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Diploma Programme
Academic honesty
Diploma Programme
Academic honesty
International Baccalaureate Organization
Buenos Aires Cardiff Geneva New York Singapore
GD147
Diploma ProgrammeAcademic honesty
Published September 2007
International Baccalaureate OrganizationPeterson House, Malthouse Avenue, Cardiff Gate
Cardiff, Wales GB CF23 8GLUnited Kingdom
Phone: + 44 29 2054 7777Fax: + 44 29 2054 7778
Web site: http://www.ibo.org
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) was established in 1968 and is a non-profit, international educational foundation registered in Switzerland.
The IBO is grateful for permission to reproduce and/or translate any copyright material used in this publication. Acknowledgments are included, where appropriate, and, if notified, the IBO will be pleased to rectify any errors or omissions at the earliest opportunity.
IBO merchandise and publications in its official and working languages can be purchased through the IB store at http://store.ibo.org. General ordering queries should be directed to the sales and marketing department in Cardiff.
Phone: +44 29 2054 7746Fax: +44 29 2054 7779E-mail: sales@ibo.org
Printed in the United Kingdom by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire
IBO mission statementThe International Baccalaureate Organization aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the IBO works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
IB learner profileThe aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.
IB learners strive to be:
Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
Contents
Introduction 1
Understandingacademichonestyandmalpractice 2
1 Academichonesty 2
2 Malpractice 3
Maintainingacademichonesty 5
3 Rolesandresponsibilities 5
4 Expectationsofschools 6
5 Thedetectionofplagiarism 8
6 Authenticatingcandidates’work 9
Investigatingmalpractice 10
7 Theprocedureforaninvestigation 10
8 Therightsofthecandidate 11
9 Investigatingimproperconductbyacoordinatororteacher 12
10 Theroleofagradeawardmeeting 12
11 Theroleofthefinalawardcommittee 13
12 Offencesandtheirpenalty 14
13 Notificationofdecisionsmade 15
14 Reconsideration,appealandarbitration 16
Academichonesty
©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2007 1
IntroductionThispublicationisforIBWorldSchoolsthatoffertheInternationalBaccalaureateDiplomaProgramme.ItistheexpectationoftheInternationalBaccalaureateOrganization(IBO)thateachheadofschoolwillmakethispublicationavailabletotheschool’sDiplomaProgrammecoordinator(henceforth“coordinator”).ItisalsoforusebyIBOstaffinvolvedwithinvestigationsintosuspectedmalpracticeandmembersoftheIBO’sfinalawardcommitteewhorevieweachcaseandupholdordismissanallegationofmalpractice.
Incaseswhereadiplomaorcertificatecandidatedoesnotshowacademichonesty,theactionsofthatcandidatemayconstitutemalpractice,whichisabreachoftheGeneral regulations: Diploma Programme(henceforth“Regulations”).Althoughmalpracticetakesmanyforms,plagiarismiscertainlythemostprevalentform.Accordingly,themainfocusofthispublicationisonhowtopreventanddetectplagiarism.
Thispublicationaimsto:
• helpdefineacademichonestyandmalpracticeinthecontextoftheDiplomaProgramme
• establishtherolesandresponsibilitiesoftheIBO,headsofschool,teachers,candidatesandexaminersinpreventinganddetectingmalpractice
• offeradvicetoschoolsonthepreventionanddetectionofmalpractice
• describetheprocedurefollowedbytheIBOwheninvestigatinginstancesofsuspectedmalpracticeandtheroleoftheschoolinsupportinganinvestigation
• describetheroleofthefinalawardcommitteeandthepenaltiesitappliestocandidatesfoundguiltyofmalpractice.
Throughoutthepublicationreferenceismadeto“theheadofschool”,theassumptionbeingthattheheadofschoolnormallyhasoverallresponsibilityforschoolpolicyandforresolvingsignificantissuesthatarisewithintheschool.Inpractice,theheadofschoolmaydelegatetasks,suchasestablishingaschoolpolicyonacademichonestyorinvestigatingacaseofallegedmalpractice,tothecoordinatororotherseniorcolleague.
Thepolicyandguidancewithinthispublicationapplytoallcandidates forDiplomaProgrammeexaminations,includingcertificatecandidates.
Academichonesty
2 ©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2007
Understandingacademichonestyandmalpractice
1 Academichonesty1.1 Academichonestymustbeseenasasetofvaluesandskillsthatpromotepersonalintegrityand
goodpracticeinteaching,learningandassessment.Itisinfluencedandshapedbyavarietyoffactorsincludingpeerpressure,culture,parentalexpectations,rolemodellingandtaughtskills.Althoughitisprobablyeasiertoexplaintocandidateswhatconstitutesacademicdishonesty,withdirectreferencetoplagiarism,collusionandcheatinginexaminations,wheneverpossiblethetopicmustbetreatedinapositiveway,stressingthebenefitsofproperlyconductedacademicresearchandarespectfortheintegrityofallformsofassessmentfortheDiplomaProgramme.
1.2 AllDiplomaProgrammecandidatesmustunderstandthebasicmeaningandsignificanceofconceptsthatrelatetoacademichonesty,especiallyauthenticityandintellectualproperty.Ensuringthatcandidatesunderstandandrespectacademichonestyshouldnotbeconfinedtooriginalauthorshipandownershipofcreativematerial:academichonestyincludes,forexample,properconductinrelationtothewrittenexaminations.
1.3 Theconceptofintellectualpropertyispotentiallyadifficultoneforcandidatestounderstandbecausetherearemanydifferentformsofintellectualpropertyrights,suchaspatents,registereddesigns,trademarks,moralrightsandcopyright.Candidatesmustatleastbeawarethatformsofintellectualandcreativeexpression(forexample,worksofliterature,artormusic)mustberespectedandarenormallyprotectedbynationalandinternationallaw.Byimplementingmeasurestopreventplagiarism,schoolsarehelpingtocombatillegalout-of-schoolactivities(forexample,illegalmusicdownloads,peer-to-peerorP2Pfilesharing)forwhichcandidatesmayfacelegalproceedings.
1.4 Anauthenticpieceofworkisonethatisbasedonthecandidate’sindividualandoriginalideaswiththeideasandworkofothersfullyacknowledged.Thereforeallassignments,writtenororal,completedbyacandidateforassessmentmustwhollyandauthenticallyusethatcandidate’sownlanguageandexpression.Wheresourcesareusedorreferredto,whetherintheformofdirectquotationorparaphrase,suchsourcesmustbefullyandappropriatelyacknowledged.
