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A new phone number and email address have been established to facilitate the reporting of student academic integrity issues.

Individuals can email a concern to  [email protected]  or call 765-494-8778 to speak with a staff member in the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities about the matter. OSRR staff will then investigate the situation and provide feedback to the reporter.

Concerns may also be reported anonymously.​

"Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students"

Written by: Stephen Akers, PhD Executive Associate Dean of Students 1995, Revised 1999, 2003, 2009

Published by the Office of the Dean of Students in cooperation with Purdue Student Government

Helen B. Schleman Hall, Suite 216 656 Oval Drive West Lafayette, IN 47907-2050 Telephone: 765-494-1747

Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue's high academic standards.

Fostering an appreciation for academic standards and values is a shared responsibility among students, faculty, and staff. The information in this brochure is directed to students to define academic dishonesty and how to avoid it.

Definition of Academic Dishonesty

Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty" (Part 5, Section III-B-2-a,  Student Regulations) .  Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest" (University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972).

More specifically, the following are a few examples of academic dishonesty that have been discovered at Purdue University.

• substituting on an exam for another student
• substituting in a course for another student
• paying someone else to write a paper and submitting it as one's own work
• giving or receiving answers by use of signals during an exam
• copying with or without the other person's knowledge during an exam
• doing class assignments for someone else
• plagiarizing published material, class assignments or lab reports
• turning in a paper that has been purchased from a commercial research firm or obtained from the Internet
• padding items of a bibliography
• obtaining an unauthorized copy of a test in advance of its scheduled administration
• using unauthorized notes during an exam
• collaborating with other students on assignments when it is not allowed
• obtaining a test from the exam site, completing and submitting it later
• altering answers on a scored test and submitting it for a regrade
• accessing and altering grade records
• stealing class assignments from other students and submitting them as one's own
• fabricating data
• destroying or stealing the work of other students

Plagiarism is a special kind of academic dishonesty in which one person steals another person's ideas or words and falsely presents them as the plagiarist's own product. This is most likely to occur in the following ways:

• using the exact language of someone else without the use of quotation marks and without giving proper credit to the author
• presenting the sequence of ideas or arranging the material of someone else even though such is expressed in one's own words, without giving appropriate acknowledgment
• submitting a document written by someone else but representing it as one's own

Basic Tips on Avoiding Claims of Dishonesty

Careful attention to your own academic duties is the best way to avoid allegations of academic dishonesty. If you are asked to do something that you feel is wrong or unethical, it probably is. Aiding someone in committing an academically dishonest act is just as serious as receiving the aid. Review course syllabi and make sure you understand your instructors' expectations and responses regarding academic dishonesty. The following tips may help you avoid problems:

• Do not look around, particularly in the direction of other students' papers, during an exam since it may appear you are trying to copy from others.
• When taking an exam, shield your answer sheet. If you feel someone is trying to copy from you, ask the proctor if you may move. This will alert the proctor to a potential problem and help remove suspicion from you as aiding the other student if a claim of cheating arises.
• If you are allowed to take materials into a testing site, make sure no notes or materials are exposed or accessible that could cause one to believe you are using unauthorized aids (cribs)
• Should there be any doubt, clarify with your instructor how much collaboration, if any, is permitted or expected when working on projects or assignments with other students
• Know that it is risky to electronically copy or transmit a computer program or file to other students. You could be implicated in a cheating incident if others alter that program and submit it as their own work.
• Protect your computer login identifications and passwords. Other students could use them to access your work and subsequently implicate you in a cheating case.
• Since it is impossible to write everything with complete originality, use quotation marks, footnotes, and parenthetical textual notes to acknowledge other people's words or ideas employed in your paper. Check with your instructor for proper techniques for citations and attribution if you have any doubts.
• Do not include sources in a bibliography or reference list if you have not used the sources in the preparation of your paper. To list unused sources is called padding the bibliography.
• Do not acquire previous papers, lab reports, or assignments used in a course with the intention of copying parts or all of the material. Consult with your instructor on how such materials may be used as general guides.
• Keep rough drafts and copies of papers submitted in courses since other students may get access to your work and attempt to claim it as their own
• Do not leave copies of assignments in computer labs
• Do not share your current or former assignments, projects, papers, etc., with other students to use as guides for their work. Such a practice could lead to claims of collaboration if part or all of your work is lifted by another student. Sometimes friendly assistance may escalate into claims of blatant dishonesty.
• Check with your instructor before turning in a paper or project you submitted in another course
• Do not give your homework papers, projects, or other assignments to other students to submit for you. They may use parts of your work.
• When completing take-home exams, do not collaborate with other persons unless approved by the instructor
• Keep your student identification card in your possession or secured. Never loan your identification to anyone.
• Do not make any marks on a graded exam if there is any chance you may submit it for a regrade. Make all notations on a separate paper.

