Academic Integrity
Integrity in scholarship and research is an essential characteristic of our 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 Code of Honor. The following apply to both degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students.
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, or conduct unrelated to the research process. Misconduct includes practices that materially and adversely affect the integrity of scholarship and research.
Any person who has reason to believe that a violation of this policy has occurred shall discuss it on a confidential basis with the department chair or director of the appropriate institute. If a perceived conflict of interest exists between the chair/director and the accused, the next highest academic officer shall be notified of the charge. The chair/director shall evaluate the allegation promptly. If it is determined that there is no substantial basis for the charge, then the matter may be dismissed with the fact of dismissal being made known to the complainant and to the accused if he or she is aware of the accusation. A written summary of charges, findings, and actions shall be forwarded to the dean of the Graduate School as a matter of documentation. Otherwise, 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 dean of the Graduate School. 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 dean of the Graduate School within 10 days. The student has the right to appear before the dean or his or her delegate. The dean may decide to appoint an ad hoc committee to handle this appeal, if deemed necessary.
Violations of academic integrity by individuals who are not students are governed by different rules; students who are working on externally sponsored programs may also be covered by sponsor-mandated rules. Contact Dr. Richard A. Hilliard, director of research compliance, (574) 631-5386, for further information.
The penalty for a student who admits wrongdoing should be determined by the graduate committee of the student’s department or program.