1.5 AlthoughtheRegulationsclearlydefineplagiarismastherepresentationoftheideasorworkofanotherpersonasthecandidate’sown,thisdefinitionalonedoesnotprovidecandidateswithsufficientinformationorguidanceonwhatconstitutesplagiarismandhowitcanbeavoided.Candidatesmustreceiveguidanceonwhenandhowtoincludeacknowledgmentsintheirwork.Similarly,thepracticeofparaphrasingisaskillthatmustbetaughtsothatcandidatesdonotsimplycopyapassage,substituteafewwordswiththeirownandthenregardthisastheirownauthenticwork.Whenusingthewordsofanotherpersonitmustbecomehabitualpracticeforacandidatetousequotationmarks,indentationorsomeotheracceptedmeansofindicatingthatthewordingisnottheirown.Furthermore,thesourceofthequotation(orparaphrasedtext)mustbeclearlyidentifiedalongwiththequotationandnotresideinthebibliographyalone.Usingthewordsandideasofanotherpersontosupportone’sargumentsisafundamentalpartofanyacademicendeavour,andhowtointegratethesewordsandideaswithone’sownisanimportantskillthatmustbetaught.
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©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2007 3
2 Malpractice2.1 TheRegulationsdefinemalpracticeasbehaviourthatresultsin,ormayresultin,thecandidate
oranyothercandidategaininganunfairadvantageinoneormoreassessmentcomponent.Malpracticeincludes:
• plagiarism:thisisdefinedastherepresentationoftheideasorworkofanotherpersonasthecandidate’sown
• collusion:thisisdefinedassupportingmalpracticebyanothercandidate,asinallowingone’sworktobecopiedorsubmittedforassessmentbyanother
• duplicationofwork:thisisdefinedasthepresentationofthesameworkfordifferentassessmentcomponentsand/ordiplomarequirements
• anyotherbehaviourthatgainsanunfairadvantageforacandidateorthataffectstheresultsofanothercandidate(forexample,takingunauthorizedmaterialintoanexaminationroom,misconductduringanexamination,falsifyingaCASrecord).
2.2 ManycandidatesbelievethatbecausetheInternetisinthepublicdomainandlargelyuncontrolled,informationcanbetakenfromwebsiteswithouttheneedforacknowledgment.Candidatesmustrecordtheaddressesofallwebsitesfromwhichtheyobtaininformationduringtheirresearch,includingthedatewheneachwebsitewasaccessed.Theuniform(oruniversal)resourcelocator(URL)constitutesthewebsiteaddressforthispurpose.(Simplystatingthesearchenginethatwasusedtofindthewebsiteisnotacceptable.)Thisincludesthecopyingofmaps,photographs,illustrations,data,graphsandsoon.Forexample,tocutandpasteagraphfromawebsitewithoutacknowledgingitssourceconstitutesplagiarism.CD-Roms,DVDs,e-mailmessagesandanyotherelectronicmediamustbetreatedinthesamewayastheInternet,booksandjournals.
2.3 Theissueofplagiarismisnotconfinedtogroups1to5oftheDiplomaProgramme.Ingeneral,copyingworksofart,whethermusic,film,dance,theatreartsorvisualarts,alsoconstitutesplagiarism.Therearecircumstanceswherethecreativeuseofpartoftheworkofanotherartistisacceptable,buttheoriginalsourcemustalwaysbeacknowledged.Candidatesmustunderstandthatpassingofftheworkofanotherpersonastheirownisnotacceptableandconstitutesmalpractice.
2.4 Copyingtextisnotalwaysadeliberateattemptbyacandidatetopresenttheideasorworkofanotherpersonastheirown.Infact,intheexperienceofthefinalawardcommitteeitisapparentthatmanycandidatesarenotawareofwhenorhowtoacknowledgesources.Occasionally,acandidatemaycopyoneortwosentencesfromabook,journalorwebsitewithoutshowingitisaquotation,butindicatingitssourceinafootnoteorthebibliography.Althougheachcaserequiresaseparatejudgment,ingeneralsuchcasesaretheresultofnegligenceoralackofawarenessonthepartofthecandidateanddonotwarrantanallegationofmalpractice.Thesecasesmayattractthepenaltyappliedtoanacademicinfringement,andnotmalpractice.Seesections12.3and12.4forfurtherdetails.
2.5 Formostassessmentcomponentscandidatesareexpectedtoworkindependentlywithsupportfromtheirsubjectteacher(orsupervisorinthecaseofextendedessays).However,thereareoccasionswhencollaborationwithothercandidatesispermittedorevenactivelyencouraged,forexample,intherequirementsforinternalassessment.Nevertheless,thefinalworkmustbeproducedindependently,despitethefactthatitmaybebasedonsimilardata.Thismeansthattheabstract,introduction,contentandconclusionorsummaryofapieceofworkmustbewrittenineachcandidate’sownwordsandcannotthereforebethesameasanothercandidate’s.If,forexample,twoormorecandidateshaveexactlythesameintroductiontoanassignment,thefinalawardcommitteewillconstruethisascollusion,andnotcollaboration.Itisessentialthatbothteachersandcandidatesareawareofthedistinctionbetweencollaborationandcollusion.Teachersmustpayparticularattentiontothisimportantdistinctiontopreventallegationsofcollusionagainsttheircandidates.
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4 ©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2007
2.6 Thepresentationofthesameworkfordifferentassessmentcomponentsand/ordiplomarequirementsisaduplicationofworkandthereforeconstitutesmalpractice.If,forexample,acandidatesubmitsthesameoraverysimilarpieceofworkforthein-depthstudyinhistoryinternalassessmentandforanextendedessayinhistory,thiswouldbeviewedasmalpractice.However,itisperfectlyacceptableforacandidatetostudyoneaspectofatopicforinternalassessmentandanotheraspectofthesametopicforanextendedessay.
2.7 Malpracticemostcommonlyinvolvescollusionorplagiarism.However,thereareotherwaysinwhichacandidatemaycommitmalpracticeandtherebybreachtheRegulations.Thefollowingexamplesofmalpracticedonotconstituteanexhaustivelistandrefermainlytothewrittenexaminations:
• takingunauthorizedmaterialintoanexaminationroom(forexample,anelectronicdeviceotherthanapermittedcalculator,ownroughpaper,notes,amobilephone)regardlessofwhetherthismaterial isusedorpotentiallycontains informationpertinenttotheexamination
• misconductduringanexamination,includinganyattempttodisrupttheexaminationordistractanothercandidate
• exchangingorinanywaysupporting,orattemptingtosupport,thepassingonofinformationthatisrelatedtotheexamination
• copyingtheworkofanothercandidate
• failingtocomplywiththeinstructionsoftheinvigilatororothermemberoftheschool’sstaffresponsiblefortheconductoftheexamination
• impersonatinganothercandidate
• stealingexaminationpapers
• usinganunauthorizedcalculatorduringanexamination
• disclosingordiscussingthecontentofanexaminationpaperwithapersonoutsidetheimmediateschoolcommunitywithin24hoursoftheendoftheexamination
• fabricatingdataforanassignment.
