Awards, Approvals, and Accreditation
Red Comet is committed to fostering a community of honest, rigorous, and forward-looking learning. As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies transform how information is synthesized, researched, and communicated, Red Comet seeks to balance innovation with ethical responsibility. This policy establishes guidelines for maintaining Academic Integrity, integrating Artificial Intelligence ethically, and conducting Research with transparency, objectivity, and respect for intellectual property.
Academic integrity is the foundation of all scholarly and educational activities at Red Comet. Every participant is expected to adhere to five core values: Honesty, Trust, Fairness, Respect, and Responsibility. Students are responsible for understanding and following the instructions provided for each assignment.
Unless an assignment specifically allows it, all submitted work must represent the student's own thinking, analysis, calculations, and writing.
Students may not submit:
The following constitute violations of our Academic Integrity Policy:
When an assignment asks you to do research over a topic, you are obligated to give proper credit to every source you use. This includes when you use direct quotations or paraphrases. There are two ways you can give sources credit in your assignments: In-text Citations and a Works Cited page. You must DO BOTH to document your sources properly. Red Comet uses the Modern Language Association Guidelines (MLA) for the research process.
Plagiarism is defined as quoting or paraphrasing someone else's words or ideas without giving credit to that person or source whether you do it intentionally or unintentionally. Plagiarism occurs when claiming, as one's own, information from printed materials and/or online sources. Copying another student's assignments is also plagiarism.
A research assignment should be built on your own analysis, supported by sources. It should not be assembled from sources with your words connecting them. If most of your assignment is quoted or paraphrased material, you have not done the assignment, and your teacher may assign a partial or zero score regardless of whether every citation is correct.
Using source material word-for-word is called a Direct Quotation. Words taken directly from a source, whether from print or online, require quotation marks. You must also give credit to the source. You commit plagiarism if you do not (1) use quotation marks and/or (2) give credit to the source.
Example Using a Print Source: According to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, a physical therapist “plans and administers medically prescribed physical therapy treatment for patients suffering from injuries or muscle, nerve, joint and bone diseases, to restore function, relieve pain, and prevent disability" (“Physical Therapist” 326).
Restating someone else's ideas in your own words is called a Paraphrase. Paraphrases do not need quotation marks; however, you must give credit to the source, whether from print or online, when you paraphrase. Otherwise, you have plagiarized since those ideas are not yours.
Example Using an Online Source: Physical therapists work with patients to help them recover from injuries they may have suffered to any part of their bodies so that they can get back to normal without having any permanent, life-changing damage (“Physical Therapist”).
A Works Cited page provides the bibliographical data for all sources used for your written assignment. It gives credit to your sources, gives the reader the ability to verify where you got your information, and allows the reader to go to the source for more information.
Please see an example of a works cited page using in-text citations.
Jannenga, Heidi, Dr. “The Future PTs Guide to Becoming a Physical Therapist.” WebPT. 26 July 2019. The Future PT’s Guide to Becoming a Physical Therapist - WebPT. Accessed 10 January 2022.
Krumhansl, Barbara R. Opportunities in Physical Therapy Careers. New York: National Textbook Company, 1987.
“Physical Therapists.” Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, Inc., 2002.
“Physical Therapists.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 8 Sept. 2021. www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.
The names/titles highlighted in red correspond to how they should be listed for the in-text citations. Your goal is to lead your readers from your in-text citation to where that source is on the Works Cited page. Whatever is listed first on the Works Cited page goes inside the parentheses for the in-text citations.
Keep in mind that there is a prescribed standard order for bibliographical information on a Works Cited page depending on the type of source. To review the order for a source you are using, visit the following website: MLA Style Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab.
For help putting these citations together, you may also consult the following website: Using Citation Generators Responsibly // Purdue Writing Lab.
When using any online source, make sure it and its author are credible and reliable. Acceptable sites are .edu, .gov, .org, and .com. Not all internet sites are credible or reliable however. For instance, Wikipedia is not credible since it can be edited by anyone and may not be well-sourced itself; therefore, you should not use this website.
Plagiarized submissions may result in one or more of the following:
Red Comet recognizes Generative AI (e.g., LLMs, automated code generators, AI graphic engines) as powerful learning tools. However, AI must supplement and not replace critical thinking, personal reflection, and original effort.
AI tools may be used for limited educational purposes such as:
Students remain responsible for ensuring that all submitted work reflects their own understanding and complies with assignment requirements.
Students must NEVER upload into public AI models:
The use of AI detection software or other technological tools is not considered conclusive evidence of academic dishonesty. Red Comet acknowledges that automated AI detectors carry risks of false positives. Therefore:
If an instructor has reasonable concerns regarding the originality or authenticity of submitted work, students may be asked to discuss, explain, revise, or reproduce portions of an assignment.
When reviewing student work, evidence that can support a finding includes:
When there is reasonable concern that submitted work is not the student's own:
Violations of this policy may result in one or more of the following:
Repeated violations may result in additional disciplinary action consistent with school policies. Disciplinary action will be taken only after a meeting with the parent or guardian (if student is under 18 years of age). If student attends another school and is only enrolled in Red Comet courses, any disciplinary action will be taken with the consultation with the other school’s administrators or responsible staff.
Students should retain drafts, notes, calculations, outlines, or other work that demonstrates the development of their assignment. Instructors may request these materials when reviewing questions regarding originality.
Our goal is not to prohibit appropriate educational technology but to ensure that grades accurately reflect each student's own learning.
Every assignment you submit must be produced by you, the enrolled student.
You may not submit work written, completed, or substantially produced by any other person: a parent, sibling, tutor, friend, classmate, paid service, or anyone you contacted online, and present it as your own.
You may not permit another person to log in to your Red Comet account or complete any coursework on your behalf.
Getting help is not cheating. Discussing ideas, asking your teacher to explain a concept, having someone read a draft and telling you it's unclear are all legitimate. Red Comet encourages you to expand your learning by having meaningful conversations on the subject area with others. The line is authorship: the sentences, the reasoning, and the answers must be yours.
Red Comet courses are submitted to external bodies that rely on Red Comet's representation that student work is authentic, including the NCAA Eligibility Center, University of California, colleges and universities evaluating transcripts, and accrediting and program reviewers.
Red Comet maintains, for every course:
Questions regarding this policy should be directed to your Red Comet teacher.