What To Do if You Suspect or Become Aware of Cheating

Students who cheat gain an unfair advantage over honest students. Although reporting suspected or observed cheating may seem difficult, failure to do so hurts you as well as Purdue. Observations or knowledge of academic dishonesty should be reported immediately to course instructors. Even if your observations are reported anonymously, such information may encourage instructors to do further investigation, detect patterns of cheating or impose effective preventive measures. If you are uncomfortable speaking directly with an instructor, you are urged to consult with staff in the Office of the Dean of Students who will advise and assist you in addressing the problem.

Consequences for Academic Dishonesty

Before any formal action is taken against a student who is suspected of committing academic dishonesty, the instructor is encouraged to meet with the student to discuss the facts surrounding the suspicions. If the instructor concludes that the student is guilty, the matter may be resolved with the student through punitive grading. Examples of punitive grading are giving a lower or failing grade on the assignment, having the student repeat the assignment and perhaps some additional assignment, or assessing a lower or failing grade for the course. The grade appeals system offers recourse to a student whose grade has been reduced unfairly for alleged academic dishonesty.

Additionally, instructors are encouraged to refer cases to the Office of the Dean of Students for adjudication and/or appropriate record keeping. The Office of the Dean of Students will follow established procedures as provided in Part 5, Section III, of Student Regulations. If a student is found guilty, possible penalties include a warning, probation, probated suspension, suspension or expulsion.

Feel free to make a print of this brochure for yourself. Copies of this brochure are available through the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities at no cost, 765-494-1250.

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What to Do If You're Charged With College Plagiarism

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Plagiarism—the act of passing off someone else's work as your own, no matter where you found it—is pretty common on college campuses. If one of your professors or an administrator realizes what you've done, you may be charged with plagiarism and put through some kind of campus judicial system.

Figure out the Process

Do you have a hearing? Are you supposed to write a letter explaining your side of the story? Does your professor simply want to see you? Or could you be placed on academic probation ? Figure out what you're supposed to do and by when -- and then make sure it gets done.

Make Sure You Understand the Charges

You may have received a strongly worded letter accusing you of plagiarism, and yet you're not totally clear on what exactly it is you're being accused of. Talk with whoever sent you the letter or your professor about the specifics of your case. Either way, make sure you are crystal clear on what you're being charged with and what your options are.

Understand the Consequences

In your mind, you may have been up late, writing your paper, and absentmindedly cut and pasted something from your research that you forgot to cite. In your professor's mind, however, you may have not taken the assignment very seriously, showed disrespect to him or her and your fellow classmates, and acted in a way that is unacceptable at the college level. What is not very serious to you may indeed be very serious to someone else. Make sure you understand what the consequence are, therefore, before you are unpleasantly surprised at how your sticky situation just got a lot worse.

Respect and Participate in the Process

You may not think the plagiarism charge is a big deal, so you toss the letter aside and forget about it. Unfortunately, however, plagiarism charges can be serious business. Respect and participate in the process so that you can explain your situation and reach a resolution.

Figure Out What You've Learned so It Doesn't Happen Again

Plagiarism charges in college can be dealt with lightly (essay rewrite) or severely (expulsion). Consequently, learn from your mistake so that you can prevent getting yourself into a similar situation again. Having a misunderstanding about plagiarism, after all, can only happen once. The next time you receive a letter, folks are much less likely to be understanding since you've already been through the system. Learn what you can and move forward toward your ultimate goal: your diploma (earned by you and your own work, of course!).

• Learn Your Options If You're Kicked out of College
• What to Do If You're Failing a Class
• Withdrawing From College
• How to Withdraw from a Class
• Here's What To Do if You're Failing a Class in College
• Find Out What Being on Academic Probation Means
• How to Pass a College Class
• How to Stay Motivated at the End of the Semester
• Reasons to Go to Class
• The Definition of an Undecided or Undeclared Major
• How to Keep up With College Reading
• How to Succeed in College
• What to Do If You're Placed on Academic Probation
• How are College Academics Different from High School?
• Cures and Strategies for Senioritis
• What to Do If You Miss Class in College

Academic Integrity

Each student must act with honesty and integrity, and they must respect the rights of others in carrying out all academic assignments (See ASU’s  Student Academic Integrity Policy ).

