Academic Honesty

As members of an academic community, students and faculty assume certain responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to engage in honest communication. Academic dishonesty is a serious violation of the trust upon which an academic community depends.

A common form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism. This is the use, whether deliberate or unintentional, of an idea or phrase from a
source without proper acknowledgment of that source. The risk of plagiarism can be avoided in written work by clearly indicating,
either in footnotes or in the paper itself, the source of any major or unique idea or wording that you did not arrive at on your own.
Sources must be given regardless of whether the material is quoted directly or paraphrased. Another form of plagiarism is copying or
obtaining information from another student. Submission of written work, such as laboratory reports, computer programs, or papers,
which have been copied from the work of other students, with or without their knowledge and consent, also is plagiarism. In brief, any
act that represents someone else's work as your own is an academically dishonest act.

A second example of academic dishonesty relates to the misuse of library materials. Any act that maliciously hinders the use of or access
to library materials is academically dishonest and falls under the terms of this policy. The removing of pages from books or journals
disadvantages others in the academic community. Similarly, the removal of books from the libraries without formally checking out the
items, or the intentional hiding of materials, or the refusal to return reserve readings to the library is dishonest and harmful to the community.

There are other forms of academic dishonesty, for example, obtaining an examination prior to its administration or using unauthorized
aid during an examination. It is also academically dishonest to knowingly assist someone else in an act of academic dishonesty.

A student remains responsible for the academic honesty of work submitted in University of Rochester courses, even after the student has
received a final course grade. This rule also applies to students who are no longer matriculated at the University of Rochester, including
those who have graduated.

Ignorance of these standards will not be considered a valid excuse or defense.
 

Orientation Honesty Policy Dissemination

During Orientation, the Dean for Freshmen will introduce students to the nature of academic honesty in the College. At that time, they
will be handed a written version of our policy and a form acknowledging that they have received information about academic honesty.
Signed acknowledgment forms will be collected by program reviewers before registration. Transfer students will receive their briefing
on academic honesty from Academic Support.

These Orientation procedures are designed to reinforce the importance of academic honesty.

All students (matriculated and non-matriculated) enrolled in the College or in College courses must adhere to our academic honesty
policy, even if they do not attend Orientation or sign the acknowledgment form.
 

Classroom Honesty Policy Discussion

Because academic honesty is of vital concern to the faculty and because each discipline may raise its own specific set of issues, all
faculty members are encouraged to discuss the issue of academic dishonesty in their classrooms and to explain how the College policy
applies in each of their courses. It is particularly important that faculty members discuss the academic procedures that may vary from
discipline to discipline, such as proper and improper forms of academic collaboration.

Faculty members are encouraged to indicate on each course syllabus how the College policy applies in the course. This may take
several forms -- an appended set of guidelines formulated by the instructor, an appended set of guidelines formulated by the
department, the address of a Website that contains this information.
 

Cases of Suspected Academic Dishonesty

Because cases of suspected academic dishonesty are usually related to a specific course, any member of the College community
can report a probable case by notifying the faculty member or other instructor who is teaching the course. Examination
proctors should forward cases, with a written report and pertinent documents, to the  instructor. Any instructor who discovers,
or who is informed of, a probable case of academic dishonesty should contact a member of the College Board on Academic
Honesty, to learn how similar cases have been handled in the past.  The instructor should then discuss the matter with the
student in a confidential setting.

Except in cases of clear and simple misunderstanding (in which case the matter can simply be dropped), the instructor must
choose either to attempt to resolve the matter directly with the student or to pass it, unresolved, to the College Board on
Academic Honesty.  In the former case the instructor confronts the student with the evidence, suggests an appropriate penalty,
and provides the student with a copy of this Academic Honesty Policy.  The student then has 48 hours to decide whether or
not to admit guilt and to accept the suggested penalty.  If the student so admits and accepts, then the instructor and student
together complete an Academic Dishonesty Incident Report (sample form attached).  Once the Report is complete, the
instructor forwards it to the Chair of the College Board on Academic Honesty.  Copies of any readily-available evidence
should be attached to the Report, but a detailed analysis is not required, unless and until the Board discovers that the
student has exhibited habitually dishonest behavior.  If and when the Board receives a second report of academic
concerning a given student, it will convene a hearing to determine whether further action is warranted.

If the instructor chooses not to pursue the matter directly with the student, or if the student declines to admit guilt and accept
the penalty suggested by the instructor, then a written report of the incident, including all pertinent documents, must be forwarded
to the Chair of the College Board on Academic Honesty. The written report should include any guidelines noted on the course syllabus.

In rare instances, cases of suspected academic dishonesty will not be related to a specific course. Students and members of the
College administrative, teaching, and support staff should forward such cases directly to the Chair of the College Board on
Academic Honesty.

The College Board on Academic Honesty has the responsibility for reviewing all cases of suspected academic dishonesty by
College students or in College courses.  For cases not resolved between the instructor and the student, the Board determines
if academic misconduct has occurred and recommends a penalty to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.  The Dean then
determines the final penalty.  If this penalty is different from the recommendation of the Board, then the Dean shall describe
the changes to the Chair of the Board in writing.

