For Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations on academic integrity matters, please visit Regulations – Academic Honesty.
Supports to Help Avoid Academic Dishonesty
Open Access Graduate Academic Integrity Resource
The Open Access Graduate Academic Integrity Resource is designed to provide the graduate community with information and resources on the expectations of academic integrity at York University.
Upon completion of the modules, students will have a better understanding of what constitutes a scholastic offence, as well as their responsibilities in relation to a variety of academic principles. A certificate of completion is automatically provided following completion.
Academic Integrity Website
York University’s centralized resource for the community features:
- Information to help avoid a breach
- Citation resources
- Interactive Video Modules on academic honesty
- Frequently Asked Questions
The website also features information, strategies and resources for instructors and teaching assistants to help create a learning environment where positive student behaviour is encouraged, and cases of academic misconduct are minimized. Further guidance is also provided on Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and academic integrity.
York University Libraries Graduate Student Support
There are a number of citation styles that describe in detail how to reference and cite the work of others properly in one's own work. Graduate students are responsible to ensure that they are aware of and properly follow an appropriate citation style. Uncertainty about which citation style should be followed can be cleared up by consulting with one’s course director or program director.
The York University Libraries Graduate Student Library Guide provides a number of useful resources, including links to the guides for the most popularly used citation styles, access to RefWorks (which is a web-based bibliographic management/citation manager tool), and links to research and writing guides. The York University Libraries also offers a Guide for International Students which is intended to help international and exchange students find information about resources and services available at the Libraries.
Subject Matter Librarians are a key resource for graduate students – connect with the relevant Subject Matter Librarian with any questions on the standards of a specific discipline regarding appropriate academic conduct.
York University Learning Commons’ SPARK Module
The SPARK Academic Integrity Module is designed to test and inform students about academic integrity expectations and what to keep in mind in order to avoid academic dishonesty. At York University, a foundational expectation is that students are aware of and respect the principle of proper representation in one's work, including how to avoid plagiarizing the work of others. Relative to the existence of misrepresentation in work that has been submitted for evaluation (which includes drafts) as one's own, intention does not matter.
Simply put: If work containing misrepresentation is submitted for evaluation, then one is responsible for the misrepresentation, regardless of intent.
Whom to Talk to About Options and Support
Academic honesty, particularly plagiarism, concerns the existence of misrepresentation in work submitted as one's own. It does not address intention or cause. Although intention does not matter in relation to the existence of misrepresentation in work that has been submitted as one's own, it does relate to the honesty and integrity of one's character. The intentions behind one's conduct are implicated, for honesty is an activity, a choice. Graduate students are often faced with pressures—from competing timelines to personal issues to feeling or being unprepared to perform at the expected level—which may lead one to choose to act in a way that is academically dishonest. It is important to know that there are a number of choices one can make rather than a dishonest one and that there are people with who you can speak about making these choices.
- The York University Graduate Students' Association can provide support, including information and confidential advice about coursework extension and leave options available to graduate students.
- Even if the deadline for submission of an assignment or piece of work is at hand, talk to the professor about an extension. Explain your situation honestly and fully. There is no shame in asking for assistance.
- Graduate Program Directors are there to provide students with advice, guidance and support and can be of particular assistance if conversations with individual course directors or supervisors have not been fruitful. If an extension of an assignment or piece of work will not provide the necessary relief, one option is to speak with the program director about a leave of absence. There a number of different kinds of leaves, as outlined in Regulations—Registration.
- Wellness Consultations in the Faculty of Graduate Studies are confidential, one-on-one meetings that support graduate students with stress, anxiety, time management, procrastination, and mental health concerns – some of the factors that might contribute to academic dishonesty.
- The Writing Centre offers group workshops that focus on major elements of effective academic writing. More information about the workshops can be found here.
- York University Libraries offers a range of resources related and relevant to academic honesty.
- The York University Academic Integrity website features a variety of resources aimed at both students and teaching assistants.
Faculty of Graduate Studies Academic Integrity Module
All incoming graduate students are required to complete the Faculty of Graduate Studies Academic Integrity Module, with the exception of master’s students in the Schulich School of Business*. Progression beyond the first term of study is not possible until this requirement has been met.
instructions for completion will be provided to incoming graduate students at the beginning of their first term of study.
