Honesty And Honor Codes Summary

In their article Honesty and Honor Codes, McCabe and Trevino (2002) argue that having an honor code and cultivating an environment that promotes academic integrity will do much to reduce the problems associated with plagiarism. The authors cited research that indicated plagiarism was not only increasing in general but students at schools with no honor code reported higher incidences of cheating.

There are two critical elements to implementing a successful honor code that were outlined in the article. The first element is to communicate the importance that the school places on integrity in the classroom. Merely having the honor code by itself does not necessarily mitigate plagiarism but when the student body understands that the institution has an expectation related to honesty that is consistently enforced then they will be more likely to comply. This is similar to the business concept of tone at the top. Some schools have even started using “rituals and ceremonies” (2002) to create an environment that communicates and reinforces their priority regarding honesty.

Large schools that have part time students or students that live off campus will have a more difficult time creating a sense of community and culture to foster the honor code. Still the authors noted that their research showed that schools with honor codes reported lower incidences of cheating that non-honor code schools. Another challenge is that students are seeing their peers cheat and get away with it. It is frustrating to see others not follow the rules and be rewarded by getting better grades and admitted to higher programs. Again, the authors' solution is for administration and students to create a culture where integrity is valued. Honor codes will not guarantee that plagiarism will not occur but it is an important step in developing an “environment where most students view cheating as socially unacceptable”