• Section 1 - Preamble
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Policy
• Section 5 - Non-Compliance

Section 1 - Preamble

(1) Charles Darwin University (‘the University’, ‘CDU’) is committed to fostering a culture of integrity that underpins all aspects of University life. Integrity at CDU encompasses personal, academic and professional ethics, and guides the actions and decisions of all members of the University community. Students and staff share the responsibility of creating an environment where respect, academic honesty, and ethical behaviour are understood, modelled and valued.

(2) The University prioritises enhancing academic integrity through an educative approach that prevents academic dishonesty.

Section 2 - Purpose

(3) This policy outlines the University’s expectations of academic integrity for all members of the University community, including the principles and framework for upholding the high standards required and for managing alleged breaches.

Section 3 - Scope

(4) This policy applies to all members of the University community engaged in teaching and learning activities including those on campus, online, in workplaces or in the field.

(5) Allegations of inappropriate conduct are managed in accordance with the:

1. Academic Misconduct Procedure, for students;
2. Charles Darwin University and Union Enterprise Agreement 2025, for staff;
3. Responsible Conduct of Research Procedure, for research activities; or
4. Fraud and Corruption Control Policy, for suspected fraudulent behaviour.

Section 4 - Policy

(6) The University upholds integrity as a core institutional value, embedded in all aspects of its operations, including teaching, research, leadership, governance, and administration.

1. Integrity requirements apply to all members of the University community and extend to academic conduct, professional behaviour, decision-making, and the use of University resources.
2. Academic integrity involves acting honestly, fairly, respectfully, and responsibly in all academic work, fostering ethical and professional conduct throughout the learning journey.
3. Academic integrity is demonstrated not only through the final output of academic work but also through the process of engaging with ideas, sources, and collaborators. Respectful, ethical, and transparent engagement with the intellectual contributions of others is a fundamental expectation of all academic activity.

(7) To create a culture of academic integrity, the University will:

1. provide ongoing, relevant education to students throughout their units and course, providing resources and training that develop every student’s:
   1. understanding of appropriate academic conventions for their discipline and study level; and
   2. knowledge of the professional conduct required in their industry.
2. educate and equip staff with University-wide standards, resources, and training that enable them to:
   1. embody and model academic integrity and ethical practice; and
   2. provide consistent, accurate, and context-specific advice, resources, and support to students on academic integrity.
3. ensure messaging and practice is aligned across faculties and units, is consistent with sector standards, and supported by governance structures including reporting through the Comprehensive Reporting Framework;
4. create an environment of mutual trust, where student ideas and work are respected, assessed with integrity and properly attributed. Employers and other members of the community will be able to trust that a student’s work is original and a result of their own skills and work;
5. ensure that all assessment tasks are designed with clarity of purpose, expectations, and academic conventions. Students must be provided with clear guidance on what is required, why the assessment matters, and how integrity can be demonstrated throughout the task;
6. prevent misconduct by:
   1. identifying the root causes of breaches and improving the ways in which students are assessed;
   2. creating a learning environment where students are known to staff and supported to build their skills; and
   3. encouraging a teaching and learning environment that educates students about expectations of academic integrity and appropriate referencing techniques to reduce opportunities for student academic misconduct.
7. intervene when academic misconduct is suspected or detected, acting on alleged breaches by ensuring that investigations are fair, confidential and timely and decisions are evidence-based and in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness;
8. continuously improve approaches to academic integrity, tracking the uptake and effectiveness of educational resources, providing staff with best practice resources, guidance, and training and monitoring trends or emerging practices in academic misconduct; and
9. regularly review academic integrity practices and data to monitor emerging risks, improve support strategies, and ensure continual quality improvement.

