The purpose of this honor pledge is to serve as a reminder about sportsmanship and ethical behavior during online tournaments, where cheating is much easier than at in-person tournaments. PACE believes that reading and agreeing to the contents of this pledge before or at the start of a tournament will be both a deterrent to cheating and a reminder that quizbowl is a community built on trust.
Thank you for participating in [the tournament played today.]
“Cheating” is defined as an action knowingly undertaken by a player for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage against their competitors. Cheating is a serious infraction which undermines the trust of the greater quizbowl community. If a player is discovered to have cheated during a game, the tournament director reserves the right to sanction you and/or your team during or after the tournament has ended. In addition, any organizations associated with this tournament (e.g. PACE, NAQT) also reserve the right to sanction you and/or your team for events sponsored by those organizations as a result of your actions.
Actions which constitute cheating include, but are not limited to the following:
- Looking up answers online while questions are being read in a match.
- Communicating with other participants before or during the tournament to discover answers to questions before playing them.
- Receiving any form of communication regarding question content from coaches, spectators, or players, except when expressly permitted (e.g. communicating with teammates on bonuses).
- Referencing pre-written notes or guides to more easily answer questions during a match.