*Master’s students in the Schulich School of Business shall follow the procedures governing Academic Honesty Modules established in the Schulich School of Business.
Frequently Asked Questions – Graduate Students
The Faculty of Graduate Studies Academic Integrity Module (FGS AIM) is designed to provide the graduate community with information and resources on the expectations of academic integrity at York University. Community members have an obligation to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty throughout their studies in accordance with the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. Upon completion of this module, students will have a better understanding of what constitutes a scholastic offence, as well as their responsibilities in relation to a variety of academic principles.
All incoming graduate students who commenced their degree January 2023 onwards must complete the FGS Academic Integrity Module.
If you began your degree prior to 2023, there is no requirement to complete this training.
A block will be placed on your student account that will not allow you to:
- Register for upcoming terms
- Add or drop courses
For this reason, it is highly recommended you complete the module as soon as possible, and ideally close to the commencement of your studies to help inform your graduate coursework.
You will receive an email invitation to your email address on file from gsaahc@yorku.ca directing you to YU Learn – York’s learning and development platform: yulearn.yorku.ca. Upon logging in using your Passport York credentials, the Faculty of Graduate Studies Academic Integrity Module’s access card will be visible to you in your dashboard.
- If your degree commences in the Fall Term, you will receive an email invitation in late August.
- If your degree commences in the Winter Term, you will receive an email invitation in January during the first week of classes.
- If your degree commences in the Summer Term, you will receive an email invitation in May during the first week of classes.
If you receive this notice, your profile has just been initiated on YU Learn. Please click on the dashboard button to go to your dashboard and see the Module’s access card.
Using the panel on the left, you may also navigate to your dashboard and find the access card.
You will be provided approximately 5 weeks from receipt of the invitation to complete the module.
The module should take you roughly 1.5 hours to complete. This includes engaging with educational information contained in 7 sub-modules, followed by consideration of answers on a 10-question quiz.
Yes, you will have several weeks to complete the module once you register for the term, timing of which will vary depending on the exceptional circumstances.
No – the module will only be visible in YU Learn once you have received an invitation to your email address on file from gsaahc@yorku.ca.
No – the access link to the module should exclusively come from an invitation to your email address on file from gsaahc@yorku.ca.
Yes – students commencing a new graduate degree must complete the module.
Yes – incoming graduate diploma students in standalone diploma programs must complete the Academic Integrity Module.
Yes – incoming visiting graduate students must complete the Academic Integrity Module.
While graduate students may receive additional resources and/or requirements from their program related to academic integrity, completion of the Academic Integrity Module is still required for incoming graduate students as outlined above.
Satisfactory completion of the module must be done using your student account in order to appropriately register your completion.
Blocks are not removed instantaneously – a bulk removal takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3:00 pm. The latest you can complete the module to be included in the update list is by 12:00 pm of the same day. For example, if you need the block to be removed from your account on a Wednesday, you will need to complete it any time before that Wednesday at 12:00 pm.
For this reason, it is highly recommended you complete the module as soon as possible to avoid scenarios where you need to action some graduate activity on your student account but have yet to complete this requirement.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies strongly recommends that you complete the module at your earliest opportunity. If you are unable to complete the module and must action something on your student account, please email gsaahc@yorku.ca for assistance.
The 10-question multiple choice quiz necessitates a mark of 100%. Please note that, as this is an educational resource, you have an unlimited number of attempts to pass the quiz and there are no ramifications for unsatisfactory completions.
Yes – Your progression will be saved at any stage you leave the module. You can always log in with your student account at yulearn.yorku.ca to resume your activity. When logged in, click on the module you last visited; you will be prompted if you want to resume your activity on the module.
Unless you undertake another graduate degree or diploma or register for courses as a new non-degree student, you are only required to complete the Academic Integrity Module once.
Please email gsaahc@yorku.ca with your full name and student number (SIS ID) with a brief description of the issue for assistance. Please allow up to 2 business days for a response.