(8) Academic staff play a critical role in fostering a culture of academic honesty, ethical scholarship, and excellence. Staff responsible for the design and assessment of student work must:

1. implementing the University’s academic integrity and education strategies;
2. model good practice in the delivery of unit content and assessment;
3. support students in developing academic skills and understanding discipline-specific expectations;
4. provide clear guidance on the permitted use of technologies such as generative artificial intelligence, and support students to critically evaluate produced by generative artificial intelligence;
5. remain cognisant of emerging academic technologies and their implications for assessment and academic integrity;
6. engage in professional learning on academic integrity, including emerging risks such as contract cheating and the ethical use of generative technologies;
7. educate students on appropriate academic integrity techniques, clearly explaining what constitutes contract cheating, plagiarism, collusion and other forms of cheating within that unit or training; and
8. identify and respond to suspected academic misconduct, referring cases in alignment with the Academic Misconduct Procedure.

(9) The University expects that students will uphold integrity and ethical conduct, making decisions that reflect respect, accountability, and consideration for themselves, each other, and the University. To meet the required standards of academic integrity, students will:

1. continuously learn about academic integrity by participating in learning activities and accessing University resources designed to educate students about appropriate academic conventions and professional or industry standards;
   1. Higher education students, excluding higher degree by research candidates and students enrolled in a non-award course, must complete the Academic Integrity module in Learnline before the end of their first term of study. Students may not be able to access their final grades if they have not completed the module;
2. act in a truthful and accountable manner when undertaking learning and assessment activities, including:
   1. actively participating in online classes and, where appropriate, using cameras and microphones to support engagement, build trust with teaching staff, and demonstrate the authenticity of their learning. Reasonable adjustments will be made where required;
   2. completing University assignments or tasks responsibly and with due care, and pursuing learning with curiosity, integrity, and respect for evidence;
   3. understanding and avoiding plagiarism by acknowledging the ideas, work and contribution of others and never misrepresenting someone else’s work as their own;
   4. understanding and avoiding collusion or other forms of cheating by not providing work to others, not purchasing work or promoting the purchasing of work to others, and not falsifying results;
   5. following relevant ethics or professional guidelines, including when accessing confidential or sensitive data, when interacting with clients or patients and when on lands managed by First Nations communities;
   6. declaring any conflicts of interest, including but not limited to close personal relationships with staff;
   7. declaring and acknowledging use of generative artificial intelligence when creating academic content; and
   8. avoiding coercive or threatening behaviour, or any attempts to gain an unfair advantage.
3. be truthful when providing documentation to the University and submitting original work, giving due credit to the work of others, and supplying additional information when requested. Students are responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of all work submitted, which includes maintaining appropriate records such as sources, drafts, back-up copies, and contributions to group work;
   1. where concerns about academic integrity arise, students may be required to provide evidence demonstrating that the work is their own. This may include research notes, annotated bibliographies, drafts, or version histories;
   2. students may be required to present, explain, or defend their ideas verbally in real-time (face-to-face or online) as part of demonstrating the authenticity of their work and their understanding of academic concepts;
4. role-model academic integrity within the University, speaking up against breaches in academic or research integrity, where it is safe to do so; and committing to creating an ethical and professional University environment, online, on campus, in the field and in the workplace;
5. participate in University efforts to promote integrity, including campaigns, peer education, or student representation in policy development; and
6. where required, demonstrate the ethical, transparent, and purposeful use of generative artificial intelligence, and their work may be evaluated on the quality and appropriateness of its use. The University recognises the evolving role of generative artificial intelligence in academic work.

Section 5 - Non-Compliance

(10) Non-compliance with governance documents is considered a breach of the Code of Conduct - Employees or the Code of Conduct - Students, as applicable, and is treated seriously by the University. Reports of concerns about non-compliance will be managed in accordance with the applicable disciplinary procedures outlined in the Charles Darwin University and Union Enterprise Agreement 2025 and the Code of Conduct - Students.

(11) Complaints may be raised in accordance with the Complaints and Grievance Policy and Procedure - Employees and Complaints Policy - Students.

(12) All staff members have an individual responsibility to raise any suspicion, allegation or report of fraud or corruption in accordance with the Fraud and Corruption Control Policy and Whistleblower Reporting (Improper Conduct) Procedure.