Academic Integrity Policy
Core principles
- Mission: nurture leaders with character and competence, who do the right thing even when no one is watching
- IB learner profile: Principled and Responsible
- Fountainhead values: Fairness, Responsible, Respect, Integrity
The five fundamentals of academic integrity
- Honesty
- Trust
- Fairness
- Respect
- Responsibility
What is academic integrity?
- A set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and assessment
- Respect and protection of intellectual property in all forms: creative expression, patents, registered designs, trademarks, moral rights, copyright
- Students' own language, expression and ideas, with proper acknowledgement when another person's ideas or work are used
Why it matters
Making knowledge, understanding and thinking transparent: students show how they built ideas and which perspectives they accepted or rejected. Understanding the concepts and values comes before the technical skill of citing.
Objectives of the policy
- Understand what academic integrity is
- Prepare the community for responsible use of AI tools
- Respect the work of others
- Respect the integrity of all forms of assessment
- Guide study skills and academic writing
- Guide research and how to acknowledge primary and secondary sources
- Understand what malpractice is and its consequences
- Foster a school culture that encourages good academic practice
- Inform guardians through Parent Teacher Conferences and policy sessions
What to cite
Acknowledge any material or idea that is not yours and is used in any way: quotation, paraphrase or summary. Materials may be written, oral or electronic, and include, but are not limited to:
- Quotations
- Summaries
- Visuals
- Photographs
- Pieces of music
- Letters
- Graphics
- Broadcasts
- Artworks
- Maps
- Lectures
- Charts
- Interviews
- Tweets
- Advertisements
- Blogs
- Information from websites / AI tools
- Data from tables or graphs
- A film or scenes from a film
- Newspaper articles
Basic and common knowledge within a field does not need to be acknowledged.
In doubt whether it is common knowledge? Cite.
Important terms
School maladministration
An action by an IB World School or an individual associated with it that infringes IB rules and may threaten the integrity of IB exams and assessments. It can happen before, during or after an assessment component or exam.
Academic misconduct
Behavior, deliberate or inadvertent, that results in or may result in a candidate or any other candidate gaining an unfair advantage in one or more assessment components. Behavior that may disadvantage another candidate also counts.
A. Plagiarism
Representing, intentionally or unintentionally, the ideas, words or work of another person without proper, clear and explicit acknowledgment.
B. Collusion
Supporting malpractice by another candidate, such as allowing one's work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another.
C. Duplication of work
Presenting the same work for different assessment components and/or IB diploma requirements.
D. Any other behavior
Gaining an unfair advantage or affecting another candidate's results: unauthorized material in an exam, falsifying a CAS record, sharing or receiving exam paper content within 24 hours after a written exam.
E. Misconduct during an IB exam
Deliberate or inadvertent behavior that could give anyone an unfair advantage: unauthorized material, disrupting or distracting others, communicating with another candidate.
F. Unethical behavior
Inappropriate material in assessment work, or a breach of ethical guidelines when conducting research.
Roles and responsibilities
Librarian
- Works with coordinators and students to build research skills
- Senior School: supports citation (MLA 7) and displays MLA 7 posters in the library
- Creates citation examples with the coordinator and runs sessions for teachers and students
Programme coordinators
- Role-model honest, ethical, responsible behavior
- Plan integrity sessions for existing staff, new staff and students
- Update staff on new IB publications; review the policy
- Ensure teachers follow the same procedures as students
- Keep the policy on the school website
- Equip the academic team to detect malpractice
MYP and DP coordinators
- Secure storage of confidential IB material and conduct of IB exams
- Report suspected misconduct and school maladministration, to the IB where applicable
- Keep reinforcing what malpractice is: plagiarism, collusion, exam misconduct
- Make sure all work submitted is authentic
- Hold sessions with parents and students; get MYP/DP undertakings signed
Teachers
- Make sure students know expectations, guidelines and what misconduct is (and its consequences)
- Give timely feedback; no multiple rounds of editing (MYP/DP)
- Plan a manageable workload; label and save work correctly for IB submission
- Cross-reference group project work; submit final pieces to prevent collusion
- Respond to misconduct and maladministration and support school and IB investigations
- PYP: ensure all student work is referenced
Students
- Know the policy and the IB's policies; complete work honestly
- Credit all sources, including AI, in written, oral and artistic work
- Refuse non-permitted help: tutors, essay or copy-editing services, essay banks, file-sharing sites
- Never give undue help to peers
- Report misconduct and maladministration to teachers or coordinators
- Use the internet and social media responsibly; DP: sign the undertaking and consent form for e-coursework
Parents and guardians
- Understand the IB and school policies that safeguard authentic work
- Support children's understanding and a manageable workload
- Know what misconduct and maladministration are, and their consequences
- Report potential cases to the coordinator, Senior School Principal and/or IB
- Submit only genuine evidence for access arrangements
- Never give or obtain help with their child's work; PYP: encourage a bibliography
Practices for school staff: do and do not
Do
- Use freely and legally available resources, e.g. Creative Commons
- Buy or rent films and content legally (Google Play, Prime Video, Netflix)
- Scan only books the school has bought for read-aloud, and that are in the library
- Photocopy some pages for educational use under fair use (Section 52, Copyright Act)
- Cite sources from online or print media after verifying the site's rights
- Seek author or publisher permission for scripts used in performances
- Cite images on the same slide, or under the image in documents
- Check usage rights before using a resource (Appendix 9)
- Use MLA 7 on all official documents sent out, posted on the website or shared with the IB
- Present most work as collaborative if shown to an external body; work created for the school is school property
Do not
- Use the latest resources not legally available for purchase (movies)
- Download from peer-to-peer or piracy sites such as Torrent: strictly prohibited
- Share scanned copies with parents or students by any means
- Add image links in the speaker notes
Staff using AI tools
Reference the AI tool in the body of the work and in the bibliography
Worksheets: name the tool, prompt and date. Slides or posters: clickable link in the bibliography or last slide; for images, a clickable link on the same slide.
Sample: Text generated by ChatGPT, “how to write literary analysis at grade 7 level”, December 11th, 2023.
What integrity looks like in each programme
| Area | PYP | MYP: Grades 7-10 | DP: Grades 11-12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culminating project | Early Years: n/a. Grades 1-6: mention primary source and cite any secondary source (blog, website, video); acknowledge teacher, expert, parent or sibling help | Personal Project: MLA 7, in-text citation, bibliography, own images noted, participant consent form, academic honesty form, process journals | Extended essay, TOK essay, English HL essay, IAs: MLA 7, in-text and bibliography, Turnitin check and report, submit via Google Docs/Slides (revision history), consent form |
| Group work | Acknowledge peers' ideas and teacher or parent guidance; Grades 1-6 also cite sources and feedback received | Community Project and group tasks: acknowledge each member where needed, accept ideas and feedback, MLA 7 | Psychology IA, CAS and Group 4 projects: acknowledge each member; individual report even if group work; MLA 7 |
| Oral presentation | Mention who helped; cite primary and secondary sources | Bibliography at end, image sources, verbal or written acknowledgement of client or participants | TOK exhibition, Global Politics, English A, Hindi B, French ab initio orals: bibliography at end, image link on its slide |
| Creative work | Grades 1-6: acknowledge ideas given; cite secondary source or artist | Visual art, design, models, charts: acknowledge original artwork and others' ideas | Visual Arts, Film, Design Technology: acknowledge original artwork and others' ideas |
| Other | Homework: mention or cite help and secondary sources | Teachers cite past papers; MYPC session before IB exams; sign undertaking (Appendix 5) | Teachers cite past papers; DPC sessions before IB exams and on misconduct scenarios; sign DP undertaking |
ATL skills linked: Thinking Social Self-management Research Communication
Citing in MYP and DP submissions
Tools: Cite This For Me (choose MLA 7 with URL). Appendix 3 lists the elements each source type needs.
