept glancing at
the papers left behind by the previous class at the chair beside him.
Sample Case 4: While roaming around the classroom, a teacher noticed a piece of paper fall from a
students desk. They were the notes the student made for the subject. The student claimed, however, that
she did not use them. She just forgot to put them away after doing some last minute reviewing before the
test papers were distributed.
Sample Case 5: Towards the end of an exam, a teacher noticed a student using her cellphone. When
admonished, the student reasoned that she had finished answering the test already.
Note for Students: All exams, whether written or oral, take-home or in-class, should be taken seriously as the
teachers evaluative tool for the learning that was achieved by each individual student. As such, students should
not engage in any behavior that puts to doubt the validity of the results of such evaluation -- as with the access
to the assistance of others and/or the presence of tools that could place one in a position of advantage.

B. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is an offense that generally strikes at two important educational values the value of
individual work and respect for others intellectual property. When a person fails to give credit
to a source, thereby giving the impression that what is actually a borrowed idea or way of saying
things is their own, they commit plagiarism. Specifically, it can take the following forms:
1. Verbatim repetition of someone elses words without acknowledgement;
2. Presentation of someone elses ideas without acknowledgement;
3. Paraphrasing, translating, or summarizing someone elses ideas without acknowledgement;
5

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools
4. Improper acknowledgement of sources, as with incomplete/imprecise documentation;
5. Having ones work done by someone else or having ones work substantially revised by
someone else
It is important to remember that plagiarism is identified not through intent but through the act
itself. The objective act of falsely attributing to ones self what is not ones work, whether
intentional or out of neglect, is sufficient to conclude that plagiarism has occurred. Students
who plead ignorance or appeal to lack of malice are not excused. The extent of the plagiarism,
whether an entire paper, a single paragraph or a phrase, does not matter; nor does the occasion,
whatever the academic requirement (research paper, tests, reports, oral presentation, power point
slides, computer programs, illustrations, creative work, etc.). Plagiarism is not restricted to print
sources.
Plagiarism, at its core, is an ethical question rather than a legal one. To claim that a work is in the
public circulation (e.g. internet) or that permission to use the words or ideas has been granted
does not erase the moral imperative that one acknowledge sources.

Sample Case 1: Since a student had difficulty with expressing herself in the given (English) language, she decided
to use the words in an online article as her own.
Note for students: Many students explain that they resort to plagiarism out of a lack of confidence in their
own abilities to express themselves. They talk about the difficulties in meeting expectations, and the
pressure to produce something excellent, often in comparison to others. And so they choose to parrot
someone elses words instead of settle for their underdeveloped voice. What is often neglected, however,
is the fact that the process of experiencing difficulty itself is educational. As such, stumbling upon ones
own ideas and words should be embraced rather than opt for the easy short cut.
Sample Case 2: A teacher found that a student lifted one line of a five-page essay from a source without credit.
Note for students: Plagiarism is not dependent on the amount of material that is lifted without
acknowledgement.
Sample Case 3: Assuming that he and his teacher understood each other, a student no longer cited the text he
used during an open-notes exam.
Note for students: It does not matter whether the assignment is done in class, out of class, for a short period
of time, or at length, with open notes or not. If an idea is not ones own, proper credit must be given to the
source.
Sample Case 4: Prior to the defense of a students research paper, when the reader examined the paper, he
found that the footnoted sentences do not pertain to the sources cited.
Note for students: Rigor is part and parcel of academic integrity. Even without any intent to deceive, it is the
students responsibility not to be sloppy in his/her work.
Sample Case 5: When a student failed to attend the film-showing in class, she decided to just submit a paper
based on online reviews she found about the topic.
Note for students: There can be no originality in ones work if one does not do the assignment in the first
place. Even if one successfully restates the ideas in ones own words, or gives credit to the sources, it is
deception to give the impression that the submission is based on the assigned work when it is not.
6