After receiving an unresolved case, the Chair will notify the student in writing. The notification will explain that a report of
suspected dishonesty has been made and will ask the student for a written reply concerning the charges. Once notified of the
charges, the student will not be allowed to drop the course and will receive an “N” until the case is concluded. The Chair will
also indicate that at an appropriate time the student will be given a hearing. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are
entitled to swift disposition of their cases. Cases should be heard as soon as possible, routinely within seven weeks. When the
hearing is scheduled, the student will be notified.
 

Hearing Procedures

The student who is suspected of academic dishonesty is expected to attend the hearing; if the student does not attend, the
Hearing Board can reach a judgment on the case in the student’s absence. The person who made the initial allegation will not be
present at the hearing unless the Hearing Board determines that his or her presence is needed. While the student has the right, and
has been given the opportunity, to prepare a written response to the allegation, the hearing will not be delayed if the student has
not responded after a reasonable interval. The student has the right to advice in preparing a written response to the allegation. At
the student’s initiative, up to two additional persons may accompany the student at the Hearing.  These persons will not speak at
the hearing unless requested to do so by the Hearing Board for the case. None of these persons is to be an attorney. Every student
who is suspected of academic dishonesty will be given an individual hearing; two or more students will never be heard together.
If a student has declined to accept a penalty suggested by the instructor, the hearing will be conducted without reference to this fact.

Although the Board reviews the entire academic honesty file of any student charged, files and proceedings remain confidential
and are kept separate from the student’s regular academic file. During the process of reviewing a case of suspected academic
dishonesty, only the Chair of the College Academic Honesty Board, the Convener of the Hearing Board (see below), and any other
faculty or staff whom the Board determines have a legitimate need to know have access to the student’s academic file. The Board’s
records are available only to its members, the Dean of the College, the President, and any other University officers designated by
them. Sanctions assigned, such as a failing grade, may become part of the Registrar’s official records, although no indication will
be made that such a penalty is the result of academic dishonesty.

The rules governing hearings shall be informal. Civil or criminal court procedures are not applicable, nor are formal rules of
evidence. The Board’s decision is based on whether it is more likely than not (i.e., based on a preponderance of evidence) that
academic misconduct occurred.
 

Composition of the Board

The College Academic Honesty Board will consist of eleven faculty members appointed by the Dean of the College and a pool of
undergraduate students selected by the All Campus Judicial Council (ACJC).  The students need not be ACJC members. One faculty
member will serve as Chair of the Board. The Chair will oversee the administration of the Board, particularly the assignment of
cases to Board members. Each case will be heard by four Board members -- three members of the College faculty and one undergraduate
student from the College. One of the three faculty members will serve as Convener of the four-member Hearing Board, and will
investigate the case prior to the hearing.  Investigative responsibilities include determining that all necessary background materials
for the case are in order, contacting the faculty member or instructor presenting the charges as needed, and preparing the written
report of the Hearing Board after the case is completed.  The other two faculty members will serve as Reader and Listener for the
case, respectively.  The student member will also serve as Listener.  The Reader will be provided all supporting documents prior
to the Hearing, but will not have the investigative responsibilities of the Convener.  The Listeners will not have access to any case
material before or after the Hearing but will be given needed access to relevant Board files during the Hearing process.  Unless
agreed upon by the Convener, the student Listener will not normally be a voting member of the Hearing Board.  In cases involving
multiple students the Chair of the Board may elect to expand the Hearing Board and to have related cases heard by the same Hearing Board.
 
 

Disposition of the Cases

If, after thorough review of all aspects of the case, the Hearing Board finds the student guilty of academic dishonesty, the Convener
provides a written report of the findings to the Chair of the Board, including a recommended penalty.  The Chair then reviews the
report and conclusions and presents the report to the Dean of the student’s College or School.  After reviewing these materials, the
Dean accepts, rejects, or modifies the Board’s recommendation, and notifies the student and the person who reported the case.
Students may appeal the Dean’s decision to the Provost. If the Board decides that there has been no academic misconduct, the
Convener notifies the Chair of the Board, who then notifies the student and the person who reported the case.

Board files on all individual cases remain in the possession of the Secretary to the Board for a period of five years, after which they
are destroyed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Course number, title, and department:
 
 

Student’s Name:                                                                   Instructor’s Name:
 
 

Description of infraction (completed by instructor):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Penalty (completed by instructor):
 
 
 

Comments (by student):
 
 
 
 
 
 

Comments (by instructor):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

By signature below, I agree that I have been given a copy of the College Academic Honesty Policy dated
MMDDYY at least 48  hours before signing this statement.  I agree to the penalty specified above,
and waive my privilege of having this issue resolved by the College Board on Academic Honesty.
 
 
 

Student’s signature:                                                                                       Date:
 
 
 

Instructor’s signature: