Academic Honesty

Effective November 2004

• Academic Honesty
  • Preamble
    • The University as a learning community upholds the highest standards of academic integrity in all its academic activities by faculty, staff, administrators and students. Academic integrity involves much more than respecting intellectual property rights. It lies at the heart of learning, creativity, and the core values of the University. Those who learn, teach, write, publish, present, or exhibit creative works are advised to familiarize themselves with the requirements of academic integrity and make every effort to avoid possible offenses against it knowingly or unknowingly.
  • Graduate Policy
    • The following policy is intended to inform graduate students about the basic requirements of academic integrity and to outline the procedures that will be followed when a violation occurs.
      • Plagiarism involves the appropriation of another person’s ideas, interpretation, words (even a few), data, statements, illustration or creative work and their presentation as one’s own. Although offenses against academic integrity can manifest themselves in various ways, the most common forms of offenses are plagiarism and cheating. Plagiarism goes much farther than the copying of an entire article. It may include, but is not limited to: copying a section of an article or a chapter from a book, reproduction of an art work, illustration, cartoon, photograph and the like and passing them off as one’s own. Copying from the Internet is no less serious an offense than copying from a book or printed article, even when the material is not copyrighted.
      • Plagiarism also includes borrowing ideas and phrases or to paraphrase someone else’s work, published or unpublished, without acknowledging and documenting the source. Acknowledging and documenting the source of an idea or phrase at the point where it is utilized is necessary even when the idea or phrase is taken from a conversation with another person.
    • An equally serious offense against academic integrity is cheating. Cheating in the academic context is defined as resorting to dishonest means or fraud to obtain academic credit, honor, or recognition. Cheating takes a variety of forms such as receiving or giving assistance on a task that was expected to be performed individually, submitting the same paper or product for credit in two different courses (without instructor knowledge and consent), giving or receiving help during tests, copying another person’s answer during a test, using a surrogate to take a test, fabricating data, or claiming to have conducted a research when none has been done.
  • Possible Sanctions Against Academic Dishonesty
    • Depending on the seriousness of the offense, one or more of the following sanctions may be imposed on a student who violates standards of academic integrity:
      • At the discretion of an instructor one or more of the following actions may be taken:
        • Verbal and/or written, formal reprimand
        • A lower or failing grade for the particular assignment
        • A lower or failing grade in the course
      • Imposition of any of the following sanctions requires the approval of the Graduate Dean:
        • Administrative withdrawal from the course
        • Academic probation for a specified period of time
        • Academic suspension for a specific period of time
        • Expulsion from the University
  • Procedure
    • In the event of an alleged or suspected violation of academic honesty, the following procedure will be followed:
      • The primary responsibility for the initial handling of plagiarism and cheating rests with the instructor. As a first step, the instructor will discuss the matter with the offending student in an attempt to ascertain the facts. Whether or not the student admits to plagiarism/cheating, if the instructor remains convinced that the alleged violation occurred either based on documentary evidence or personal observation in instances of cheating, the instructor may impose an appropriate penalty as outlined above to the student. The seriousness of the penalty to be imposed depends on the seriousness of the offense.
  • Appeal
    • A student who wishes to appeal either the charge of plagiarism and cheating or the appropriateness of the penalty may schedule a conference with the Program Director who may informally resolve the matter in discussion with the student and the instructor.
    • If the student is unsatisfied by the resolution offered by the Program Director, the student may request a formal hearing with the Administrator of the School within five business days of the Program Director’s response. Within five business days of receiving the hearing request, appropriate administrator will appoint and formally charge a Hearing Committee. This committee will consist of two graduate faculty members from the College, excluding the instructor and the Program Director, and a third graduate faculty member from another School. The Hearing Committee will then elect a Chair and formally notify the student of the hearing. This will occur within ten business days of receiving the formal charge from the appropriate administrator. Both the student and the instructor will be given an opportunity to present their cases to the Hearing Committee. Neither the student nor the instructor has the right to be represented by a legal counsel at this hearing. However, the student may choose another student, faculty member or staff to be present at the hearing for advice. The Advisor may not address the committee members or witnesses. Based on the committee’s recommendation, which must be forwarded to the appropriate administrator in writing within five business days, the appropriate administrator resolves the case either by affirming the instructor’s action, modifying the sanction, or by dismissing the charges. The appropriate administrator’s written decision must be mailed to the student via certified mail within three business days after the Hearing Committee forwards the recommendation.
    • The student may appeal the appropriate administrator’s decision to the Dean of the Graduate School within five business days of receipt of the written decision. The Dean’s decision is final.

Contact for Interpretation: Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies

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