2.8 Forallcasesofmalpracticeinrelationtotheexaminations,thecoordinatormustsendareporttothecoordinatorhelpdesk(help@ibo.org)attheInternationalBaccalaureateCurriculumandAssessmentCentre(IBCA)inCardiff,Wales.Thereportmustreachthecoordinatorhelpdeskwithintendaysoftheexaminationinwhichtheincidentoccurred.
2.9 Breachesofregulationsarenotconfinedtocandidates:improperconductbyacoordinatororteachermaybebroughttotheattentionofthefinalawardcommittee.ThefollowingareexamplesofunacceptableactionsthatwillbeinvestigatedbytheIBO:
• theunauthorizedreschedulingofanexamination
• failingtokeeptheexaminationpaperssecurepriortoanexamination
• openingexaminationpaperpacketspriortoanexamination
• providingacandidatewithundueassistanceintheproductionofanywork(whetherwrittenororal)thatcontributestotheassessmentrequirementsoftheDiplomaProgramme
• leavingcandidatesunsupervisedduringanexamination
• allowingadditionaltimeinexaminationswithoutauthorizationfromtheIBO
• releasinganexaminationpaper,orotherwisedisclosinginformationaboutthecontentofapaper,within24hoursoftheendoftheexamination.
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©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2007 5
Maintainingacademichonesty
3 Rolesandresponsibilities3.1 TheroleoftheIBOisto:
• providetheregulationsandinstructionsthatgoverntheconductofeachexaminationsession
• offerguidancetoschoolsonwhatconstitutesmalpracticeandhowitcanbeprevented
• investigatecasesofallegedmalpractice,inliaisonwiththeschoolconcerned
• reviewallavailableevidencecollectedduringaninvestigationintomalpracticeanddecidewhethertodismisstheallegationorupholdit
• makeafinaldecisiononcasesofsuspectedmalpracticeandnotifytheheadofschoolofthedecision.
3.2 DuringeachexaminationsessiontheIBOtakesarandomsampleofcandidates’workandsubmitsittoaweb-basedplagiarismpreventionsystem.However,thefactthattheIBOisdoingthisdoesnotallowschoolstoabrogatetheirresponsibilityforensuringthatworksubmittedisauthentic.
3.3 Theheadofschool,orhisorhernominee,mustensurethatallcandidates:
• understandwhatconstitutesacademichonestyandanauthenticpieceofwork
• understandwhatconstitutesmalpractice,particularlyplagiarismandcollusion
• receiveguidanceontheskillsofacademicwritingandacknowledgingsources
• knowtheconsequencesofbeingfoundguiltyofmalpractice.
Itisalsotheresponsibilityoftheheadofschooltoestablishaschoolpolicythatpromotesgoodacademicpracticeandaschoolculturethatactivelyencouragesacademichonesty.Itisassumedthatpartofthisresponsibilitywillbedelegatedtothecoordinatorandteachers.
TheschoolistheIBO’sfirstlineofdefenceagainstmalpracticeandisthereforeexpectedtosupporttheIBOfullyintheprevention,detectionandinvestigationofmalpractice.Intheeventofacandidatebeinginvestigatedformalpractice,theschoolhasadditionalresponsibilities:seesection7.
3.4 Itistheresponsibilityofeachteachertoconfirmthat,tothebestofhisorherknowledge,allcandidates’workacceptedorsubmittedforassessmentistheauthenticworkofeachcandidate.Thisincludesallworkforinternalassessmentwhereteachers’marksareenteredontheIBinformationsystem(IBIS):thesecureweb-basedserviceforcoordinators.Whenaschoolhasimplementedallpreventionmeasures,teachersareexpectedtodetectanyplagiarism.Teachersarealsoexpectedtosupporttheschool’spolicyongoodacademicpracticeandprovidecandidateswithadvicewhenevernecessary.
3.5 Thecandidateisultimatelyresponsibleforensuringthatallworksubmittedforassessmentisauthentic,withtheworkorideasofothersfullyandcorrectlyacknowledged.Candidatesareexpectedtocomplywithallinternalschooldeadlines:thisisfortheirownbenefitandmayallowtimeforrevisingworkthatisofdoubtfulauthorshipbeforethesubmissionofthefinalversion.
3.6 Theprincipalresponsibilityofanexamineristomark(ormoderate)theworkofcandidatesagainstprescribedassessmentcriteria.Itisnottheroleofexaminerstosearchforplagiarism,collusionoranyotherformofmalpractice.However,examinersareexperiencededucationalpractitionerswhoarefamiliarwiththetextsandwebsitesthatdealwiththeirsubjectarea.BecauseexaminersarewellplacedtoidentifyplagiarismtheyareexpectedtobevigilantandreporttotheIBOanycaseswherethereisevidencetosupportanallegationofmalpractice.Seniorexaminersmaybeaskedtowritereportsonworksubmittedforassessmentthatshowsevidenceofmalpractice.
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6 ©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2007
4 ExpectationsofschoolsSchoolpolicy4.1 ItisanIBOrequirementthateveryIBWorldSchoolthatofferstheDiplomaProgrammehasapolicy
topromoteacademichonesty.ThispolicymustbesharedwithcandidatesbeforetheybegintheDiplomaProgrammeandbefollowedbyremindersthroughoutthetwoyearsoftheprogramme.Thewayinwhichthispolicyissharedwithcandidatesislefttothediscretionoftheheadofschool.However,itisrecommendedthatcandidatesreceiveformaltuition,awrittencopyofthepolicyandaremadeawarethatthecoordinatorandteachersareavailabletoofferfurtheradviceandguidance.SchoolshaveadutytoprovideallcandidatesandtheirlegalguardianswithacopyoftheRegulationsuponenrollmentfortheDiplomaProgramme.Thecandidates’attentionmustbedrawntotheprovisionsthereinregulatingmalpracticeanditsconsequences.Itisexpectedthatthecoordinatorwillplayacentralroleinthisprocess.
4.2 Allsubjectareasmustcontributetothedevelopmentofapolicyonacademichonestysothatcandidatesgainaclearideaofwhatconstitutesplagiarisminavarietyofdisciplines.Theneedtoacknowledgethesourceofdata,computerprograms,photographs,diagrams,illustrations,mapsandsoonmustalsobemadecleartocandidatesbytheirsubjectteachers.
4.3 Theroleandexpertiseoftheschoollibrarianmustnotbeneglected.Librariansareusuallyfullyawareofissuesassociatedwithplagiarismandcopyrightthroughtheirfamiliaritywithtraditionallibraryskills.Theschoollibrarianmaybeabletoprovideresearchguidelinesthatemphasizereadingandwritingskills,goodacademicpracticeandtheneedtoprovidewell-writtenworkthatdoesnotrelyheavilyonmaterialdownloadedfromtheInternet.Librarianstraditionallymaintainrigourinthefieldofacademicresearch.Locating,evaluatingandusinginformationeffectivelyareskillscharacteristicofalibrarian’sprofessioninadditiontothoseofferedbyteachers.
