This page is aimed at strengthening the entire INRS community’s commitment to intellectual integrity by providing useful information and resources on the subject. 

At INRS, intellectual integrity and responsible conduct in research are enshrined in our code of ethics to ensure excellence, credibility, and public trust. These principles guide everything we do (research, learning, teaching), shape our daily interactions, and train our researchers to be ethical and responsible. 

What does it mean to be honest and responsible?

What you can do about intellectual integrity 

Intellectual integrity and its fundamental values

Fraud is a dishonest act intended to deceive or break the rules. 

Plagiarism occurs when you reproduce words, ideas, images, data, electronic content, or other types of content without naming the source, whether that source is another person or artificial intelligence (AI), improperly taking credit for what another person has created or AI has generated, whether published or unpublished. 

Consult the Règlement 2

What you can do about intellectual integrity 

You are responsible for upholding your own intellectual integrity. To help, here are some best practices you should incorporate into your studies and research. 

Start by getting informed! 

Learn about INRS’s rules and policies and clarify what is expected of your academic work by your course instructor, and of your research project by your research supervisor. 

Check with your course instructor or research supervisor to find out which materials, documents, and tools (including AI) you are permitted to use for studies, research. and conclusions. 

“I didn’t know the rule” is generally not an acceptable defense if ever you should break one! 

Develop your academic skills 

Student life can present many challenges, especially if you have to juggle classes, family obligations, a part-time job, and more. By working on your organizational, planning, and emotional regulation skills, you can achieve a better balance and limit risky behaviours such as cheating or plagiarism. 

INRS offers various training courses and learning support services to help you better cope with the challenges of student life. Don’t hesitate to use them and ask for help if needed. 

Cite your sources  

Like books, scientific articles, dissertations, and theses, many research-related items are protected by copyright. This includes text excerpts, abstracts, processed research data, images (photographs, graphs, tables, etc.), and videos. Citing your sources is an essential requirement when using material that others have produced. 

Use tools to help reduce plagiarism 

INRS provides its community with iThenticate anti-plagiarism software, designed to promote intellectual integrity and help identify textual similarities in work. 

See the Anti-Plagiarism section on the Scientific Documentation and Information Service (SDIS) website for more information iThenticate: anti-plagiarism software. 

Document your work

Keep data and notes to document all the steps you take, whether conducting laboratory experiments (i.e., laboratory notebook), collecting data and analyzing your results (i.e., using a research data management plan), performing bibliographic research (i.e., sources consulted), using AI tools (i.e., prompts and responses), etc. 

These notes will allow you to verify data, methods, results, and cited sources, show how you developed your ideas and reasoned, demonstrate your critical thinking, and make it easier for people to reproduce your results. 

What to avoid 

Here are some examples of plagiarism and fraud: 

  • Reproducing someone else’s text, even partially, by passing it off as your own or without citing the source. This also applies to texts generated by AI tools.
  • Translating someone else’s text into another language in whole or in part and passing it off as your own or failing to provide a reference.
  • Submitting work for assessment that has been submitted at INRS or another educational institution before and not telling and getting the prior consent of the teacher. This is known as self-plagiarism.
  • Modifying an author’s text by replacing their words with synonyms and not citing the source.
  • Repeating an author’s original idea in your own words (paraphrasing) and not citing the source
  • Failing to place words, phrases, or passages taken from another source in quotation marks or otherwise indicating them clearly and precisely
  • Copying off another student during an exam
  • Getting someone else to do work that you will be marked on or generating the work without permission using AI
  • Unauthorizedly obtaining questions, answers, or any other material related to an exam
  • Possessing or using unauthorized documents or materials before or during an exam
  • Obtaining assistance, whether collectively, individually, or from AI tools, without authorization
  • Falsifying or fabricating research data
  • Falsifying an academic document

The case of artificial intelligence (AI)

AI may lead to plagiarism or fraud, whether intentional or not, if its use is not authorized or declared. It could result in an educational sanction.

Do not assume that AI tools are authorized. Always confirm the permitted uses of AI tools with:

• the teachers responsible for your courses and

• the research supervisor for your master’s or doctoral project.

