Academic Integrity

What it Is, How it Works, and What Your Part in it Is

FDU is committed to upholding the standards of academic integrity in all disciplines. Although a complex web of conventions, the basic concepts guiding academic integrity policies at FDU are simple: we give credit to the work of others. We recognize that learning the specific practices might take time, so we created this page to help support your journey as a rising scholar. 

About Academic Integrity

What is academic integrity?  

The FDU Academic Integrity Policy states: Students at Fairleigh Dickinson University are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity, which is fundamental to the learning process. Ethical use of information and ideas, whether drawn directly or indirectly from other sources, is required for all academic work. Students must properly acknowledge sources in all assignments and exercises. 

The key concepts here are Ethics, Information Use, and Giving Credit.  

  • Ethics: in the world of American academia, the role of the author/creator/theorist is of highest importance. There are several reasons why authorship is important: In most instances, when an author can be identified, their scholarly work can be carefully examined by others. Knowing who the author is lets other scholars look into the person and to understand biases, conflicts of interest, and theoretical/ethical ways of thinking of the author. In academia, scholarly reputation is important as the work of the strongest authors go on to shape the thinking and research of other scholars in the field. 
  • Information Use: scholarly writing is based on building a conversation with other authors, and in order to do that, scholars need to examine the work of others, as well as to support their own claims. In some disciplines, the information being used is text, in others it might be equations, or even images. Regardless of the format/modality of the work, all scholars are expected to use information according to the conventions of their field. All scholars must find a careful balance between their own ideas, and the support they draw on from other scholars. Though it might be challenging, establishing clearly when another author’s work is being drawn on is an essential part of academic integrity.  
  • Giving Credit: whenever you do any work that uses other author’s intellectual content, it is crucial to state that you are. In academia, there are many conventions (or accepted ways of doing things) that specify how to do so. Many professional organizations have adopted specific ways of giving credit, and have created corresponding citation styles. Some of these styles include: 
  • MLA: Modern Language Association  
    • Field: Humanities, Literature, Cultural Studies 
    • Focus: Author and page number (for example: Smith 43) 
  • APA: American Psychological Association
    • Field: Social Sciences, Education, Nursing 
    • Focus: Author and publication year (for example: Smith, 2026) 
  • Chicago: Chicago Manual of Style 
    • Fields: History, Fine Arts, Business 
    • Focus: footnotes or endnotes with a bibliography, or author-date system 
  • IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 
    • Fields: Engineering, Computer Science 
    • Focus: numbered brackets in the text (for example: Smith [65]) 
  • CSE: Council of Scientific Editors 
    • Fields: Natural Sciences and Physical Sciences 
    • Focus: Author and publication year (for example: Smith 2026) 

What is academic integrity for?

Academic integrity is a way to support the growth and spread of ideas over time. Knowing where ideas come from and how they came to be helps the academic community understand the motivations, challenges, and limitations of newly emerging theories. Academic integrity is a way to make sure that you trust the research before you to be honest and strong enough to support your own intellectual work.  

How does academic integrity help me?

Academic integrity gives you tools to make ethical decisions, handle research responsibly, and present yourself as an honest and trustworthy person. Practicing academic integrity will allow you to enter the workforce with a strong understanding of conventions, ethics, and responsibility so that your new colleagues and bosses can trust you and your work. FDU’s dedication to academic integrity signals to the world that we value these ideas. Being a graduate from FDU thus signals to the world that you have been properly educated about academic integrity practices and philosophies, Thus, it is important for the whole of the FDU community to build an ongoing dialogue about academic integrity with all community members so that we can educate one another about the relationship between emerging technologies, shifting social realities, and research across the disciplines.  

Is academic integrity the same everywhere?

While the basic ideas behind academic integrity are similar, the practices and conventions vary somewhat. The American academic context is author-oriented and linear in nature. But other traditions exist and focus on other aspects of communicating. If you study abroad or are an international student, you may find that your understanding of citation and the role of author differs. Consider that your work is going to be evaluated by the norms and conventions of the place you are in. 

Hands-on Support

FDU offers hands-on one-on-one support to all students! You can reach out to the below units to get help with research, citations, and many other subjects relevant to academic integrity and your academic work:

Resources for Further Study

What Students Say About Academic Integrity

Writing Guides and Citation Support

FDU Resources

Online Writing Labs

Citation Machines and Managers

Note: While citation machines and managers are helpful tools, it is always best to check your citations using the official style manual to ensure a citation has been formatted correctly.

Manuals of Style