4.4 Aschoolpolicyonacademichonestymustatleastinclude:
• adviceonwhatconstitutesacademicdishonesty,intellectualproperty,plagiarismandauthenticauthorship
• examplesofconventionsforcitingandacknowledgingoriginalauthorship
• guidanceonthedistinctionbetweenlegitimatecollaborationandunacceptablecollusionorplagiarism
• informationonwhatactionwillbetakenbytheschoolandtheIBOifacandidateisfoundguiltyofmalpractice
• anextractoftheprovisionsoftheRegulationsrelatingtomalpractice.
SchoolsareadvisedtoincludewithintheirpolicyarequirementforeverycandidatestudyingtheDiplomaProgramme,regardlessoftheirregistrationcategory,tosignadeclarationstatingthatallworktheysubmitforassessmentwillbetheirownauthenticwork.Thiswouldeffectivelycoverallclassassignments,homeworkassignmentsandworkundertakenforinternalassessment.However,thisdoesnotnegatetheneedtosignthecandidatedeclarationoncoversheetssubmittedwithworkforassessmentormoderation.
4.5 Itisimportantthatthepolicyisnotconfinedtoordoesnotemphasizethepenaltiesthatwillbeappliedtocandidateswhoneglecttoacknowledgetheirsources.Thepolicymustbeameansofpromotinggoodpractice:apracticalreferencethatisusedandperceivedinapositiveway.Remembertoemphasizeprevention,notdetectionandpenalties.
4.6 ThepolicymayrefertotheexistenceofInternetsitesthatcanbeusedtodetectplagiarizedtext.Infact,candidatesmustbewarnedthattheIBOrandomlycheckscandidates’workforplagiarismusingaweb-basedplagiarismpreventionsystem.Anadditionaldeterrentisthevigilanceofexaminerswhoareadeptatidentifyingtextandmaterialthatisnottheauthenticworkofacandidate.
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©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2007 7
4.7 Plagiarismmustbeviewedasgoingwellbeyondamerebreakingofrulesandintoanareaoffargreaterseriousness.Plagiarismmustnotbeseenassimplyaniteminalonglistofschoolrulesinahandbook.Itmustbeviewedasaseriousacademicoffencewithacommunityattitudethatshowsnotoleranceandimposesseverepenaltieswhenitisdiscovered.
4.8 Inadditiontosubjectteachersandtheschoollibrarian,thesupportofcandidates’parentsshouldbeenlistedtopromotegoodacademicpracticeandconsistentstandards.Infact,forschoolswherethecandidaturereflectsavarietyofculturalbackgroundsitisimportanttoinformparentsaboutthestandardstheschoolistryingtouphold.Parentalunderstandingandcooperationisanimportantfactorinencouragingacademichonestyandshouldnotbeoverlooked.
4.9 Asconventionsdifferaccordingtothedisciplineandgeographicregion,itisnotpossibletogivecloselydefinedrulesforattribution,excepttosaythatwhateveracceptedconventionischosenbyaschoolorindividualcandidateitmustbeappliedconsistently.OnesuggestionistousetheformatprovidedbytheModernLanguageAssociation(MLA),whichproducesahandbookforwritersofresearchpapers,nowinitssixthedition(2003).TheMLAmaintainsawebsiteathttp://www.mla.org.
Teachingsupport4.10 Teachers(includingextendedessaysupervisors)mustprovidecandidateswithaconvention
foracknowledgingallsources.Toensurethereisanorganizedandconsistentapproachacrosssubjects,thismaybedoneinconsultationwiththecoordinator.Itisequallyimportanttoensurethatteachersthemselvesarefullyawareofsuchconventions,andareactivelyusingthemwhenprovidingcandidateswithreferencematerial.Infact,allteachersfortheDiplomaProgrammemustepitomizegoodacademicpracticeandactasrolemodelsforthecandidates.
4.11 Teachersareadvisedtoprovidecandidateswithexamplesofconventionsforacknowledgingsources.Theexamplesmustincludeavarietyofsources(CD-Roms,photographs,illustrations,data)inadditiontojournals,booksandwebsites,andmustincludehowtoacknowledgethesourceofanideathatisnotthecandidate’sown.Forexample,acandidatecouldprovideafootnoteorendnoteinthefollowingmanner:“Thebasisofthisideawasoriginallyexpressedbyafellowstudentduringatheoryofknowledgeseminar.”
4.12 CandidatesandteachersmustbeawarethattherequirementtoacknowledgesourcesextendsbeyondtexttakenfromtheInternet,CD-Roms,books,magazinesandjournals.Theconceptsofintellectualpropertyandacademichonestyinclude,forexample,theuseoffootnotesorendnotestoacknowledgethesourceofanideaifthatideaemergedasaresultofdiscussionwith,orlisteningto,afellowstudent,ateacheroranyotherperson.
4.13 Schoolsareencouragedtomakeuseofonlineservicesthathelppreventorinvariouswayscombatthethreatofplagiarism.Inadditiontoweb-basedsystemssuchashttp://turnitin.com,therearenowthoroughlyresourcedonlinelibrariesofbooksandjournals(forexample,http://www.questia.com).Thesoftwareassociatedwithsomeoftheselibrariesenablescandidates(andteachers)tokeepnotesthatareproperlyreferenced.Resourcesofthiskindhelptopreventcandidatesfromforgettingtonotethesourceofinformation.
4.14 Paraphrasingistherenditionofanotherperson’swordspresentedinanewstyleandintegratedgrammaticallyintothewriting.Ifdonecorrectly,paraphrasingisalegitimatewaytouseasource.However,becauseparaphrasingusestheideasofanotherperson,itisstillnecessarytoacknowledgethesource.Candidatesmustbetaughtthisskill;theycannotbeexpectedtounderstandthedifferencebetweenwhatislegitimateandwhatisnotlegitimateparaphrasingwithoutreceivingguidance.Ifparaphrasingisnotdonecorrectlyitwillbetreatedasplagiarism.
4.15 Teachersmusthelpcandidatesbystructuringassignmentstoavoidgeneralized“reports”involvinglittlemorethaninformationgathering.Instead,teachersmustgivespecificguidelinesthatencouragecandidatestodeveloptheirownideasthroughproblemsolving,comparison,precisehypothesis,analysisandthelike.
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4.16 Teachersareencouragedtoprovideaformativeassessmentstructureforinvestigativereportsthatincludesplanningandtheevaluationofsources,andreflectstheneedforcandidates’worktobeauthentic.Theformativeassessmentstructuremightinclude:
• acarefullydevelopedthesis
• theevaluationofsources
• planningforaninvestigation
• personalcritiqueoranalysis
• evidenceofhigherthinkinginaproposalofalternativesolutionstotheissueunderdiscussion
• in-classresearchassignments.
