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Academic Honesty Policy for Graduate Students

Scope, Implementation, and Review

The procedures contained in this policy pertain to graduate students under the authority of the Graduate School. Master’s students in the Graduate School of Business should contact their dean’s office for policies pertaining to them. Law students should contact the School of Law. Undergraduate students should refer to the Student Handbook. Where policies contained herein conflict with those described for undergraduate students in the Student Handbook, the policies contained in this policy shall take precedence for graduate students.

For details of procedures for implementing this policy, contact the Office of Community Standards and Student Ethics or the Graduate School. This University policy does not preclude the implementation by colleges or schools of more rigorous policies.

Academic Honesty

The University of Arkansas presents this policy as part of its effort to maintain the integrity of its academic processes. Academic honesty should be a concern of the entire University community, and a commitment to it must involve students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
Students must understand what academic integrity is and what the most common violations are. With that understanding, they must commit themselves to the highest standards for their own, as well as for their peers’, academic behavior.

Public support and encouragement by the faculty is a second critical component necessary to strengthen academic integrity on campus. Faculty members must be continually vigilant in the management of their classes, their assignments, and their tests.

Finally, the administration of the University must present to the students standards of academic integrity. Those standards must be part of a publicly recognized, understood, and accepted set of policies and procedures that can be applied consistently and fairly in cases of academic dishonesty.

It is the responsibility of each student, faculty member, and administrator to understand these policies. A lack of understanding is not an adequate defense against a charge of academic dishonesty.

With regard to the application of this policy, the University assures its support of faculty members and other employees of the University who are acting in good faith in the course and scope of their employment and in the performance of their official duties.

This policy is only a part of the University’s effort to promote academic and research integrity in all aspects of its programs. By necessity, this policy discusses only prohibited acts and a process of applying sanctions. The ultimate goal, of course, is to provide an atmosphere that will make superfluous the procedures and sanctions that follow.

Definition of Terms

Academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty involves acts that may subvert or compromise the integrity of the educational or research process at the University of Arkansas. Included is an act by which a student gains or attempts to gain an academic advantage for himself/herself or another by misrepresenting his/her or another’s work or by interfering with the completion, submission, or evaluation of work. Academic misconduct may include those acts defined as research or scholarly misconduct. Allegations of research or scholarly misconduct on the part of graduate students are subject to this policy. However, such cases may also be reviewed under the University’s Research Misconduct Policies and Procedures.

Academic/Research Misconduct. Academic and/or research misconduct may include, but is not limited to, accomplishing or attempting any of the following acts: (Note: Students should be aware that theses and dissertations may be checked by the Graduate School for academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This may include submitting the thesis or dissertation for electronic textual similarity review against a reference database. All submitted student work may be retained in the reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism.)

Altering grades or official records.
Using any materials that are not authorized by the instructor for use during an examination.
Copying from or viewing another student’s work during an examination.
Collaborating during an examination with any other person by giving or receiving information without specific permission of the instructor.
Stealing, buying, or otherwise obtaining information about an examination not yet administered.
Collaborating on laboratory work, take-home examinations, homework, or other assigned work when instructed to work independently.
Substituting for another person or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to take an examination.
Submitting as one’s own any theme, report, term paper, essay, computer program, other written work, speech, painting, drawing, sculpture, or other art work prepared totally or in part by another.
Submitting, without specific permission of the instructor, work that has been previously offered for credit in another course.
Plagiarizing, that is, the offering as one’s own work, the words, ideas, or arguments of another person or using the work of another without appropriate attribution by quotation, reference, or footnote. Plagiarism occurs both when the words of another (in print, electronic, or any other medium) are reproduced without acknowledgement and when the ideas or arguments of another are paraphrased in such a way as to lead the reader to believe that they originated with the writer. It is not sufficient to provide a citation if the words of another have been reproduced – this also requires quotation marks. It is the responsibility of all University students to understand the methods of proper attribution and to apply those principles in all materials submitted
Sabotaging of another student’s work.
Falsifying or committing forgery on any University form or document.
Submitting altered or falsified data as experimental data from laboratory projects, survey research, or other field research.
Committing any willful act of dishonesty that interferes with the operation of the academic or research process.
Facilitating or aiding in any act of academic or research
dishonesty.

Procedures

Sanctions for acts of academic dishonesty committed by graduate students may be applied in the following ways.