• Academic Integrity FAQs
• What is Academic Integrity?
• ASU Student Honor Code
• Why is it Important?
• Student Policy
• Who to Contact?
• Student Resources
• Faculty Resources

The importance of academic integrity – what more should I know?

Academic integrity violations fall into five broad areas:.

• Cheating on an academic evaluation or assignment
• Plagiarizing
• Academic deceit, such as fabricating data, information or documentation
• Aiding others in committing integrity violations and inappropriately collaborating
• Falsifying academic records

Please see ASU’s Student  Academic Integrity Policy  for further information.

What is not a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy?

Not all inappropriate behavior in the academic setting is an Academic Integrity Policy violation.

Student Code of Conduct

Violations of the ASU Student Code of Conduct, other than the provision concerning academic dishonesty, are more generally considered inappropriate behavior. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities reviews and sanctions these matters. If a student violates both the academic integrity provision and additional provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, both the college and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities will review the matter. Each independently makes determinations concerning violations and appropriate sanctions.

Research misconduct

For students involved in research, there can be overlapping areas between academic integrity violations and policies concerning research misconduct.

Research misconduct is defined as, “Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism and other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the academic community for proposing, conducting or reporting research. Instances of honest error and honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data are not considered misconduct.” ( ASU RSP 004: Definitions )

At ASU, the Office of the Knowledge Enterprise Development reviews allegations of research misconduct in research. A student who violates ASU’s  Misconduct in Research Policy  and the Student Academic Integrity Policy may be reviewed by both the college and the Office of the Knowledge Enterprise Development with each independently making determinations concerning violations and appropriate sanctions.

Why is it important?

The impact of academic integrity violations.

Academic integrity is a fundamental value at ASU and violations can cause real harm to individuals and to our institution.

Harm to the student

• Cheating robs a student of his or her education. When a student cheats, the student takes away from him or herself the opportunity to grow and to learn.
• At ASU, students who cheat are caught and the sanctions that are levied are real and can be substantial. Our faculty hold the highest standards of academic integrity. If a student is caught cheating, the punishment can be anything from a lowered grade on an assignment or in a course to expulsion from ASU.
• The XE grade is recorded on the transcript with the notation "failure due to academic dishonesty."
• Students who have received a grade of XE are  not  permitted to represent the university in extracurricular activities or to hold office in any recognized student organization.
• The XE grade remains on a student's transcript  permanently .

Harm to peers

• Cheating creates an unfair grading environment for others and can directly affect the grades of other students. For example, if a student plagiarizes on a group project, all of the students in the group may be sanctioned for an academic integrity violation.

Harm to our institution

• Cheating lessens the value of the ASU degree and calls into question the learning that occurs in all of our courses and degree programs.
• Cheating violates fundamental values of the university community. ASU is an intellectual community focused on teaching, research and the values of the New American University. The fair and honest creation, transmission, sharing and application of knowledge to address real-world problems are core activities of the community. 

More information

Information for students.

Students have the responsibility to understand and uphold the highest standards of academic integrity. If students fail to do so, faculty members and the dean's office have the right to report and sanction violators accordingly.

When accused and sanctioned for an academic integrity violation, the student has the following rights:

• To discuss the matter directly with the faculty member.
• If the issue is not resolved after speaking with the faculty member, to initiate a discussion with the chair of the academic unit offering the course or the chair's designee.
• If the issue is not resolved after speaking with the chair or the chair's designee, to initiate a discussion with The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Office (senior staff in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Office of Student and Academic Programs). If an XE for the course or a more severe sanction (e.g. suspension, expulsion) has been recommended by the faculty member, the student is strongly encouraged to meet with dean's office staff to discuss the charge. Students may call 480-965-6506 to schedule an appointment.
• To appeal to The College's  Student Affairs and Grievances Committee . After discussing the matter with the faculty member, chair and dean's office staff, a student has the right to appeal the finding that an academic integrity violation has occurred or the sanctions levied to The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences  Student Affairs and Grievances Committee . The appeal process is initiated by scheduling an appointment with dean's office staff in the Office of Student and Academic Programs. Students have 10 working days from the date of the email or letter notifying them of the academic integrity violation to initiate an appeal. After the 10 days, the sanction requested by faculty member will be imposed and the matter will be closed.