4.17 WhenmarkingregularclassandhomeworkassignmentsthatarenotbeingsubmittedtotheIBOforassessment,teachersshouldtakeintoaccounteachcandidate’suseandacknowledgmentofsources.Aportionofthemarksawardedcouldbeavailableforassessingthedegreetowhichacandidatehascorrectlyacknowledgedallsources.ReinforcinggoodacademicpracticeinthisandotherwaysmustroutinelyextendtoallsubjectsandrequirementswithintheDiplomaProgrammehexagon,includingmathematicsandscience.
4.18 Atalltimestheadvicetocandidatesmustbetoacknowledgeashonestlyandaccuratelyaspossibletheideasandworkofothers,evenwhenthesourcecannotbestatedwithabsoluteaccuracy.
5 Thedetectionofplagiarism5.1 Asmentionedinparagraph3.5,thecandidateisultimatelyresponsibleforensuringthatall
worksubmittedforassessmentisauthentic,withtheworkorideasofothersfullyandcorrectlyacknowledged.Candidatesareexpectedtoreviewtheirownworkbeforesubmissionforassessmenttoidentifyanypassages,data,graphs,photographs,computerprogramsandsoonthatstillrequireacknowledgment.
5.2 Whenreadingcandidates’workteachersmustbevigilantforobviouschangesinacandidate’sstyleofwriting.Equallysignificantisastylethatseemstoomature,tooerrorfreeandperhapsmorecharacteristicofanexperiencedacademicthanasecondaryschoolstudent.Overthetwo-yearperiodoftheDiplomaProgrammeteacherswillbecomeveryfamiliarwiththestyleandqualityofeachcandidate’sworkintheirteachinggroups.Itisthereforethesubjectteacherswhoareinthebestpositiontoidentifyworkthatmaynotbetheauthenticworkofacandidate.Theanalysisoftextsordocumentsatasophisticatedleveltoanswerquestionsabout,amongotherthings,textalterationandauthorship,isknownasforensiclinguistics.InformationaboutthetechniquesusedinforensiclinguisticsisreadilyavailableontheInternet.
5.3 AlthoughinmostcasesofplagiarismthatcometotheattentionoftheIBOthecandidatehascopiedpassagesfromawebsite,thereisstillplagiarismfrombooksandjournals,inadditiontotheillicituseofphotographs,graphs,dataandcomputerprogramsfromavarietyofsources.Inmostcasesitislikelythattheteacherisfamiliarwiththebooksbeingusedbycandidates;theymaybestandardtextbooksforthesubject,orbooksthatarereadilyavailableintheschoollibrary.Theteachermustbevigilantforfamiliarpassagesand,ifnecessary,checkthatsuchpassageshavenotbeencopiedfromatextbook.Inthecaseofsupervisingacandidateduringthewritingofhisorherextendedessay,thesupervisor,ifsuspicious,mayquizthecandidateonthecontentoftheessaytodeterminewhethertheworkisinfactthatofthecandidate.
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5.4 WiththerecentgrowthoftheInternetandcorrespondingincreaseinitsuse,theabuseofelectronicmediaisnowprevalentwithintheacademiccommunity.Asidefromtheimmensenumberoflegitimatewebsites,thereareanincreasingnumberofsitesthatactivelyencouragestudentstoplagiarizeandevenpurchaseessays.Littlecanbedonetopreventtheemergenceofthesesites,buttheInternetcanalsobeusedfordetectingacademicdishonesty.Severalofthemoreefficientsearchenginescanbeusedtodetectthesourceofpassagesthathavebeenplagiarized.Also,thereareseveralwebsitesthatofferausefulserviceindetectingplagiarismfromtheInternet,forexample,http://turnitin.com.
6 Authenticatingcandidates’work6.1 ItistheresponsibilityofDiplomaProgrammeteacherstosupportcandidatesinthepreparationof
theirworkforassessmentandtoensurethatallcandidates’workcomplieswiththerequirementsoftherelevantsubjectguide.Therefore,teachers(orsupervisorsinthecaseofextendedessays)areinthebestpositiontojudgewhetheracandidate’sworkisauthentic.Ongoingsupportandguidancewillhelpwiththeearlydetectionofunintentionalplagiarismandwilldissuadecandidatesfromdeliberateplagiarismbecausetheyknowtheirworkisregularlysubjecttoscrutiny.However,whatisrealisticandwhatcanbeachievedwithintheusualconstraintsoftimeandworkloadmustbelefttothediscretionofteachersandthecoordinator.Ultimately,thecandidatesareresponsibleforensuringthatthefinalversionofanyworkisauthentic.Candidatesthemselvesmustbeartheconsequencesiftheysubmitanyworkforassessmentthatisnottheirown,regardlessofwhethertheplagiarismwasunintentionalordeliberate.Thesameprincipleappliestocollusion.
6.2 Ifthecoordinatorand/orateacherhasreasontobelievethatpartorthewholeofacandidate’sdraftworksubmittedfordiscussionpriortofinalsubmissionmightbedeemedtobeinviolationoftheprinciplesofacademichonestyandconstitutesacaseofmalpractice,theymustdrawthecandidate’sattentiontothisriskandher/hisdutytorespectthepolicyandrequirementsofacademichonesty.
6.3 WitheffectfromtheMay2008examinationsession,eachcandidatemustsignacoversheetforallexternallyassessedcomponents(exceptexaminationscripts)andallinternalassessmenttoconfirmthathisorherworkisauthenticandtoconfirmthattheworkbeingsubmittedforassessmentconstitutesthefinalversionofthework.Seesection4.4forfurtherdetails.
6.4 Onceacandidatehasofficiallysubmittedthefinalversionofhisorherworktoateacher(orthecoordinator)forexternalorinternalassessment,togetherwiththesignedcoversheet,itcannotberetracted.AnysuspicionofmalpracticethatarisesthereaftermustbereportedtothecoordinatorhelpdeskatIBCAforinvestigation.“Officiallysubmitted”meanssubmissiontoateacher(orthecoordinator)bythecandidate,andnotsubmissiontoanIBexaminerbytheschool.
6.5 Toavoidanyambiguityastowhenthefinalsubmissiontookplace,schoolsmustnotonlyensurethatthecoversheetsaredulysignedanddatedbutmustalsoensurethatthecoordinatororteacherprovidescandidateswithatimetableclearlyindicatingthedeadlinesforsubmissionofwork.Inaddition,schoolsarestronglyadvisedtoimplementapolicythatrequireseverycandidateatthestartoftheDiplomaProgrammetodeclarethatallversionsofworkstheypreparewillbetheirownauthenticwork.Thisrequirementmustapplytoallcandidates,includingcertificateandretakecandidates.Seesection4.4forfurtherdetails.
