Policy on Academic Integrity
“Academic freedom is a fundamental right in any institution of higher learning. Honesty and integrity are necessary preconditions to this freedom. Academic integrity requires that all academic work be wholly the product of an identified individual or individuals. Joint efforts are legitimate only when the assistance of others is explicitly acknowledged. Ethical conduct is the obligation of every member of the university community, and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses.”
The principles of academic integrity entail simple standards of honesty and truth. Each member of the University has a responsibility to uphold the standards of the community and to take action when others violate them.
Faculty members have an obligation to educate students about the standards of academic integrity, and to report violations of these standards to the appropriate deans.
Students are responsible for knowing what the standards are and for adhering to them. Students should also bring any violations of which they are aware to the attention of their instructors.
Violations of Academic Integrity
Any involvement with cheating, the fabrication or invention of information used in an academic exercise, plagiarism, facilitating academic dishonesty of others, or denying others access to information or material may result in disciplinary action being taken at either the college or university level. Breaches of academic integrity can result in serious consequences ranging from reprimand to expulsion.
Violations of academic integrity are classified into four categories based on the level of seriousness of the behaviors. Brief descriptions are provided below. This is a general description and is not to be considered as all-inclusive. The complete text of the New Brunswick Campus Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students may be found at the following website: http://teachx.rutgers.edu/integrity/
Level One Violations
These violations may occur because of ignorance or inexperience on the part of the person(s) committing the violation and ordinarily involve a very minor portion of the course work.
Examples: Improper footnoting or unauthorized assistance on academic work.
Recommended Sanctions: Makeup assignment at more difficult level, or assignment of no-credit for work in question, or required attendance at a workshop on ethics.
Level Two Violations
Level two violations involve incidents of a more serious nature and affect a more significant aspect or portion of the course.
Examples: Quoting directly or paraphrasing without proper acknowledgment on a moderate portion of the assignment, failure to acknowledge all sources of information and contributors who helped with an assignment, submission of the same work for more than one course without permission of the instructor.
Recommended Sanctions: Probation, a failing grade on the assignment, or a failing grade in the course.
Level Three Violations
Level three offenses involve dishonesty on a significant portion of course work, such as a major paper, hourly, or final examination. Any violation that is premeditated or involves repeat offenses of level one or level two are considered level three violations.
Examples: Copying from or giving others assistance on an hourly or final examination, plagiarizing major portions of an assignment, using forbidden material on an hourly or final, using a purchased term paper, presenting the work of another as one’s own, altering a graded examination for the purposes of regrading.
Recommended Sanctions: Suspension from the university for one or more terms with a notation of “academic disciplinary suspension” placed on a student's transcript for the period of suspension and a failing grade in the course.
Level Four Violations
Level four violations are the most serious breaches of academic integrity. They include repeat offenses of level three violations.
Examples: Forgery of grade change forms, theft of examinations, having a substitute take an examination, dishonesty relating to senior thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation, sabotaging another’s work, the violation of the ethical code of a profession, or all infractions committed after return from suspension for a previous violation.
Recommended Sanctions: Expulsion from the university and a permanent notation of the student’s transcript.
Faculty who believe that violations have occurred should immediately contact the dean’s office of their college/school. Students who suspect other students are involved in actions of academic dishonesty should speak to the instructor of the course.
The procedures followed and the due process rights afforded to Rutgers University students facing disciplinary charges are described in the University Code of Student Conduct.
Code of Conduct Violations - Non Rutgers Students
Non-Rutgers University students (i.e. those students not otherwise enrolled at any division of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey) taking Summer Session courses also are subject to the provisions of the University Code of Student Conduct. This includes, but is not limited to violations of the University’s policy on academic integrity. The procedures used, however, to address alleged violations for non-Rutgers students differ from those used with Rutgers University students due to the temporary nature of their enrollment.
When it is suspected that a violation of the University’s academic integrity policy may have been committed by a non-Rutgers student, a complaint should be submitted to the Director of the Summer Session. The Director will notify the Associate Director of the Office of Compliance, Student Policy and Judicial Affairs, whose responsibility it will be to assign a University Judicial Officer to investigate the complaint and/or to conduct a Preliminary Review.
If an accused non-Rutgers student acknowledges responsibility for an alleged offense, the Judicial Officer will recommend a sanction to the Vice President for Student Affairs. There will be no appeal of the sanction as finalized by the Vice President.
If the accused non-Rutgers student contests the charges(s) against him/her, the Judicial Officer will conduct an administrative disciplinary hearing to review the complaint. The Judicial Officer will rule on the evidence presented and recommend a sanction to the Vice President for Student Affairs. The Judicial Officer’s finding and the Vice President’s sanction are final decisions and not subject to further appeal.
Upon the complete resolution of the University’s disciplinary proceedings for non-Rutgers students, a copy of the final action will be submitted to the non-Rutgers student’s primary school of enrollment.
For further information about the University’s judicial policies, the complete text of the University Code of Student Conduct may be located at the following website: http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~polcomp
