Kansas State University has an Undergraduate Honor System based on personal integrity which is presumed to be sufficient assurance in academic matters one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance.  Undergraduate students, by registration,  cknowledge the jurisdiction of the Undergraduate Honor System.  The policies and procedures of the Undergraduate Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning.

A prominent part of the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by undergraduate students.  The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated:  "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."

A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty.  An XF would be failure of the course with the X on the transcript indicating  failure as a result of a breach of academic honesty.

Students are understandably uncertain about what exactly counts as the particular sorts of conduct that can land them in these sorts of difficulties.  It is also helpful to have it spelled out how easy it is to avoid it.  The following are the definitions in force at Kansas State University at the moment.  They are excerpts from Section II of Appendix F of the Faculty Handbook.  Since important principles to be found there also concern faculty obligations in acknowledging students' work, I have included them here as well.

All academic relationships ought to be governed by a sense of honor, fair play, trust, and a readiness to give appropriate credit to the intellectual endeavors of others where such credit is due. Because the academic community expects that the process of intellectual and creative endeavor is beneficial to a student, the student's original work, created in response to each assignment, is normally expected. ...

A.  Cheating:   Plagiarism.

1.  Definition of plagiarism.

a.  "Plagiarism is the academic and literary equivalent of robbery, taking somebody else's property. If you copy somebody's test answers,    take an essay from a magazine and pass it off as your own, lift a well-phrased sentence or two and include them without crediting the author or using quotation marks, or even pass off somebody's good ideas as examples of your own genius, you are guilty of  intellectual thievery. If you are caught you should expect punishment or contempt or both."  Quote from Robert M. Gorrell and Charlton Laid, Modern English Handbook, 6th edition (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1976), p. 71.

b.  Plagiarism covers unpublished as well as published sources; borrowing another's term paper, handing in as one's own work a paper purchased from an individual or agency, or submitting as one's own papers from living group, club, or organization files; all are punishable as plagiarism.

2.  Avoidance of plagiarism: "Acknowledge indebtedness ":
 
a.  whenever you quote another person's actual words;
b.  whenever you see another person's idea, opinion, or theory, even if it is completely paraphrased in your own words; and
c.  whenever you borrow facts, statistics, or other illustrative material-unless the information is common knowledge."  William W. Watt, An                American Rhetoric, 4th edition (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1970) p. 8
 
3.  The form and standard for attribution and acknowledgment of literary indebtedness is set by each discipline. Students should consult with their department or with recognized handbooks in their field if in doubt.

4.  The ethical standards outlined in the above definition of plagiarism and suggestions for its avoidance govern all relationships in academe.  Hence, the guidelines apply to faculty and research assistants in their possible use of students' and colleagues' research and ideas, as well as to student use of source materials and authorities and student use of other students' ideas and work.
 

a.  In any graduate program, considerable cross-pollination of ideas between faculty and students will exist. If it becomes apparent that public dissemination of the results of cooperative efforts is likely, the attribution and distribution of credit should be agreed upon, preferably in writing, before release of the material to publishers, if not at the time collaboration begins. If the parties cannot agree upon distribution of credit or responsibility, the head of the department and/or dean should be called upon to adjudicate; if any party feels that satisfactory resolution was not obtained there, grievance procedures may be instituted.
b.  In cases where substantial contributions to faculty professional activities, creative works, papers, or publication come from students in classes, seminars, etc., the student contributors should be recognized in acknowledgements, a note, or in any other appropriate manner, by name if such specific attribution is possible. Of course, student debts of the same kind to faculty and other students should be similarly acknowledged.


5.  Honesty, courtesy, and open dealing with others underlie all the above stipulations. Whenever possible, in cooperative intellectual ventures, all parties should be fully informed at the outset, preferably in writing, of the allotment of responsibilities, recompense, and credit and recognition to be given to all parties to the enterprise.
 

B.  Other Forms of Academic Cheating
 
1.  Definition: In addition to plagiarism as defined above, various other forms of academic dishonesty occur which shall be subject to the penalties provided below (Section III). These include, but are not limited to, consultation of textbooks, library materials, or notes in examination where such materials are not to be used during the test; use of crib sheets or other hidden notes in such an examination, or looking at another student's test paper to copy strategies or answers; having a confederate supply questions or answers from an examination to be given or in progress; having a person other than the one duly registered and taking the course stand in at an examination or any other graded activity (in which cases all consenting parties to the attempt to gain unfair advantage shall be deemed culpable and subject to penalties); deliberate falsification of laboratory results, or submission of samples or findings not legitimately derived in the situation and by the procedures prescribed or allowable; submission in a paper, thesis, lab report, or other academic exercise of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or evidence, or deliberate or knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or evidence; procurement and/or alteration without permission from appropriate authority of examinations, papers, lab reports, or other academic exercises, whether discarded or actually used, and either before or after such materials have been handed in to the appropriate recipient; collaborating with others on projects where such collaboration is expressly forbidden; submission of one's previously graded work for a new assignment (without the instructor's consent); and other forms of academic dishonesty and fraud. The application of the above definition of academic cheating and that of the definition of plagiarism in II.A. above within a given discipline shall rest finally with the department or discipline concerned.

2.  Procedures:  While the governing principle, once cheating is suspected, is that due process shall be observed and no charge made without adequate objective evidence, it is apparent that prior to that, it is most desirable to exercise due care so that tempting, compromising, or ambiguous situations do not arise.
 

C.  Undergraduate Honor System for Kansas State University

1.   Introduction

Kansas State University is a community of students, faculty, and administrators who come together to learn, work, and grow intellectually.  The concept of community is central to our belief in the importance of honorable behavior for oneself and for the community as a whole. This strongly held value of honor and the expectations derived thereof are defined by K-State's honor system. The honor system is an assumption of trust which accompanies the student in all dealings with fellow students, faculty, and administrators. The atmosphere of trust grounded in this assumption of honor enables every student to know his or her word will be taken as true and to compete fairly in the classroom.

The acceptance of individual responsibility is essential to our community of trust. The foundation of the honor system depends entirely upon the willingness of every individual to live up to the standards set by fellow students, faculty, and administration. If we are to enjoy the benefits of a community of trust and integrity which the honor system fosters, we must hold ourselves to the basic principles of honesty: we must never lie or cheat. In order to safeguard the privileges offered by the honor system, we must respond forthrightly and proactively with those students who have disregarded the principles of honesty.

2.  The Kansas State University Honor Code

The Kansas State University honor system is defined by the following Honor Code:

a.  That as K-State students they will not give or receive aid in examinations; that they will not give or receive unpermitted aid in class work, in the preparation of reports or in any other work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading.

b.  That as K-State students they will do their share and take an active part in seeing to it that others as well as themselves uphold the spirit and letter of the honor system. This includes reporting an observed dishonesty.

3.  The Honor Pledge Statement

On all course work, assignments, or examinations done by students at Kansas State University, the following pledge is either required or implied:

On my honor as a student I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment.

This statement means that the student understands and has complied with the requirements of the assignment as set forth by the instructor.