Policies & Procedures

Undergraduate Student Academic Integrity Policy

Effective learning, teaching and research all depend upon the ability of members of the academic community to trust one another and to trust the integrity of work that is submitted in classes for academic credit or conducted in the wider arena of scholarly research. When such an atmosphere of mutual trust exists, the free exchange of ideas is fostered, and all members of the community are able to work to achieve their highest potential. In all academic work, it is important that the ideas and contributions of others be appropriately acknowledged, and that work that is presented as original is in fact original. Ensuring the honesty and fairness of the intellectual environment at Washington University is a responsibility that is shared by faculty, students, and administrative staff.

This statement on academic integrity applies to all undergraduate students at Washington University. Graduate students are governed by policies in each graduate school or division. The purpose of the statement is to clarify the University's expectations with regard to undergraduate students' academic behavior and to provide specific examples of dishonest conduct. The examples are only illustrative, NOT exhaustive.

Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of behavior, and the vast majority of Washington University students do so. Each year, however, a few students behave dishonestly. The following material describes the most common types of dishonest behavior.

It Is Dishonest and A Violation of Student Academic Integrity If You:

PLAGIARIZE

You commit plagiarism by taking someone else's ideas, words, or other types of work product and presenting them as your own. You can avoid plagiarism by using proper methods of documentation and acknowledgement.

Enclose every quotation in quotation marks, and acknowledge its source.
Cite the source of every summary, paraphrase, abstraction or adaptation of material originally prepared by another person, and any factual data that is not considered common knowledge. Include the name of author, title of work, publication information, and page reference.
Acknowledge material obtained from lectures, interviews, or other oral communication by citing the source (name of the speaker, the occasion, the place, and the date).
Cite material from the internet just as if it were from more traditionally published sources. Follow the citation style or requirements of your instructor.

CHEAT ON AN EXAMINATION

You must not receive or provide any unauthorized assistance on an examination.

During an examination you may use only materials authorized by the faculty.

COPY OR COLLABORATE ON ASSIGNMENTS WITHOUT PERMISSION

Unless the instructor explicitly states otherwise, it is dishonest to collaborate with others when completing graded assignments or tests, performing laboratory experiments, writing and/or documenting computer programs, writing papers or reports, and completing problem sets.

Never use, copy or paraphrase the results of another person's work and represent them as your own, regardless of the circumstances.

When you submit work with your name on it, you are in effect stating the work is yours and only yours, unless you acknowledge in an endorsement all the help of persons who have contributed to the completion of the assignment.

If the instructor allows group work, you must be sure you understand the degree of acceptable collaboration.

It is never appropriate to simply copy another's work, or to permit another student to copy your work.
If you have any questions regarding the instructor's definition of allowable behavior, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification prior to engaging in the collaboration.

It is dishonest to turn in work as a collaborative effort if you did not contribute your fair share of the effort.

FABRICATE OR FALSIFY DATA OR RECORDS

It is dishonest to fabricate or falsify data in laboratory experiments, research papers, reports or other circumstances; fabricate source material in a bibliography or "works cited" list; or provide false information on a resume or other document in connection with academic efforts. It is also dishonest to take data developed by someone else and present them as your own.

ENGAGE IN OTHER FORMS OF DECEIT OR DISHONESTY

Do not submit the same work for more than one course without explicitly obtaining permission from all instructors. When a paper or project builds on work completed earlier in your academic career, you must bring that fact to the attention of the instructor.

Do not request any academic benefit, including an extension of time, a better grade, or a recommendation, from an instructor when the request is based on false information or deception.

Do not make any changes (including adding material or erasing material) on any test paper, problem set, or class assignment being submitted for a re-grade.

Do not willfully damage the efforts or work product of other students.

Do not steal, deface, or damage academic facilities or materials.

Do not collaborate with other students planning or engaging in any form of academic misconduct.

Do not engage in any other form of academic misconduct not covered here (since no list is necessarily exhaustive). If you are ever in doubt, ask the professor or teaching assistant for guidance.