Consult the AI checklist

Breaches of intellectual integrity 

Causes of breaches 

Various situations can lead members of the student community to commit breaches of intellectual integrity, whether intentionally or unintentionally: 

  • Pressure to succeed in their studies and the stress associated with obtaining or retaining a scholarship, graduating, etc.
  • Fear of failure
  • Lack of time, organizational problems
  • Poor knowledge of policies and regulations
  • Varied expectations of integrity depending on the course, the discipline, or even the scientific culture from one country to another
  • Peer pressure
  • Explaining away misconduct: “It’s no big deal,” “It doesn’t hurt anybody,” “Everyone does it.”

Consequences of misconduct 

Plagiarism and cheating could cost you a lot! 

Think about the consequences of cheating and plagiarism, for yourself and for others. According to the Règlement sur les études supérieures (Règlement 2) any act of plagiarism or cheating (including any attempted plagiarism or cheating or participation therein) related to an educational activity or program may result in one or more of the following penalties: 

  • Revocation of your degree
  • A reprimand or warning placed in your file
  • Cancellation of the exam or assignment
  • A failing mark
  • Suspension for one or more semesters
  • Exclusion from your program and from INRS

In the event of allegations of fraud or plagiarism 

Anyone who has reasonable grounds to believe that an act of or attempt at plagiarism or fraud has been committed must, within 20 working days of learning of it, send a written report of the incident to the Academic Affairs Office, accompanied by supporting documentation, if any. All such reports are kept confidential. The Academic Affairs Department must then provide a timely indication of whether or not it intends to take action. It is not required to act on the basis of anonymous reports. 

If it intends to take action:  

Institutional framework and regulations 

Intellectual integrity and its fundamental values 

According to the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI), intellectual integrity is “a commitment to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. . . . Without them, the work of teachers, learners, and researchers loses value and credibility.” 

Responsible Research Policy (RRP)

According to the INRS Responsible Research Policy, responsible research is defined as “the behaviour expected of the INRS community and fund managers who, in seeking to conduct research activities, are guided by principled values, best practices, and applicable standards.” 

You are therefore expected to apply best research practices in an honest, responsible, respectful, and fair manner and to demonstrate openness in your research and in the dissemination of the knowledge that results from it. 

Responsible research is based on the same principles and values as intellectual integrity, but must also comply with the requirements and obligations of the agencies that fund the research. 

See the Responsible Research Policy

How to navigate between the two concepts 

Since INRS’s training focus is research, intellectual integrity and responsible research may apply during your studies, depending on their nature. 

For example, irresponsible conduct of research is one special type of academic misconduct . . . In other words, all irresponsible conduct of research is academic misconduct, but not all academic misconduct is irresponsible conduct of research.” Frequently asked questions about research integrity | Research | University of Waterloo 

Resources and references on plagiarism and integrity

Quiz and examples of plagiarism cases 

Other resources on plagiarism 

Université de Sherbrooke, Mon travail est-il prêt à être remis? 5 questions essentielles pour m’assurer du respect de l’intégrité intellectuelle de mon travail .  – document présentant le cheminement à suivre pour s’assurer de remettre un travail respectant les attentes en matière d’intégrité intellectuelle [consulté le 29 avril 2025]

TÉLUQ, Étudier à l’ère de l’IA – Parlons intégrité… et plagiat – page web présentant plusieurs bonnes pratiques, ressources et cas de figure en lien avec l’IA et l’intégrité intellectuelle [consulté le 29 avril 2025]

UQAM : Éviter le plagiat – page web comprenant plusieurs capsules vidéo pour aider à reconnaître des cas de plagiat et adopter de bonnes pratiques [consulté le 29 avril 2025]

Resources consulted for this web page 

Responsible use of artificial intelligence
Responsible use of artificial intelligence
Learn how to cite your sources
Learn how to cite your sources
Student Services and Resources (GARE)
Student Services and Resources (GARE)

Questions? Contact us at the following address

pedagogie.sesre@inrs.ca