- 1Use MLA 7 for all IB and school submissions
- 2In-text citation is mandatory, at the end of the paragraph or sentence using the idea
- 3Add a bibliography at the end, alphabetical, with the full web link
- 4Cite images on the same page or slide; look up freely and legally available resources
- 5While researching (EE/TOK/IA): add numbered footnotes with links, then use Author-Year in text
- 6The in-text name must match the first word of the full reference
Citation anatomy
Guides for a book, magazine, website, blog, journal article, video clip, DVD, social media post and image are in Appendix 2.
Citation
A signal in the text that material is borrowed (quote, paraphrase, summary): an introductory phrase, end-of-statement mark or numbered footnote. Each needs a full reference.
Paraphrase
Use your own words and change the structure; make clear where the original idea starts and ends, and mark your own examples as yours.
AI tools and language software
Use of AI tools
- Reference the AI tool in the body of the work and in the bibliography when copying, paraphrasing text or modifying an image
- In-text citation uses quotation marks in the school's referencing style
- Include the prompt given to the AI tool and the date the text was generated
Language and grammar software
- Spell checkers, bilingual dictionaries and basic tools are acceptable when spelling and grammar are not assessed (not in Language Acquisition)
- Not permitted in Language Acquisition, where sentence structure earns marks
- Not permitted: writing an essay in one language and translating it for the IB
- Software for access and inclusion needs is always considered by the IB
Teacher and student training
Teacher training
- New teachers fill in the “How to cite?” form (MYP module) and have face-to-face sessions after joining
- Existing teachers reinforce integrity on training days (PYP) and summer training days or Saturdays (MYP/DP)
- PYP: the content editor and librarian run sessions on effective posts, proofreading and citation; homeroom teachers ensure grade-level citing
Student training
- PYP: homeroom teachers run citation sessions as per the grade framework (Appendix 1)
- Grades 7-12: layered curriculum integrated by subject teachers; mentor teachers run homeroom sessions (Appendix 4)
- DP: scenarios and role play in homeroom (Appendix 8); the DP Coordinator reinforces the policy twice a year
- Student citation samples from e-coursework serve as exemplars (Appendices 6 and 10)
Layered curriculum: citation skills climb with each grade
On exam day: every assessment
- Subject teachers never invigilate their own subject and never enter the hall to assist
- Invigilators read all instructions beforehand and clarify doubts
- Monitor washroom visits; support staff check washrooms for unauthorized material
- Desks are checked; formula booklets only for specified papers
- Follow exam timings, with reading time where applicable
- Secure storage of all exam material
What differs
School term assessments
- No extra time without school authorization; shared with invigilators with the exam timetable
- DP: GDC set on exam mode
Final IB exams
- No extra time without IB authorization; proof placed in the exam materials tray
- Sufficient invigilators as IB recommends; admin staff invigilate
- Exam officer, Coordinator, Principal or Head of School fill the exam officer checklist
- Invigilators fill the exam checklist and take attendance
- Washroom visits logged in the book provided; washroom checklist completed
- Follow the yearly MYP or DP Assessment Procedures
IBDP exam process, step by step
1Before
Posters outside the venue; exam officer brings papers from The Vault; whiteboard shows centre number, date, subject and level, duration, timings, student count, access arrangements, GDC allowed or not
2Set up
Camera view checked and recordings saved; name tags, cover sheet, data and answer booklets, graph paper placed; seating plan filled; GDC set to exam mode
3Entry
Students checked outside by didi and bhaiya for unauthorized material; seated by name tag; paper packet opened in front of students
4Start
Invigilator reads the starting instructions; 5 minutes reading time (not for MCQ papers in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Design Technology); then writing begins
5During
Attendance; school checklist; washroom out and in times logged; no leaving in the first hour or the last 15 minutes
6After
Answer copies collected and details checked; papers sealed by exam officer; scanning-centre stickers applied; packets weighed and couriered the same day
Checklists for invigilators, exam officers and support staff (washroom checks) are in Appendix 7.