6.6 Teachers(orsupervisorsinthecaseofextendedessays)arealsorequiredtosignthecoversheetforworkthatisbeingsubmittedtoanexaminerforassessmentorforthepurposeofmoderationinthecaseofinternalassessment.(Thisdoesnotapplytoexaminationscripts.)Theteachersignstotheeffectthat,tothebestofhisorherknowledge,theworkistheauthenticworkofthecandidate.Itisnotacceptabletodeleteoralterthisdeclaration,ortosubmitworkforwhichtheteacherhasnotsignedthedeclarationbecauseheorshebelievestheworkmaynotbeauthentic.Thecoordinatormustreportthecasetothecoordinatorhelpdeskandprovideevidencethatsubstantiatestheallegationofmalpractice.
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Investigatingmalpractice
7 Theprocedureforaninvestigation7.1 Thefollowingcircumstancesarethosethatmostcommonlygiverisetoaninvestigation.
• Acoordinator(uponbeinginformedbyateacher)informsIBCAthattheysuspectthatafinalworksubmittedforassessmentmaybeaffectedbymalpractice.
• AcoordinatorinformsIBCAthatmalpracticemayhavetakenplaceduringanassessment.
• Anexaminersuspectsmalpracticeandprovidesevidencetojustifyhisorhersuspicion.
• AnIBOmemberofstaffidentifiesexaminationmaterialthatmaynotbetheauthenticworkofacandidateandprovidesevidencetojustifyhisorhersuspicion.
7.2 IftheIBOinitiatesaninvestigationintomalpracticeitwilldosoimmediatelyaftertheevidenceofmalpracticeisbroughttotheattentionofthecoordinatorhelpdeskatIBCA.Theheadofexaminationsadministrationwillinformthecoordinator,normallybye-mail,thatacandidate(orcandidates)isbeinginvestigatedforpossiblemalpractice.Itisarequirementthatthecoordinatoracknowledgesreceiptofthise-mailandimmediatelyinformstheheadofschoolthatacandidate(orcandidates)issuspectedofmalpractice.
7.3 ForallcasesofmalpracticebyacandidatethecoordinatorwillbeaskedtoprovideIBCAwithareportafterheorshehasconductedaninvestigation.Inthecaseofsuspectedplagiarismthecoordinator’sreport,whichmustbepreparedandhandledinamannerwhichrespectstheneedsofconfidentiality(suchasreferringtoacandidate’sregistrationnumberratherthanher/hisname),willnormallyinclude:
• astatementfromtheteacherforthesubjectconcerned(orsupervisorinthecaseofanextendedessay)
• thecoordinator’sownstatement
• astatementfromthecandidatethatdirectlyaddressestheallegationthathisorherworkisnotauthentic
• asummaryofaninterviewwiththecandidateabouttheallegationofplagiarism.
Thestatementfromthecandidate’steacher(orsupervisor)mustincludeinformationon:
• theguidancegiventoallcandidatesonhowtoacknowledgesources,avoidcollusionandsoon(asappropriatetothenatureofthecase)inthesubjectandcomponentconcerned
• thenatureandextentofsupervisiongiventothecandidate(orcandidates)ontheworkunderinvestigation
• theprocedurefollowedforverifyingthat,tothebestofhisorherknowledge,candidates’workacceptedorsubmittedforassessmentinthesubjectandcomponentconcernedisauthentic.
Thestatementfromthecoordinatormustincludeinformationon:
• theguidancegiventoallDiplomaProgrammecandidatesonhowtoacknowledgesources,avoidcollusion,andsoon
• thecircumstancesofthecase,includingdetailsofanymitigatingcircumstances
• anopinionontheallegationofmalpracticeagainstthecandidate(orcandidates).
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7.4 ItisessentialthattheinvestigationandsubsequentreportingtoIBCAareundertakenwithoutdelay;otherwiseadecisiononthecasebythefinalawardcommitteewillnotbegivenuntilaftertheissueofresults.However,toavoiddistractingacandidatefromexaminationpreparation,itisacceptabletodelayraisingtheissuewiththecandidateuntilafterthecandidate’slastwrittenexamination.Toprotectthecandidate’spersonalrightstheinvestigationmustbediscreetandallinformationrelatingtotheinvestigationmustremainconfidential.
7.5 Itisnormalpracticetointerviewthecandidate,witharelativeorfriendinattendanceasanadviser,witnessorobserver.Thecandidatemustbeshowntheevidenceandbeinvitedtopresentanexplanationordefence.Accusatorystatementsaboutthecandidate,whetherwrittenorverbal,mustbeavoided.Withthecandidate’spermission,atranscriptoftheinterviewmaybetakenandsubmittedtoIBCAaspartofthecoordinator’sreportontheinvestigation.Thecandidatemustalsobegiventheopportunitytoprovideawrittenstatement.
7.6 Thecontentofacoordinator’sreportwilldependonthenatureoftheallegedmalpractice.Inadditiontotherequirementslistedinparagraph7.3,thecoordinator’sreportmayalsoincludeaseatingplan(formalpracticeinexaminations),roughnotesproducedbythecandidatefortheworkconcernedorearlydraftsofthecandidate’swork.Ifappropriate,acoordinatormaybeaskedtosubmitexamplesofthecandidate’scourseworkforcomparisonwiththeworkunderinvestigation.
7.7 Ifastatementfromacandidateisnotincludedwiththecoordinator’sreportandnoevidenceofaninterviewisprovided,thecoordinatorwillbeaskedtoconfirminwritingthatthecandidatehasbeengiventheopportunitytobeheardandtoprovideastatement.IBCAwillnotresolveacaseofsuspectedmalpracticeuntileitherthisconfirmationorthestatementitselfhasbeenreceived.
7.8 IBCAwillnormallymakeavailabletoaschoolallevidencerelatingtoacaseofpossiblemalpractice.Evidencemaybewithheldtoprotecttheidentityofaninformantorifthedisclosureofthatevidencecompromisestheprivacyofanotherperson.
7.9 TheIBOreservestherighttowithholdtheresultsofacandidateorgroupofcandidatesuntilaninvestigationiscompleted.
7.10 OnrareoccasionspossiblemalpracticebyacandidateisbroughttotheattentionoftheIBOaftertheissueofresults.IncompliancewiththeRegulations,thatstatethatanIBdiplomaoracertificatemaybewithdrawnfromacandidateatanytimeifmalpracticeissubsequentlyestablished,theIBOwillstillinitiateaninvestigation.Althoughthecandidatemaynolongerattendtheschool,theIBOwillseekadviceandsupportfromtheschoolinresolvingalatemalpracticecase.