Note: Unless a student successfully appeals a sanction for an Academic Integrity Policy violation, the dean's office will maintain a record of the incident and the sanction(s). In all cases, the dean's office retains the right to impose or recommend sanctions in addition to those requested by a faculty member (if the seriousness of the current situation or past violations warrant).

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Academic Integrity

Student misconduct, academic misconduct information for students.

Academic integrity is essential to maintaining an environment that fosters excellence in teaching, research, and other educational and scholarly activities. Thus, students are expected to complete all academic and scholarly assignments with fairness and honesty.

In the Code of Student Conduct , Ohio State defines “academic misconduct” as “any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the university or subvert the educational process." Cases of misconduct range from deliberate acts of cheating to unintended missteps, in which students fail to distinguish their work from someone else’s. By university rule, an instructor must report any suspected instance of academic misconduct to the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM). A review panel of the committee will investigate the charges, decide whether or not a violation has occurred, and if the panel finds there has been an offense, determine an appropriate penalty.

Student Panel Members Needed

COAM is looking for students to help uphold our shared value of integrity. Serving as a member of the committee, you will serve alongside faculty as you consider cases of potential student academic misconduct. In doing so, you will be not only serving your university and your fellow students, but also learning valuable skills of interest to all future employers—including collaborative decision-making, the ability to work with confidential materials and proceedings, and responsibility for upholding organizational standards of behavior and accountability. In addition, this is an opportunity to participate in our unique system of shared governance at Ohio State, in which faculty, students, staff and administration work together to address some of the biggest challenges of the day (including, AI, the new kid on the block).

• To apply for membership and learn about the commitments of the committee, visit go.osu.edu/serveoncoam .

Course assignments aim to develop, extend, and measure your knowledge of the subject matter, along with your ability to think, analyze, solve problems, and communicate. The acquisition and development of knowledge and skills are fundamental to a university education—part of what an Ohio State diploma certifies—and those goals are undermined by academic misconduct.

Obvious cases of misconduct include submitting a paper you have not written, copying someone else’s homework, using someone else to complete work for you in an online course, collaborating on an assignment when individual effort is expected, fabricating data, altering a grade, or lifting passages from articles or websites without identifying the source. Less intentional behavior may involve inadequate acknowledgement of the sources you used in writing a paper or take-home exam. Grades on assignments and in courses for which you have not completed your own work cheats students in the class who did the work themselves and will cheat a future employer, who will assume you have earned the degree you were awarded, that you have learned the knowledge and skills to which a degree should attest. To get real value from your courses, do your own work and focus on learning rather than merely completing the assignment to collect points. Don’t take shortcuts.

COAM Review Process

When an instructor reports a case of alleged misconduct to COAM, the office notifies the student, explains the charges, and provides information about the process. Students who admit to the charges can choose to have an administrative decision to determine appropriate sanctions, but any student charged has the right to a hearing before a panel of faculty and student representatives. After hearing the facts of the case, the panel will decide whether or not the student has violated the Student Code and, in cases where there has been a violation, set fair, consistent, and appropriate sanctions. The process is educational and aims to hold students accountable for their actions in fair, reasonable, and proportional ways. After the panel has made its determinations, students do have recourse to a formal, written appeal, in which all the facts of the case are independently reviewed and a final decision is rendered by the Provost.

Sanctions and Consequences

Sanctions will depend on the circumstances and severity of the offense. Though it strives to ensure that sanctions are proportional under comparable circumstances, the panel also recognizes that no two cases are exactly the same. Sanctions vary from the relatively light (an “informal reprimand”) to severe (dismissal from the university) and typically involve both a grade sanction (a grade of 0 on the assignment, for example—regardless of the overall weight of the assignment or the extent of the compromised work within the assignment—or a failing grade in the course) and a disciplinary sanction (disciplinary probation until graduation, for example). Sanctions may be more severe for students previously found in violation of the Student Code (whether an academic misconduct offense, or some other offense). A record of the finding will be retained in the Office of Student Conduct, and you may need to explain it to any employers or graduate and professional schools that require, as part of their application, formal confirmation that you do not have a record of academic misconduct.