FACULTY RESPONSIBILITY

Faculty are strongly encouraged to report incidents of student academic misconduct to the academic integrity officer in their school or college, so that the incident may be handled in a consistent, fair manner, and so that substantiated charges of misconduct may be noted in students' records.

STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

If you are accused of an academic integrity violation by a professor, teaching/graduate assistant, or academic integrity officer, you are entitled to do the following:

Review the written evidence in support of the charge
Ask any questions you have
Offer an explanation as to what occurred
Present any material that would cast doubt on the correctness of the charge

After you are notified of a charge of academic misconduct, you have several options:

You may deny the charges and request a hearing in front of the appropriate academic integrity panel.
You may admit the charges and accept the imposition of sanctions.
You may request a leave of absence from the University. However, the academic integrity matter will have to be resolved prior to your re-enrollment.
You may request to withdraw permanently from the University with a transcript notation that there is an unresolved academic integrity matter pending.

You have the following responsibilities in resolving the charge of academic misconduct:

You must admit or deny the charge. This will determine the course of action to be pursued.
You must admit or deny the charge. This will determine the course of action to be pursued.

SANCTIONS

If, after a hearing, you are found to have acted dishonestly, or if you have admitted the charges prior to a hearing, the School academic integrity officer or hearing panel may do one or more of the following:

Issue a formal written reprimand
Impose educational sanctions, such as completing a workshop on plagiarism or academic ethics
Recommend to the instructor that you fail the assignment
Recommend to the instructor that you fail the course
Recommend to the instructor that you receive a course grade penalty less severe than failure of the course
Place you on "Disciplinary Probation" for a definite period of time, or until defined conditions are met. The probation will be noted on your transcript and internal record while it is in force.
In cases serious enough to warrant suspension or expulsion from the University, refer the matter to the University Judicial Board for consideration

Withdrawing from the course will not prevent the academic integrity officer or hearing panel from imposing or recommending sanctions, including a failing grade in the course.

If the charges of academic misconduct are not proven, you may withdraw from the course in question without prejudice. Whether you complete the course or not, no record of the allegation will appear on your transcript or in your student file.

APPEALS

If you believe you did not receive a fair hearing from the academic integrity officer or the hearing panel, or if you believe the sanction imposed for misconduct is excessive, you may appeal to the University Judicial Board within fourteen days of the original decision. Appeals are governed by Section VII. C. of the University Student Judicial Code.

REPORTING MISCONDUCT BY OTHERS

If you observe other students violating this policy, you are strongly urged to confront the student(s), report the misconduct to the instructor, and/or seek advice from the academic integrity officer in the school in which the misconduct is occurring.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

Individual undergraduate Colleges and Schools are free to design specific procedures to resolve allegations of academic misconduct by students in courses offered by that school, so long as the procedures comply with this policy and with the University Student Judicial Code.

ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD-KEEPING RESPONSIBILITIES

It is the responsibility of the academic integrity officer in each school to keep accurate, confidential records concerning academic integrity violations. When a student has been found to have acted dishonestly, a letter summarizing the allegation, the outcome, and the sanction shall be placed in the student's official file in the office of the School or College in which the student is enrolled.

Each school's academic integrity officer shall make a report of the outcome of every formal accusation of student academic misconduct to the Director of University Judicial Programs, who shall maintain a record of each incident. When a student is formally accused of academic misconduct and a hearing is to be held by an academic integrity officer, a hearing panel, or the University Judicial Board, the person in charge of administering the hearing shall query the Director of Judicial Programs about the student(s) accused of misconduct. The Director shall provide any information in his/her records concerning that student to the integrity officer. Such information is to be used ONLY in determining sanctions if the student is found to have acted dishonestly in the present case. Evidence of past misconduct may not be used to resolve the issue of whether a student has acted dishonestly in a subsequent case.

School and College academic integrity officers are encouraged to make periodic (at least annual) reports to the students and faculty within the school concerning accusations of academic misconduct and the outcomes, without disclosing specific information that would allow identification of the students involved.