Otis College of Art and Design students are expected to express themselves in their own unique voices and to develop original ideas and perspectives that address the research and/or histories that are connected to a discipline, medium, or format.
Specific practices that support the creation of original work include:
- Brainstorming to generate ideas.
- Seeking out diverse perspectives and credible sources of information.
- Documenting one’s process to show progress toward the final product.
- Developing one’s skills and expanding one’s creative explorations.
- Adhering to guidelines around proper citation.
Guidelines for Proper Citation and Attribution (Acknowledging Sources of Information)
We expect all students engaged in critical work to adhere to proper citation practices and to provide attribution for any ideas or information that are not their own. Proper citations in MLA style and a Works Cited page should accompany all work as needed. You can find detailed citation information on the Library website.
Information that is common knowledge, such as historical facts or widely accepted scientific theories, does not need to be cited.
Text/Media created in generative AI is not considered one’s own work. We expect substantial changes to be made to any AI generated material before it is submitted as a response to an assignment. The majority of any submitted work should come from individual students.
- Use of AI must be cited/acknowledged in your process.
- We expect students who utilize generative AI to retain earlier versions of their text/media works in order to demonstrate their original contributions to submitted work. It is also valuable for students to save the prompt histories they have used within the relevant generative AI application(s) – ChatGPT, Midjourney, etc.
- Failure to cite/acknowledge or to retain these work process histories will render students vulnerable to charges of academic misconduct.
Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
Plagiarism occurs when a person deliberately uses concepts, language, images, music, or other original (not common knowledge) material from another source without acknowledging that other source and/or without making substantial modifications to that source content enough to view it as original or authentic work. This applies to the production of art and design just as it applies to writing.
While referencing or appropriating may be part of a studio or Liberal Arts and Sciences assignment, it is the student’s responsibility to acknowledge and/or substantially modify the original material, including instances in which the material is generated by AI.
Specific examples of plagiarism and/or cheating include but are not limited to:
- Submitting someone else’s work in whole or part (including copying directly from a source without documentation and/or alteration, or turning in studio work that is not your own).
- Submitting work that was primarily produced, revised, or substantially altered by another person or generative AI.
- Cutting and pasting any textual or image-based work from the internet without proper documentation or clarification of sources.
- Failure to cite sources. Proper citations in MLA style and a Works Cited page must accompany all papers. You can find citation information through the Library website.
- Using the writing, editing, or creative services of another person who quantitatively and/or qualitatively revises the paper and/or studio work significantly. An editor often fixes the paper without the writer learning how to do it him/herself. Sometimes the editor changes so much of the paper that it is no longer the student writer’s work and thus plagiarized. A trained tutor helps the writer to learn how to revise the papers and eventually not need the tutor’s assistance.
- Presenting the same (or substantially the same) work for more than one course or within the same course without obtaining approval from the instructor of each course.
- Acting dishonestly or conveying information that the student knows or is known to be false, by actions such as lying, forging or altering any document or record in order to gain an unfair academic advantage.
Consequences for Academic Misconduct
Instances of alleged plagiarism or academic misconduct are reported to the Academic Integrity Committee for review on a case-by-case basis. For a complete description of the Academic Integrity Committee process, please refer to the Academic Misconduct Complaint Website.
The Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee and Dean of Student Affairs or designee are the first points of contact for the College in processing alleged cases of student plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty. According to the Otis College Code of Conduct, “All forms of academic misconduct, including but not limited to cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, or facilitating academic dishonesty” are direct violations of the code.
Instances of plagiarism will not be tolerated and may result in consequences including, but not limited to:
- A failing grade on the assignment.
- A lowered overall course grade.
- Disciplinary action as determined by the Academic Integrity Committee.
- Notification of academic misconduct to relevant parties.
Students who engage in plagiarism are often given the opportunity to revise their work and resubmit it for evaluation. We view revision as an educational opportunity and encourage students to reflect on their work and learn from their mistakes.
We believe that promoting originality and creativity while also providing guidelines for responsible academic conduct is essential to maintaining academic integrity and supporting our students in their academic goals.
*** Note: Aspects of this policy were written in conversation with ChatGPT.
ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 16 May 2023, chat.openai.com/chat
More Information
If you have any questions or would like more information about the process, please contact the Dean of Student Affairs at studentaffairs@otis.edu, or the Provost’s Office by contacting Dean of Academic Affairs and Academic Integrity Chair, Dwayne Moser at dmoser@otis.edu.
The Otis College of Art and Design Code of Student Conduct is adapted from the NCHERM Group Model Developmental Code of Student Conduct and is used here with permission.