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools
Sample Case 6: A student reasoned that she thought that a footnote at the last sentence of an entire paragraph
based on someone elses idea was sufficient.
Note for students: A footnote or parenthetical reference only refers to the sentence it immediately precedes.
It cannot refer to the entire paragraph unless one uses a block quote (with quotations marks at the start and
end of the entire passage).
Sample Case 7: A student claimed that since he changed some of the original words of a text and the sentence
construction, it was no longer necessary to credit the source.
Note for students: Changing some words or the subject-predicate order of the original does NOT make a the
resulting text ones own. Credit must still be given to the source.
Sample Case 8: In a reflection paper, a student decided to copy the line of argument of a source, although he
changed the exact wording.
Note for students: Plagiarism is not limited to the parroting of words. It encompasses the totality of the
authors intellectual work including how he/she framed of the question, how he/she developed the thesis, as
well as his/her style of writing. The bottom line is giving credit where credit is due.
Sample Case 9: For a computer programming assignment, a student copied an existing program on the internet
and just changed the subject.
Note for students: Plagiarism is not confined to papers. In the sciences, for example, it often refers to the
misappropriation of work processes or ideas. In the arts it can apply to falsely laying claim to creative work.
Sample Case 10: A student asked a friend who she knew to be a good writer to edit her reflection paper. When
the revised paper was sent back to her, she was happy with the improvements and passed it as is, failing to
realize that the paper contained the reflections of the editor.
Note for students: There is a difference between having someone check ones grammar and letting them
affect the substance of ones paper. If it is necessary to ask for assistance, it remains the responsibility of the
student to check that the identity of the work as a product of ones own learning is not compromised.
Sample Case 11: For group work, one member contributed plagiarized material when he was absent. During
the compilation of the project, the others included it without being critical of the submission, failing to notice
the unnatural length and the incompatibility of the writing style.
Note for students: Depending on whether the group members were aware of the plagiarized submission, or
were in a position to know, persons other than the author of the plagiarized piece may be charged with the
same offense. While there are degrees of culpability, it would be good to remember that it is a students
duty to be circumspect of everything that one puts his/her name on. Students should also remember that
group work is not a simple patchwork of disparate parts.

C. Fabrication or the submission of falsified data, information, citation/s, source/s,

or results in an academic exercise
While plagiarism refers to claiming anothers ideas/words as ones own, fabrication refers to data
which are altogether false or fictional.

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools
Sample Case 1: A student submitted a business plan where the survey results were falsified.
Sample Case 2: A reader suspected that the student may have fabricated footnotes to feign scholarship.
Note to students: Fabrication often involves avoiding what is perceived to be an unimportant detail in an
assigned task. Rather than take the easy way out, students are encouraged to ask for assistance from the
teacher, not just in terms of methodology, but as regards clarifying the importance of the seemingly tedious
tasks in the fulfillment of learning objectives.

D. Deception or providing false information to the teacher regarding an academic

activity or requirement, for example, providing false information for failure to
meet a deadline, or falsely claiming to have submitted work.
Any form of misrepresentation done in the context of an academic exercise that does not fit the first
three types falls under this. It involves any attempt to misconstrue the truth, whether by
commission or omission.

Sample Case 1: A student asked her classmate to sign her name for the out-of-class activity when she was absent.
Sample Case 2: A student falsely claimed to have been summoned by the ADSA Office as a reason why he was
late for class.
Sample Case 3: A student claimed to have passed a quiz paper when, in fact, she arrived too late for the quiz.
Sample Case 4: A student failed to come forward and tell the proctor that he was not from that section when
attendance prior to a test was being checked.
Note for students: Deceptive acts are frequently committed in relation to evading the perceived negative
consequences of the truth. Part of the learning process, however, is learning from the consequences of our actions.
It is far graver to resort to dishonesty to cover up the truth than it is to commit a mistake and admit ones
accountability.

