"Academic integrity is a component of one's personal integrity and honor. Citizens cannot build and sustain communities of integrity committed to justice for all without first committing to live their own lives with integrity."

Nancy Mergler,
Senior Vice-President and Provost

Academic integrity is essential for a university to succeed and be credible in its mission of educating students and contributing to academic fields through research. Professors must be able to trust that their student's work is legitimate and done honestly.

For more information, refer to the Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity.

Download the integrity pledge as a PDF.

If I see someone cheating in my class, what am I supposed to do?

Any cheating you see should be reported to your instructor. If you'd like to report anonymously, countact the Office of Academic Integrity Programs who can contact your professor for you.

What if my instructor doesn't care about cheating or doesn't do anything about the cheating?

Contact the Integrity Council or the Office of Academic Integrity Programs to seek what possible actions can be taken in addition to speaking with your advisor about the issue.

I understand all these rules, but I still don't quite understand what cheating really is.

In short, cheating is taking credit for something that you didn't do; it's the academic equivalent of stealing.

But surely everyone cheats. I don't see what the big deal is.

As prevalent as you might think cheating is, less than 10% of OU students admitted to cheating on an exam or paper. If you cheat during school, not only are you robbing yourself of the education you are paying for, but you are also setting yourself up for future failures in life, when you are unable to recall things you should have learned during college. Think about it:  would you really want to have your taxes prepared by an accountant who cheated his way through college?

If I don't sign the Integrity Pledge on an assignment, will I be accused of cheating?

No. Whether or not you have signed the Integrity Pledge should NOT be used as evidence if you're accused of academic misconduct. If you are accused of academic misconduct simply for not signing the Integrity Pledge, contact the Office of Academic Integrity Programs.