The Vault and paper security
Final IB exam material
- Stored in a locked cupboard in the strong room, The Vault: double door security, double-lock cupboard, keys kept in a digital locker
- Access: Head of School, Senior School Principal, Programme Coordinator(s) and Exam Officer only
- Anyone else needs permission from the Exam Officer, Coordinator, Principal or Head of School
- DP: papers checked on arrival against the IB checklist, status updated on IBIS, arranged by date, subject and level
School internal exams
- Papers and mark schemes go into a Google document shared by Senior School Process Coordinators; it cannot be shared with other teachers
- A separate exam account with two-step verification; two-step verification is mandatory on teachers' laptops
- After Team Leaders approve, teachers' editing rights are revoked and papers go to print or are released digitally
- MYP: exam material kept in a dedicated cupboard. DP term papers: lock-and-key cupboard, filed by date; only the Process Coordinators hold the keys
- Open book exams (DP): Economics OBE is written by students with teacher comments on a first draft; in Psychology teachers prepare the OBE sheet. Both follow IB policy, and OBE material is stored in The Vault before and after IB exams.
If integrity is breached
The school community shows no tolerance for any form of malpractice. Students are ethically responsible for reporting violations to the Programme Coordinator, Senior School Principal or Head of School. Severity and previous record are taken into account.
School exams: same-day process
- 1Invigilator calls didi or bhaiya outside the venue and sends the student to the Coordinator or Senior School Principal
- 3Parents are informed; Senior School Leadership Team decides the consequence
- 5Subject teachers note details in comments; Coordinator's comment goes in the report card
- 2Work is not marked; reported as “Academic Misconduct” in the assessment reporting system and the student report
- 4Student observation filled by Process Coordinators to notify parents after verbal communication
- 6Meeting with the Senior School Principal or Head of School
IB submissions: escalation ladder
Written warning through a student observation on Nucleus, to student and parents. Missing in-text citation or bibliography in IB submissions: student sits in a designated place and completes all citations, or rewrites the work if required.
Parents called in; Coordinator and Team Leader meet them with the student. Told that a repeat leads to suspension. An individual record is kept. Student rewrites the whole task under supervision in school hours; counseling by Coordinator and Team Leader, Well-being Counselor if needed; student observation filled.
Suspension for a maximum of seven days. Decided by the Programme Coordinator, Senior School Principal and Head of School; parents emailed with justification. No entry to premises, classes or school activities. SSLT may revoke or extend; the decision of the Head of School, Principal and Coordinator is final.
School may expel the student (DP: suspend or expel) or mark an “N” (non-submission) for that subject submission. Decided by the Head of School, Senior School Principal and MYP or DP Coordinator (DP also the Assistant Coordinator).
Linked policies and standards
- Assessment Policy: PYP teachers cite sources; MYP/DP teachers cite sources when preparing papers and students follow integrity in internal assessments and external exams
- ICT Policy: learner profile attributes build integrity; stakeholders cite print and online sources and act responsibly
- IB Standards and Practices: 0301 culture through policy, 0402 students as lifelong learners, 0404 approaches to assessment
Appendices
- 1. PYP citation samples
- 2. MLA 7 citation guidelines
- 3. Elements of a reference
- 4. Layered curriculum
- 5. MYP and DP undertaking forms
- 6. IBDP student work samples
- 7. Exam checklists
- 8. Exam scenarios
- 9. How to check usage rights
- 10. MYP citation samples
Sources: IB Academic Honesty in the IB Educational Context (2014), Academic Integrity (2019), Effective Citing and Referencing (2014), DP and MYP Assessment Procedures (2024), Programme Standards and Practices (2020).
No tolerance for malpractice: give credit, do your own work, and do the right thing even when no one is watching.