The following reports are based on real cases adjudicated by the Emory College Honor Council. Any personally identifiable information has been omitted to protect the privacy of all parties involved unless involved parties have granted the Wheel permission to identify them.
The Honor Council found a senior in a humanities course responsible for plagiarism on an assignment after confirming that significant portions of her assignment were copied verbatim from online sources. The student acknowledged that her work was plagiarized but said it was unintentional. The Honor Council found that the plagiarism was likely intentional and recommended an F in the course, a two-year mark on the student’s personal performance record and a mandatory Honor Code educational program.
The Honor Council found a senior in a social sciences course responsible for plagiarism after she failed to cite an online study guide on an assignment. The student said she was having trouble balancing end-of-semester work with a part-time job but acknowledged that she should have used quotations and citations. The Honor Council recommended a zero on the assignment, a one-letter grade deduction in the course, a four-year mark on her personal performance record and a required Honor Code educational program.
The Honor Council found a senior in a science course responsible for using unauthorized assistance on a final exam. The professor did not permit electronic devices during the exam, Canvas showed that the student was active on the platform during the time of the exam. The student said her login information was on a friend’s computer and her friend may have accessed it while the student was taking the exam. The Honor Council found her account “highly improbable” and recommended that the student receive an F in the course and a two-year mark on her personal performance record.