8 Therightsofthecandidate8.1 WhenstudentsenrollfortheDiplomaProgramme,theschoolmustprovideeachcandidateand
theirlegalguardianwithacopyoftheGeneral regulations: Diploma Programme.Thisappliestoallcandidates,includingcertificatecandidates.
8.2 Ifacandidateisunderinvestigationforpossiblemalpractice,thecoordinatormustinformthecandidate.Thedecisionofwhetherornottoinformthecandidate’slegalguardiansoftheallegationandinvolvethemintheinvestigationislefttothediscretionoftheschool,bearinginmindanyrelevantcircumstancessuchaswhetherthecandidatehasreachedtheageoflegalmajority.
8.3 Thecandidateandhisorherlegalguardianshavearighttoseeevidence,statements,reportsandcorrespondenceaboutthecase.Anydecisiontowithholdsuchinformationrestsentirelywiththeheadofschoolorcoordinator.Evidencemaybewithheldtoprotecttheidentityofaninformant.
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8.4 ItisthepolicyoftheIBOthatanycandidatebeinginvestigatedformalpracticeisgiventheopportunitytobeheardandtosubmitawrittendefencetoIBCA.Theschoolhasnorighttopreventthisprocess,toeditorundulyinfluencethecandidate’sstatement.Thecandidateisexpectedtomakethecontentofthestatementavailabletothecoordinator,butmayrequestthatthestatementremainconfidentialtotheIBO.
8.5 Thecandidatemustbegivensufficienttimetopreparearesponsetotheallegation.IBCAmustbecontactedforadviceifthecandidatemaynotbeabletomeetthedeadlineimposed.
9 Investigatingimproperconductbyacoordinatororteacher9.1 Inconsultationwiththeheadofschool,theIBOwillconductaninvestigationintoanalleged
breachofregulationsbyacoordinatororteacherwiththeutmostdiscretion.Thepurposeofaninvestigationwillbetoestablishwhether:
• thecoordinatororteacherhasbreachedregulationsorotherwisecompromisedthesecurityorintegrityofassessmentfortheDiplomaProgramme
• theresultsofanycandidate(orcandidates)havebeenaffected.
9.2 Theheadofschoolwillbeexpectedtoproduceareportonthesituationfollowinganinternalinvestigation,duringwhichthecoordinatororteacherwillbegiventheopportunitytobeheard.
9.3 Thefinalawardcommitteewillconsiderallcasesofallegedimproperconductbyacoordinatororteacherandtakewhateverdecisionsand/oractionnecessaryifexaminationresultshavebeenaffected.
9.4 Wherethefinalawardcommitteeestablishesacaseofimproperconduct,theacademicdirectororassessmentdirector(asappropriate)willwritetotheheadofschooltoexpressthecommittee’sconcernfortheintegrityoftheDiplomaProgramme.Thecommitteeisnotobligedtorecommendanyparticularcourseofactionwithregardtothecoordinatororteacher.However,theletterwillindicatethatunlessappropriateactionistakenbytheheadofschooltopreventarecurrence,thedirectorgeneralmayreviewtheschool’sauthorizationtooffertheDiplomaProgramme.Theletterwillbecopiedtothedirectorgeneralandtheappropriateregionaldirector.Furthermore,iftheimproperconductofthecoordinatororteacherhasbeentakenadvantageofbycertaincandidates,thecasewillbeinvestigatedasacaseofmalpracticeonthepartofthosecandidates.
10 Theroleofagradeawardmeeting10.1 Inpreparationforthemeetingofthefinalawardcommittee,acaseofsuspectedmalpractice
maybereferredtotheappropriategradeawardmeetingforarecommendationfromthechiefexaminer,chiefassessororexaminerresponsible(henceforth“seniorexaminer”),asappropriatetothesubject.Acaseisnormallyreferredtoagradeawardmeetingwhensubjectexpertiseisrequired.Theseniorexaminerwillbeaskedtoreviewtheworkandrecommendwhethertheallegationmustbeupheldordismissed.
10.2 Incasesofsuspectedcollusionorplagiarismduringanexamination,theseniorexaminerwillbeaskedtoreviewcandidates’scriptsandconsiderwhetherthecandidates’similaroridenticalanswersare,forexample:
• acoincidence
• aresultofmisinterpretingtheinformationorquestionsintheexaminationpaper
• theresultofaparticulartechniquetaughtbytheirteacher
• sounusualthattheycanonlybeaccountedforbycollusion,plagiarismorsomeotherformofmalpractice.
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Inthecaseofacandidatewhohasproducedacorrectanswerwithoutshowinganyworkingormethodofachievingtheanswer,theseniorexaminerwillconsiderhowlikelythisiswithoutmalpracticeinviewofthecandidate’sperformanceonotherpartsofthepaperandinotherpapersforthesubjectandlevel.
10.3 Inacaseofsuspectedmalpracticewheretheseniorexaminerfindsnogroundsforestablishingmalpractice,therecommendationoftheseniorexaminerwillbeaccepted,resultinginnofurtheraction.Thecasewillnotbepresentedtothefinalawardcommittee.Wheregroundsforestablishingmalpracticeareidentified,thecasewillthenbepresentedtothefinalawardcommittee.
10.4 Incaseswheretheallegationofmalpracticeissupportedbytheseniorexaminer,heorshesubmitstothefinalawardcommittee:
• theworkundersuspicion
• evidencetosupporttheallegationofmalpractice
• awrittenreportonthecasewitharecommendationontheactionthatshouldbetakenbythefinalawardcommittee.
11 Theroleofthefinalawardcommittee11.1 Casesofsuspectedmalpracticewillbepresentedtothefinalawardcommittee.Afterreviewingall
evidencecollectedduringtheinvestigation,thecommitteewilldecidewithfulldiscretionwhethertodismisstheallegation,upholdit,oraskforfurtherinvestigationstobemade.Ifthefinalawardcommitteedeemsevidenceofmalpracticeinsufficient,theallegationwillbedismissedandagradewillbeawardedinthenormalway.Thedecisionwillbethatofthemajorityofthemembersofthefinalawardcommittee.
11.2 Inreachingadecisiononeachcaseofsuspectedmalpractice,thechairofthefinalawardcommitteewillensurethat:
• eachvotingmemberofthecommitteeisgiventheopportunitytopresenthisorherviewsonthecase
• allevidenceisreviewedinanobjectivemannerbeforeadecisionisreachedontheguiltorinnocenceofthecandidate(orcandidates)
• discussioniscoordinated,impartialandrelevanttothecase
• aclearmajoritydecisionisreachedregardingtheactiontobetaken.
11.3 Anymemberofthefinalawardcommitteewhohasapersonalinterestinacase,andisthereforenotindependentfromthecase,mustdeclarethatinterestandnottakepartinanydiscussionorvoting.Thechairwillaskthecolleaguetoleavethemeetingwhilethecommitteediscussesthecase.