Initial Report of Infraction
1. Infractions Involving Graded Course Work
  
  When an instructor determines or believes that a student in the instructor’s class is responsible for academic dishonesty deserving of sanction, the instructor will meet with the student and explain the allegation. Without waiving the option to pursue charges, the instructor may also choose to contact the Office of Student Mediation and Conflict Resolution for help in resolving the situation. If the instructor wishes to pursue charges of academic misconduct, he/she should within five working days after meeting with the student, or as soon as practicable thereafter, follow a. or b. (following). If the Office of Student Mediation and Conflict Resolution is involved, the five days does not begin until the instructor is aware of the termination of those services. (If the instructor is either a graduate teaching assistant or a temporary faculty member, then a supervising faculty member or the departmental head or chairperson may assist in the handling of an academic dishonesty case.)
  1. The instructor may determine a grade sanction and within five working days report that sanction along with the essential details of the matter to the judicial coordinator in the Office of Community Standards and Student Ethics and to the Graduate Dean. The student sanctioned in this way by an instructor will be notified by the Office of Community Standards and Student Ethics and will have five working days from that notification to request a hearing by the All University Judiciary (AUJ). The All University Judiciary is defined, and its composition described, in the Student Handbook. If the student does not request a hearing within five working days, then it is assumed that the sanction is not contested. The student will be required to have a conference with the judicial coordinator so that the consequences of the action can be made clear. The student may appeal a grade sanction to the AUJ only on the grounds that he/she did not commit the violation. If the student wishes to appeal the severity of a sanction, he/she will follow the Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students.
    
    To the extent practical, at the discretion of the instructor, during the course of an appeal to the AUJ or the Graduate Grievance committee (depending on the nature of the appeal), the student’s participation in the affected class should continue so that any action can be reversed without prejudicing the student’s academic performance and evaluation.
    
    The AUJ is given the authority to determine whether the evidence substantiates the charges of the instructor. If the AUJ determines that the evidence does not substantiate the charges, the grade sanction will be withdrawn and the matter will end. Should the AUJ determine the evidence does substantiate the charges of the instructor, the grade sanction will stand, and the AUJ may also impose additional sanctions, as listed under Sanctions, below. The degree program and/or the Graduate School may impose sanctions in addition to those imposed by the instructor and the AUJ, including expulsion from the program or the University. While the instructor should be consulted in such cases, these additional sanctions may be imposed by the AUJ, the Graduate School and/or the degree program without the permission of the instructor. In addition to other sanctions, graduate students may be dismissed by their degree program or the Graduate School on the first or any subsequent instances of academic dishonesty. Students may not withdraw from either courses in which judicial action is pending or in which they have received a grade sanction.
  2. The instructor may file an incident report form referring the case to the student judicial process for determinations of responsibility and the application of sanctions. If the student is determined to be responsible for academic dishonesty, then the instructor may apply a grade sanction in addition to whatever sanctions are applied by the judicial process. To the extent practical, at the discretion of the instructor, while such a case is pending in the judicial process, the student’s participation in the affected class should continue, to avoid pre-empting the options available after responsibility is determined.
    
    If the student is determined to be responsible for the actions charged, the instructor will impose a grade sanction. The AUJ has no authority to impose a grade sanction but is permitted to make a recommendation and to impose other sanctions, as described below. Additionally, the Graduate School and/or the degree program may impose sanctions in addition to those imposed by the instructor. In such cases, the instructor should be consulted, but additional sanctions may be imposed by the AUJ, the Graduate School, and/or the degree program without the permission of the instructor. Students may not withdraw from a course for which judicial action is pending or in which they have received a grade sanction. Should the graduate student feel that the severity of the grade sanction is unfair, he/she may appeal via the Academic Grievance Policy for Graduate Students.
    
    It should be noted that, in addition to other possible sanctions, graduate students may be dismissed by their degree program and/or the Graduate School on the first or any subsequent instance of academic dishonesty.
2. Infractions Not Involving Graded Course Work
  Cases of academic misconduct may occur in situations not involving graded course work. If the infraction involves academic misconduct in the student’s thesis, dissertation, work done for a funded research project, a final report submitted to a funding agency, or material submitted for publication in a scholarly journal, the Research and Scholarly Misconduct Policy will be in effect. The following applies only to academic misconduct that does not involve the cases enumerated in the sentence above and does not involve course work. In such cases, the department chairperson/program director and major professor, or other appropriate official(s) will meet with the student. Without waiving the option to pursue charges, the program may also choose to contact the Office of Student Mediation and Conflict Resolution for help in resolving the situation. If the department/program decides to proceed with charges of academic misconduct, the chair/head/director or other appropriate official will, within five working days after meeting with the student, or as soon as practicable thereafter, follow one of the following: (If the Office of Student Mediation and Conflict Resolution is involved, the five days does not begin until the instructor is aware of the termination of those services.)
  1. The department or program faculty will determine a sanction, and the department chairperson/program director will, within five working days after meeting with the student (or as soon as practicable thereafter), report that sanction along with the essential details of the incident to the judicial coordinator in the Office of Community Standards and Student Ethics and to the Graduate Dean. The student sanctioned in this way by a department or program will be notified by the Office of Community Standards and Student Ethics and will have five working days from that notification to request a hearing by the All University Judiciary (AUJ). The All University Judiciary is defined, and its composition described, in the Student Handbook. If the student does not request a hearing within five working days, then it is assumed that the sanction is not contested. The student will be required to have a conference with the judicial coordinator so that the consequences of the action can be made clear.
    