SECTION 4:

Handling Cases of Academic Dishonesty

As indicated in Section III.E of the Code of Discipline of the Loyola Schools Student Handbook,
Dishonesty runs counter to the very essence of the Ateneo de Manila as an educational institution.
All cases of dishonesty will be treated as major cases.
Where an objective basis is established that academic dishonesty has been committed, the student/s
responsible undergo/es the established due process.
8

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools
In general, cases of academic dishonesty involve two aspects which affect two parallel processes
the academic and the disciplinary. The academic side may involve the teacher, the department, the
ADAA, and the Standards Committee, while the disciplinary is assessed by the teacher, the ADSA,
the Discipline Committee, and the Vice President for Loyola Schools. Each track has its own
nuances, but shares the same principles regarding (1) objectivity, (2) fairness, (3) the right to be
informed, (4) the right to be heard, (5) and the formative nature of the process.
On the academic side, the teacher assesses the violation in relation to class guidelines and policies
and ascertains what academic consequences are called for, given the particular requirement and the
circumstances.
From the disciplinary point of view, while the objective proof of the offense is the crux of the matter
for a formal charge against a student, the disciplinary process as a whole is not devoid of the context
or circumstances surrounding an act. The accused is always given the chance to tell his/her story
and present his/her side, both in writing and in person. Furthermore, the multi-disciplinary
composition of the 10-member Discipline Committee seeks to guarantee the appreciation of the case
from multiple and varied perspectives.
The context surrounding a violation, however, does not typically make for exoneration or
condemnation. Rather, it enables a more comprehensive understanding of the objective act. Rather
than influencing guilt or innocence, context (knowledge, degree of participation, willfulness, etc.)
often comes to play as the mitigating or aggravating factors that are assessed in determining the
appropriate sanction/s.
It is important to emphasize that the LS does not operate with a formula in determining the sanction
for a particular offense. Each incident, violation and persons unique case is treated on a case-to-case
basis. Precedents, however, are examined to address consistency and honor the historicity of
discipline decisions.
As a student of the Loyola Schools, one shares in the communal responsibility for the preservation
and defense of Academic Integrity. Should one be a witness to such dishonesty, students are
expected to report it to their teacher or the Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (located
at Room X100, Xavier Hall).

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools

Acknowledgements
An ad hoc committee tasked to address the issue of academic integrity was created in 2009 by then Vice
President for Loyola Schools, Dr. Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng. Its mandate was to probe the important issue
of academic dishonesty, and propose action to be taken. Given this, the committee endeavored to examine
the existent knowledge and common practices regarding the subject. Notably, the committee conducted a
survey among all departments and faculty of the Loyola Schools regarding their experiences with academic
dishonesty, and the measures taken in their classes to promote and safeguard academic integrity. Experiences
of the Discipline Committee were also culled for insights into student and faculty behavior. The result of this
research formed the basis for this guide that elaborates on the established policies in the Code of Discipline,
seeking to articulate baseline expectations and establish a level understanding among the members of the
Loyola Schools.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Mr. Rene Salvador R. San Andres
Associate Dean for Student Affairs (Committee Chair)

Ms. Carolyn Pile Natividad

Assistant to the ADSA for Formation (Editor)

Mr. Michael Ner E. Mariano

Faculty, Philosophy Department, School of Humanities

Ms. Maria Teresa Trinida P. Tinio

Faculty, English Department, School of Humanities

Dr. Mira Alexis P. Ofreneo

Faculty, Psychology Department, School of Social Sciences

Atty. Joseph Sedfrey S. Santiago

Faculty, Marketing and Law Department, John Gokongwei School of Management

Ms. Maria Beatriz E. Lahoz

Faculty, Computer Science Department, School of Science and Engineering

Mr. Jose Ma. Edito K. Tirol

Faculty, History Department, School of Social Sciences

10

The Student Guide to the Code of Academic Integrity 2012

of the Loyola Schools

Learning Contract
REPLY SLIP
This is to certify that I have read, studied and fully
understood the Loyola Schools Code of Academic
Integrity (Student Guide) and promise to abide by its
principles and policies.

__________________________

____________

Signature of student over printed name

ID#

____________________

____________

Year/Course

Date today

____________________

____________

Submitted to (name of teacher)

Class

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE)

RECEIVED BY ADSA OFFICE:

__________________________

____________

Signature of ADSA personnel

Date received

FOR INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT THE

Assistant to the ADSA for Formation-Discipline

Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Room X100, Xavier Hall
Ateneo de Manila, Loyola Schools
4266001 loc 5023

11