Academic Integrity
Essex County College’s trustees, faculty, and administrators are dedicated to mutual respect and the free exchange of ideas in classroom, laboratory, and other academic settings. Students who enroll at ECC join with these other individuals in adherence to guidelines regarding free inquiry, academic honesty, and civility in the classroom and related forums.
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The College’s administration recognizes the common interest of faculty and students in the pursuit of the truth and understanding This includes the right to present and the obligation to receive divergent views when legitimate intellectual differences exist.
Students are advised that their obligations in this respect include but are not limited to the following:
- To present only such homework assignments, term papers, examination papers, etc. that are the results if their own work;
- To honestly pursue research and scholarship by acknowledging sources used in term papers and other assignments;
- To never fabricate sources and data;
- To practice fairness in competing with peers through recognition of others’ rights to gain access to information and materials, respect for others’ right to access to facilities and equipment, and adherence to rules governing their use;
- To accurately represent the results of experimental, survey, and other findings; and
- To respect the rights of others to hold differing views based on reason, research, and recognized standards of evidence.
Moreover, any theft or alteration of academic materials, or the destruction of the academic work of others, constitutes a serious breach of academic integrity. In the case of an alleged infraction, the appropriate divisional chairperson will handle the matter and if necessary initiate formal charges with an Academic Dean or Chief Academic Officer.