11.4 Whereappropriate,inreachingadecisiononwhetheracandidateisguiltyofmalpracticethecommitteewilltakeintoconsiderationanysimilarcasesthatmayhavesetaprecedentforacaseofitskind.Nevertheless,eachcaseofsuspectedmalpracticewillbejudgedonitsownmerit,takingintoaccountalltheevidenceandinformationthatisavailableaboutthecase.
11.5 Iftheinvestigationofacaseisincomplete,orthecommitteerequiresadditionalinformation,thecommitteewillmakeaprovisionalinternaldecisionontheoutcomeofthecasependingfurtherinvestigation.
11.6 Ifacasecannotberesolvedduringthemeetingofthefinalawardcommittee,noresultwillbeissuedforthecandidate(orcandidates)inthesubjectunderinvestigationuntilallinquiriesarecompleteandafinaldecisionhasbeenreached.Thisincludesanycandidateinvolvedinthecase.
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11.7 Nofinaldecisionregardingtheguiltofacandidateaccusedofmalpracticewillnormallybereachedunlessastatementfromthatcandidatehasbeenreceivedandconsideredbythecommittee.Incaseswhereacandidatehasnotbeenheardandproducedastatement,thecoordinatormuststateinwritingthatthecandidatedeclinedtheopportunityofbeingheardandofproducingastatement.
12 Offencesandtheirpenalty12.1 Penaltiesareimposedonacandidatefoundguiltyofmalpracticeinorderto:
• ensurethatthecandidatedoesnotgainanunfairadvantage
• maintaintheintegrityoftheexaminationsessionbyexcludingthosecandidateswhohaveabusedthesystem
• deterothercandidatesfromtakingthesameaction.
12.2 Thecommitteewillnottakeintoaccounttheconsequencesofimposingapenalty;thepenaltywillbeimposedaccordingtothenatureoftheoffence.However,thecommitteewilltakeintoconsiderationalltheinformationpresentedbyteachersandthecoordinatorintheirstatementsonthecase.Thisinformationmayincludemitigatingcircumstances.
12.3 Therecanbeinstanceswhereworksubmittedbyacandidateforassessmentcontravenesthestandardacademicpracticeofclearlyacknowledgingallideasandwordsofotherpersonswithoutthecandidatehavingmadeadeliberateattempttogainanunfairadvantage(forexample,whereacandidatehasnotusedsomemeansofindicatingaquotation,buthascitedthesourceofthetextinthebibliographyorinafootnote).Thefinalawardcommitteemaydesignateacaseofthistypeanacademicinfringementandnotmalpractice.
12.4 Ifthefinalawardcommitteedecidesthatanacademicinfringementhasbeenestablished,nomarkswillbeawardedforthecomponentorpart(s)ofthecomponent.Thecandidatewillstillbeeligibleforagradeinthesubjectordiplomarequirementconcerned.Nofurtherpenaltywillbeimposedandthecasewillnotberecordedasmalpractice.Insuchacase,thedecisionregardingacademicinfringementwillbenotifiedinaccordancewith13.1below.
12.5 Ifthefinalawardcommitteedecidesthatacaseofmalpracticehasbeenestablished,nogradewillbeawardedinthesubjectconcerned.Nodiplomawillbeawardedtothecandidate,butacertificatewillbeawardedforothersubjectsinwhichnomalpracticehasoccurred.Thecandidatewillbepermittedtoregisterforfutureexaminationsatleastoneyearafterthesessioninwhichmalpracticewasestablished.
12.6 Ifacandidateisfoundguiltyofmalpracticeintheproductionofone(ormore)ofseveralassignmentsrequiredforacomponent,thecandidateisnoteligibleforamarkbasedonhisorherperformanceintheremainingassignmentsforthecomponent:nogradewillbeawardedforthesubject.Forexample,theinternalassessmentrequirementforasubjectmayrequireaportfoliooffourseparateassignments.Ifacandidateisfoundtohaveplagiarizedallorpartofoneassignment,amarkforhisorherinternalassessmentwillnotbebasedontheremainingthreeassignments:nogradewillbeawardedforthesubject.
12.7 Ifacaseofmalpracticeisveryserious,eitherbecauseofitsnatureorbecausethecandidatehasalreadybeenfoundguiltyofmalpracticeinaprevioussession,thefinalawardcommitteeisentitledtodecidethatthecandidatewillnotbepermittedtoregisterforexaminationsinanyfuturesession.
12.8 AnIBdiploma,oracertificate,maybewithdrawnfromacandidateatanytimeifmalpracticeissubsequentlyestablished.
12.9 Althoughacasemaynotwarrantapenaltyagainstoneormorecandidates,itmaybeappropriateforalettertobesenttotheheadofschoolonbehalfofthefinalawardcommitteeinsistingthatgreatercarebetakentoavoidasimilarincidentoccurringagain.
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13 Notificationofdecisionsmade13.1 Inallcaseswherethefinalawardcommitteehasconsideredabreachofregulations,theheadof
schoolwillbeinformedbyletter,signedbytheassessmentdirector,ofthedecisionreachedbythecommittee.Ifabreachofregulationshasbeenestablished:
• theheadofschoolwillberequiredtoacknowledgereceiptofthelettertoassuretheIBOthatthedecisionofthecommitteehasbeenreceived
• theletterwillbecopiedtothechairoftheexaminingboard,thecurriculumorsubjectareamanagerresponsibleforthesubjectandtheappropriateregionaldirector.
13.2 Itistheresponsibilityoftheheadofschool(orhisorhernominee)toinformthecandidateoftheIBO’sdecision.
14 Reconsideration,appealandarbitration14.1 Finalawardcommitteedecisionsareonlyopentoreconsiderationifthecandidateestablishes
theexistenceoffactsthatwereunknowntothefinalawardcommitteewhenmakingitsoriginaldecision.
14.2 IncaseswherearequestforreconsiderationasdefinedintheRegulationsispossible,thereconsiderationmustprecedeanyappeal.Appealsarepossibleagainstanydecisionofthefinalawardcommittee,butonlyonthegroundsthattheproceduresdefinedintheRegulationsthatledtothedecisionofthefinalawardcommitteebeingappealedwerenotrespected.
14.3 AnydisputearisingfromorinconnectionwiththeRegulationsand/ortheHandbook of procedures for the Diploma Programmewhichhasnotbeenresolvedbymeansofreconsiderationorappealprocedures,orwhichisnotsubjecttothoseprocedures,shallbefinallysettledbyonearbitratorinaccordancewiththeSwissRulesofInternationalArbitrationoftheSwissChambersofCommerce.
14.4 Forfurtherdetailsaboutreconsideration,appealandarbitration,refertotheRegulations.
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