Academic Integrity

When a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity, they will review the matter and speak with the student. If the issue is not resolved informally, the faculty member may submit a report and supporting documentation to the Academic Integrity Office for further review. 

If the student admits to the academic violation, the Academic Integrity Officer will speak with the student before the faculty member applies an academic sanction. Student will be required to complete the Academic Integrity Module in Judicial Educator and sign the student behavior contract taking accountability for their actions and acknowledging more severe penalties for future violations.

If the allegation is disputed, the matter will be referred to the College-wide Academic Integrity Committee for adjudication, if a first offense. Repeated violations or more serious allegations may also be referred to the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee for disciplinary sanctions as well.

In some cases, a temporary PEN grade may be assigned while the case is under review. A PEN grade is a temporary placeholder used until the matter is resolved.

Sanctions may include an academic penalty in the course, disciplinary action, or both, depending on the nature and severity of the violation.

Faculty members who suspect an academic integrity violation should:

1. Review the matter carefully and gather relevant documentation.
2. Communicate with the student regarding the concern when appropriate.
3. Submit the Faculty Report Form and supporting materials to the Academic Integrity Office.
4. Assign a PEN grade if needed while the matter is being reviewed.

Supporting documentation may include, as applicable:

• A copy of the assignment, exam, or submitted work
• The course syllabus or assignment instructions
• Similarity reports or source comparisons
• Copies of unauthorized materials
• Email or written communications relevant to the allegation
• A brief narrative explaining the concern

Faculty should provide clear and relevant documentation sufficient to explain the basis for the report.

Faculty Resources:

• Faculty Report Form *NEW* - Electronic Submission via Advocate
• CUNY Academic Integrity Policy
• Faculty Senate Resolution on Academic Integrity

 In addition to the Faculty Report Form, the faculty member should submit a detailed report of the violation and provide supporting documentation, including, if possible, a statement from the student that he/she/they were guilty of an academic infraction. The section of the syllabus that indicates that students should adhere to the college Academic Integrity Policy and the penalties to the student should he/she/they be found to be in violation should be highlighted and included in the report. Examples of additional documentation are indicated below:

• Plagiarism: If a student has plagiarized a passage, supporting documentation needs to be included. Copies of pertinent sections or answers and copies of any other pertinent material (original sources from which section or sections were allegedly plagiarized, including internet, ChatGPT, and AI sources, and so on) should be submitted as supported documentation.
• Use of artificial intelligence (AI) or ChatGPT: Unless there is written authorization from the instructor, the use of artificial intelligence tools to generate content for assignments and/or exams, including but not limited to language models or code generators, and passed off as original work by the student is considered cheating. Documentation should include how previous work of the student does not correlate in grammar, syntax, etc. with the current assignment.
• Conduct during an exam: If an irregularity occurs during an examination, the person who originally notes the irregularity should attempt to have their observations corroborated by others who are also in the room (e.g., proctors). The person(s) making the report shall provide specific information such as the time of the observation, type or irregularity observed, number of times it took place, exactly which sections of the examination were affected by the infraction, the name of each individual participating in the irregularity, and the extent of participation by each individual.
• • If a student has copied another student’s exam, please indicate how the faculty member knows that the answer was copied. For instance, if the two students have the same misspellings or incorrect calculations, please submit documentation as such. If a teaching assistant or proctor has witnessed the infraction, the teaching assistant/proctor should include a statement to that effect.
  • If there are different versions of an exam, provide documentation that shows the different versions and how numbers for one version were used for another by the accused student.
  • If a student has used material not allowed on an exam (i.e., a cheat sheet, writing on a hand, etc.), a picture of these materials should be taken and included in the supporting documentation.
• Conduct after an exam: If a student has submitted a doctored exam answer for a re-grade, please indicate how the exam answer was doctored. For instance, if an instructor routinely draws lines through blank areas, indicate how a student has written in over the lines. If possible, documentation should show before and after pictures of the doctored exam.

1. Examples of documentation for exams with similar answers

This exam was given during the pandemic. The parts of the answer that are nearly identical among the students are highlighted in yellow. Please note that this course was in neurobiology, not microbiology, so there was never any mention of bacteria.

Student being accused of academic violation

Chemoattractive factors: are substances that stimulate cellular migration. eg, They indicate the presence of food to bacteria. trophic factor: Regulate growth of neurons such as protein synthesis, also the ability to make neurotransmitters to carry signals which allow them to communicate with other neurons or targets. 

Student 1

Chemoattractive factors: are substances that stimulate cellular migration. eg, They indicate the presence of food to bacteria. Trophic factor: Regulates growth of neurons such as protein synthesis, also the ability to make neurotransmitters to carry signals which allows them to communicate with other neurons or targets.

Student 2

A chemoattractive factor are substances that stimulate cellular migration. A trophic factor regulates the growth of neurons such as protein synthesis, also they are able to make neurotransmitters carry signals which allows them to communicate with other neurons or targets.

2. Example of documentation of copying from another exam

There were multiple versions of the exam given. The student had an answer to question 2 that corresponded to an answer on her version of the exam (F-A-B-E-D-C) and an answer from a different version of the exam (B-D-C-A-F-E). There is no possible way that the latter answer would make sense on the student's version of the exam.

3. Example of documentation for use of unauthorized materials

A student was caught with materials written on the student’s arm; a photograph was included in the documentation. If a student brought in unauthorized materials into an exam, a picture of these materials should be photographed and included in the documentation.

Students accused of an academic integrity violation will be informed of the allegation and given an opportunity to respond.

If a case is referred for committee review, students may be invited to appear before the College-wide Academic Integrity Committee. Students may present relevant information, submit documentation, and identify witnesses who have direct knowledge of the matter.

Students are encouraged to:

• Review the allegation carefully
• Gather any relevant documents or communications
• Be prepared to explain the circumstances clearly and honestly
• Submit materials by any stated deadlines

The goal of the process is to ensure a fair review of the facts before a decision is made.

Student Resources:

• CUNY Academic Integrity Policy
• CUNY ByLaws Article XV - Student Conduct
• Writing Center
• Tutoring and Academic Support Services

If you have been accused of academic misconduct and you disagree with this violation, your case will be referred to the Academic Integrity Committee by the Academic Integrity Officer.  The Academic Integrity Committee will arrange a time for a hearing on your case.  

Prepared by the Academic Integrity Committee

*CUNY School of Medicine cases may be handled differently before being reported to the Academic Integrity Office. The Academic Integrity Officer has complete discretion as to whether to forward a case to the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee.