IV. Academic IntegrityGraduate School Policy
Integrity in scholarship and research is an essential characteristic of academic life and social structure in the University. Any activity that compromises the pursuit of truth and the advancement of knowledge besmirches the intellectual effort and may undermine confidence in the academic enterprise. A commitment to honesty is expected in all academic endeavors, and this should be continuously emphasized to students, research assistants, associates and colleagues by mentors and academic leaders.
The procedures for ensuring academic integrity in the Graduate School are distinct from those in the Undergraduate Honor Code.
Violations of academic integrity may occur in classroom work and related academic functions or in research/scholarship endeavors. Classroom-type misconduct includes the use of information obtained from another student's paper during an examination, plagiarism, submission of work written by someone else, falsification of data, etc. Violation of integrity in research/ scholarship is deliberate fabrication, falsification or plagiarism in proposing, performing or reporting research or other deliberate misrepresentation in proposing, conducting, reporting or reviewing research. Misconduct does not include errors of judgment, errors in recording, selection or analysis of data, differences in opinions involving interpretation, nor conduct unrelated to the research process. Misconduct includes practices that materially and adversely affect the integrity of scholarship and research.
If an individual suspects that a violation of academic integrity has occurred, he or she should discuss the matter confidentially with the department chair or appropriate director. If there appears to be a reasonable basis for further inquiry, the chair will select an impartial panel consisting of three members, one of whom may be a graduate student, to investigate the matter. The chair will inform the accused of the charges. The panel will determine initially whether to proceed directly to a hearing, to further investigate the case, or to dismiss the charges. If the panel decides to proceed directly to a hearing, the hearing will be held within 10 days of the original notification. If the panel decides that further investigation is necessary, it shall immediately notify the chair. If it decides that a hearing is not warranted, all information gathered for this investigation will be destroyed. The utmost care will be taken to minimize any negative consequence to the accused.
The accused party must be given the opportunity to respond to any and all allegations and supporting evidence at the hearing. The response will be made to the appointed panel. The panel will make a final judgment, recommend appropriate disciplinary action, and report to the chair in writing. The report will include all of the pertinent documentation and will be presented within 30 days after meeting with the accused. Copies of the report are to be made available to the accused, the chair, and the vice president. If a violation is judged to have occurred, this might be grounds for dismissal from the University; research/scholarship violations might be reported to the sponsor of the research effort (e.g., NSF, NIH, Lilly Foundation, etc.), if appropriate.
If the student chooses to appeal, he or she must address the appeal in writing to the Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research within 10 days. The student has the right to appear before the vice president or his or her delegate. The vice president may decide to appoint an ad hoc committee to handle this appeal, if deemed necessary.
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