    The student may appeal such a sanction to the AUJ only on the grounds that he/she did not commit the violation. If the student wishes to appeal the severity of a sanction, he/she will follow the Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students.
    
    While such a case is pending in the student judicial process, to the extent practical, at the discretion of the program, the student’s participation in the degree program should continue so that any action can be reversed without prejudicing the student’s academic performance and evaluation.
  2. The department chairperson/program director may file an incident report form referring the case to the judicial process for determination of responsibility. If the student is determined to be responsible for academic dishonesty, then the judicial board may impose a sanction in addition to that imposed by the program/department and the Graduate School. Sanctions are listed and described below. To the extent practical, at the discretion of the program, while such a case is pending in the judicial process, the student’s participation in the program should continue, to avoid pre-empting the options available after the responsibility is determined.
    
    Unlike the situation in which the Judicial Board hears the appeal of a student protesting a sanction imposed by the department/program, students who are sanctioned by the Judicial Board itself may appeal both the imposition of and the severity of the sanction via the Academic Grievance Procedure for Graduate Students. Graduate students may be dismissed by their degree program and/or the Graduate School on the first or any subsequent instance of academic dishonesty.
3. Infractions Reported by Others
  When academic dishonesty is reported by someone other than the parties involved (e.g. by another student), that person (hereinafter called the complainant) will report the incident to the instructor of the course, the major professor of the student alleged to be engaging in the misconduct, or the chair/head/director of the department/program. The person who receives the complaint will then proceed as outlined in Section A.1 or A.2. above, as appropriate.
Appeals
1. When a sanction has been imposed by the instructor or department/program: The student may appeal such a sanction to the AUJ on the grounds that he/she did not commit the violation. If the student wishes to appeal the severity of a sanction, he/she will follow the Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students. In both cases, the student will notify the appropriate office of his/her appeal within five working days of receiving the sanction, or as soon as practicable. For appeals to the AUJ, the student will contact the Office of Student Ethics and Community Standards. For appeals following the Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students, the student will contact the Graduate School.
2. When a sanction has been imposed by the AUJ: Unlike the situation in which the Judicial Board hears the appeal of a student protesting a sanction imposed by the department/program, students who are sanctioned by the Judicial Board itself may appeal either or both the imposition of and the severity of the sanction via the Academic Grievance Procedure for Graduate Students. Students who wish to initiate such an appeal shall contact the Graduate School within five working days of receiving the sanction, or as soon as practicable.
3. When a sanction has been imposed by the Graduate School: Students who are sanctioned by the Graduate School may appeal to the Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Sanctions

The choice of sanctions in cases of academic dishonesty involves considerations of the integrity of the educational process of the University. There is no place in that process for academic dishonesty, and these actions will be taken seriously. The intent of this policy is to make acts of academic dishonesty clear risks; that is, the sanctions are to be sufficiently heavy to deter academic dishonesty.

While not intended to be an exhaustive list, the following are possible sanctions for academic dishonesty:

Grade Sanctions: An instructor may impose a grade sanction. Grade sanctions may consist of either grades of zero or failing grades on part or all of a submitted assignment or examination, or a lowering of a course grade, or a failing course grade. All grade sanctions must be appropriately reported as outlined in the procedures above. A graduate student may appeal the severity of a grade sanction via the Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students. Once a grade sanction has been applied, following the procedures outlined herein, students may not withdraw from courses in which they have been assessed a grade sanction, unless this has been recommended by the AUJ or a grievance committee.
Other Sanctions: The graduate student’s program or the Graduate School may impose a variety of other sanctions, including but not limited to any of the following: requiring an activity designed to increase the student’s awareness of and understanding about academic honesty, placing the student on probation or suspension, or dismissing the student.
The AUJ may administer the following sanctions: University reprimand, University censure, conduct probation, restrictive conduct probation, suspension, indefinite suspension, educational sanctions, or expulsion. Please see the Student Handbook for definitions of these sanctions.

It should be noted that graduate students may receive any of these sanctions, including dismissal, upon the first or any subsequent finding of academic misconduct.

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