About Academic Integrity Policy Reporting
Sheridan is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity (AI). Through the Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure, Sheridan faculty, staff and students are expected to be vigilant regarding their respective roles and responsibilities when breaches of academic integrity occur. Sheridan is committed to balancing the use of sanctions with prevention and educational efforts to reduce breaches of academic integrity.
One aspect of our AI efforts is annual reporting of the number and types of breaches and the range of sanctions imposed. This reporting will allow Sheridan to track breaches of the Academic Integrity Policy and use the data to develop further strategies for reducing academic dishonesty.
The following data summarizes reported breaches, from the central database, for the academic years 2021/2022.
AI Reported Breaches by Type
- There were a total of 1292 AI breaches reported in the 2021/2022 Academic Year, an increase of eleven percent (11%) from 2020/2021.
- The number of offenses reported has increased in the following categories in 2021/2022 compared to 2020/2021: plagiarism (by 14%) and cheating (by 3%). There has been a significant increase in impersonation by 600% and a notable increase in multiple breaches by 167%. The distribution of offenses by category in 2021/2022 is: plagiarism (57%), cheating (37%), impersonation (1%), improper research practice (0.5%) and other (3%).
Reported AI Breaches by Type: AY 2019-20 and AY 2020-21
| Breach Type | AY 2020-21 | AY 2021-22 | Year-Year Change | |||
| Number | % Total | Number | % Total | Number | % Change | |
| Plagiarism | 649 | 56% | 738 | 57% | 89 | 14% |
| Cheating | 468 | 40% | 484 | 37% | 16 | 3% |
| Improper Research Practice | 9 | 1% | 6 | 0.5% | -3 | -33% |
| Impersonation | 2 | 0% | 14 | 1% | 12 | 600% |
| Other | 30 | 3% | 34 | 3% | 4 | 13% |
| Multiple | 6 | 1% | 16 | 1% | 10 | 167% |
| Total | 1164 | 100% | 1292 | 100% | 128 | 11% |
AI Reported Breaches by Offense Total
In AY 2021/2022, most reported breaches involved the student’s first offense. However, there has been a significant increase in second and third offences. It was the second offense in 15% of reported breaches, and 2% of the third offense.
Reported AI Breaches by Offense Totals, AY 2020-21 and AY 2021-22
| Offense Totals | AY 2020-21 | AY 2021-22 | Year-Year Change | |||
| Number | % Total | Number | % Total | Number | % Change | |
| 1st Offense | 1123 | 96% | 1052 | 81% | -71 | 10% |
| 2nd Offense | 36 | 3% | 189 | 15% | 153 | 425% |
| 3rd Offense | 2 | 0% | 31 | 2% | 29 | 1450% |
| Greater than 3rd Offense | 3 | 0% | 20 | 2% | 17 | 567% |
| Total | 1164 | 100% | 1292 | 100% | 128 | 11% |
AI Reported Breaches by Sanction Type
In AY 2021/2022, virtually all sanctions issued are Level 1 sanctions, with Level 1 sanctions accounting for 97% of total.
Reported AI Breaches by Sanction Type, AY 2020-21 and AY 2021-22
| SANCTION TYPE | AY 2020-21 | AY 2021-22 | Year-Year Change | |||
| Number | % Total | Number | % Total | Number | % Change | |
| Level 1 | 924 | 79% | 1249 | 97% | 325 | 35% |
| Level 2 | 181 | 16% | 38 | 3% | -143 | -79% |
| Level 3 | 43 | 4% | 3 | 0% | -40 | -93% |
| Level 4 | 12 | 1% | 2 | 0% | -10 | -83% |
| Level 5 | 4 | 0% | 0 | 0% | -4 | -100% |
| Level 6 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Total | 1164 | 100% | 1249 | 100% | 128 | 11% |
