Integrity is the cornerstone of all academic and professional endeavors. Learners are expected to conduct themselves with utmost honesty and integrity while enrolled at the College. Although there are numerous guidelines related to academic integrity, the following are the basic standards. Any violation of these standards is considered academic dishonesty and consequences may include, but are not limited to, a failing grade for an assignment, a failing grade in a course, academic probation, or withdrawal from the academic program.

Copyright Guidelines
A copyright is a property right attached to an original work of art or literature. It grants the author or creator exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, adapt, perform, or display the protected work. Other than someone to whom the author/creator has extended all or part of these rights, no one may use, copy, distribute, or alter the work. Unauthorized use of the material is prohibited by law and carries both civil and criminal penalties.

Copyright law covers seven (7) broad categories:

• Literary works – both fiction and non-fiction, including books, periodicals, articles, manuscripts, computer programs, manuals, phonographic records, film, audiotapes, and computer disks;
• Musical works – and accompanying words – songs, operas, and musical plays;
• Dramatic works – including music, plays and dramatic readings;
• Pantomimed and choreographed works;
• Pictorial, graphics, and sculptural works – final and applied arts, photographs, prints and art reproductions, maps, globes, charts, technical drawings, diagrams, and models;
• Motion pictures and audiovisual works – slide/tape multimedia presentations, filmstrips, films and videos; and
• Sound recordings and records – tapes, cassettes, and computer disks.

A copyrighted work may be used or copied under certain conditions:

• Public domain – work belonging to the public as a whole, such as government documents and works, works with expired copyright or no existing protection, and works published over ninety-five (95) years ago;
• Permission – prior approval for the proposed use by the copyright owner;
• Legal exception – use constitutes an exemption to copyright protection – for example, a parody; and
• Fair use – use for educational purposes, consistent with certain restrictions.

Copyright law provides four (4) standards for determination of the fair use exemption:

• Purpose of use: Copying and using selected parts of copyrighted works for specific educational purposes qualifies as fair use, especially if the copies are made spontaneously, are used temporarily, and are not part of an anthology.
• Nature of the work: When copying paragraphs from a copyrighted source, fair use easily applies. For copying a chapter, fair use may be questionable.
• Proportion/extent of the material used: Duplicating excerpts that are short in relation to the entire copyrighted work or segments that do not reflect the “essence” of the work is usually considered fair use.
• Effect on marketability: If there will be no reduction in sales because of copying or distribution, the fair use exemption is likely to apply. This is the most important of the test for fair use.

Fair Use and Learner Responsibility
Learners, without regard to or knowledge of copyright restrictions, sometimes duplicate or distribute materials illegally or load software without license. Such acts, seemingly convenient and unnoticeable, are, in fact, violations of copyright laws and are prohibited.

The College does not tolerate violations of copyright law and will take action against any offenders. Learners found in violation of copyright law may be withdrawn from the College.

The College publishes a comprehensive copyright policy. Learners must refer to the policy or seek assistance from faculty or staff regarding the use of copyrighted materials.

Dishonesty
Learners must not deliberately attempt to falsify, fabricate, or otherwise claim credit for the work or effort of another person or use unauthorized materials in any course, laboratory, or other academic exercise or function.

Cheating
Learners must not engage in any of the following activities:

• Using verbal, written, visual, or other forms of aids intended to give or receive improper assistance with academic work or evaluations;
• Copying another’s assignments and submitting as one’s own;
• Using unauthorized materials (texts, notes, calculators, etc.);
• Taking an exam or completing work for another learner;
• Having someone else take an exam or complete work for the learner;
• Obtaining and/or using an upcoming exam ahead of the scheduled test time; and
• Violating any other test-taking procedures.

Misrepresentation
Learners must not engage in any of the following activities:

• Misrepresenting didactic or experiential learning attendance;
• Falsifying academic or work credentials and experience;
• Submitting someone else’s work or work produced by artificial intelligence as one’s own;
• Using the unedited work originally submitted for one course to satisfy the requirements in another course without prior consent of the instructor;
• Forging or using another’s signature;
• Altering or destroying academic records and documents;
• Falsifying research data and experimental or physical results; and
• Falsifying medical information or records that are used for obtaining credentialing which allows the learner to attend DFCs or IPs (preceptorships) at partner facilities.

Plagiarism
Learners must not deliberately use material originated by another person’s ideas, work, evidence, or words and present them as their own original work, including copying text from websites, textbooks, journals, or any other published materials, without proper acknowledgment.

Under special circumstances, learners may utilize and cite portions of their previously published works or unpublished works (any work that is submitted for publication but has not been published yet, including theses and dissertations). In these rare cases, prior approval with the course instructor is needed. Previous assignments submitted for coursework completion do not count as published/unpublished works and require prior approval of the course instructor to be included in subsequent work being turned in.

Self-Plagiarism 
When repeating a course, learners may resubmit coursework completed during a prior attempt of the same course. Resubmitted course work will not be flagged for self-plagiarism; however, there is no guarantee that the resubmitted course work will earn the same grades awarded previously. 

Learners may not resubmit assignments from one course to another course. If work from an assignment from one course is submitted for an assignment in another course, it will be flagged for self-plagiarism. 

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) 
It is expected that learners will adhere to generally accepted standards of academic honesty, including, but not limited to, refraining from cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresenting one's work, and/or inappropriately collaborating as defined above. This includes the use of generative AI tools without citation, documentation, or authorization. Learners will also be expected to adhere to the prescribed professional and ethical standards of the nursing profession. Any learner who engages in academic dishonesty or who violates the professional and ethical standards for the nursing profession may be subject to corrective action as per the Code of Conduct. Learners should refer to the course syllabus for more information on the use of AI in individual courses. 

Other Violations
Additional examples of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:

• Removing, without prior permission, any materials, supplies, or equipment from the College or a SOFE site;
• Submission of Nightingale College course content (including, but not limited to, tests, study materials, assignments, and essays) to third-party websites;
• Making copies of course materials without approval from the instructor;
• Using any type of recording devices to capture learning activities or academic evaluations in distance or on-ground learning environments without authorization; and
• Violating any faculty instruction or College policies.