Advice: Do the Math

Your self-regard—for your character and reputation, as well as for the value and quality of your education—and your regard for the efforts of other students ought to be the most compelling reasons for doing everything you can to avoid academic misconduct. Err, for example, on the side of caution in documenting sources. If you need more practical reasons, however, consider these: The COAM process, though fair and humane, will doubtless add considerable stress to your life. A zero on an assignment may far outweigh the partial credit of an honestly earned failing grade. And a finding of “in violation” may extend well beyond the course in which it occurred. Is a higher grade that you know that you did not deserve worth any of that?

Our office complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which sets forth requirements designed to protect the privacy of student education records. In most circumstances, we will require express permission from the involved student to disclose information outside the university. Students may contact [email protected] to request a FERPA form to authorize the disclosure of their records to a third party.

Read the policy regarding privacy and the release of student records.

Ten Suggestions for Preserving Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is essential to maintaining an environment that fosters excellence in teaching, research, and other educational and scholarly activities. Thus, students are expected to complete all academic and scholarly assignments with fairness and honesty. The following suggestions will help you preserve academic integrity by avoiding situations where you might be tempted to cheat or you might be perceived to be cheating. These suggestions are adapted from Northwestern University's Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity .

If you use another person's thoughts, ideas, or words in your work, you must acknowledge this fact. This applies regardless of whose thoughts, ideas, or words you use as well as the source of the information. If you do not acknowledge the work of others, you are implying that another person's work is your own, and such actions constitute plagiarism. Plagiarism is the theft of another's intellectual property, and plagiarism is a serious form of academic misconduct. If you are ever in doubt about whether or not you should acknowledge a source, err on the side of caution and acknowledge it.

Do not put yourself in a position where an instructor might suspect that you are cheating or that you have cheated. Even if you have not cheated, the mere suspicion of dishonesty might undermine an instructor's confidence in your work. Avoiding some of the most common types of suspicious behavior is simple. Before an examination, check your surroundings carefully and make sure that all of your notes are put away and your books are closed. An errant page of notes on the floor or an open book could be construed as a "cheat sheet." Keep your eyes on your own work. Unconscious habits, such as looking around the room aimlessly or talking with a classmate, could be misinterpreted as cheating.

Never make up data, literature citations, experimental results, or any other type of information that is used in an academic or scholarly assignment.

Do not alter, misuse, produce, or reproduce any University form or document or other type of form or document. Do not sign another person's name to any form or record (University or otherwise), and do not sign your name to any form or record that contains inaccurate or fraudulent information. Once an assignment has been graded and returned to you, do not alter it and ask that it be graded again. Many instructors routinely photocopy assignments and/or tests before returning them to students, thus making it easy to identify an altered document.

Friends can be a tremendous help to one another when studying for exams or completing course assignments. However, don't let your friendships with others jeopardize your college career. Before lending or giving any type of information to a friend or acquaintance, consider carefully what you are lending (giving), what your friend might do with it, and what the consequences might be if your friend misuses it. Even something seemingly innocent, such as giving a friend an old term paper or last year's homework assignments, could result in an allegation of academic misconduct if the friend copies your work and turns it is as his/her own.

Instructors do not give grades in a course, rather students earn their grades. Thus, instructors expect that students will earn their grades by completing all course requirements (assignments) while they are actually enrolled in the course. If a student uses his/her work from one course to satisfy the requirements of a different course, that student is not only violating the spirit of the assignment, but he/she is also putting other students in the course at a disadvantage. Even though it might be your own work, you are not permitted to turn in the same work to meet the requirements of more than one course. You should note that this applies even if you have to take the same course twice, and you are given the same or similar assignments the second time you take the course; all assignments for the second taking of the course must be started from scratch.

When you turn in an assignment with only your name on it, then the work on that assignment should be yours and yours alone. This means that you should not copy any work done by or work together with another student (or other person). For some assignments, you might be expected to "work in groups" for part of the assignment and then turn in some type of independent report. In such cases, make sure that you know and understand where authorized collaboration (working in a group) ends and collusion (working together in an unauthorized manner) begins.

Do not put off your assignments until the last minute. If you do, you might put yourself in a position where your only options are to turn in an incomplete (or no) assignment or to cheat. Should you find yourself in this situation and turn in an incomplete (or no) assignment, you might get a failing grade (or even a zero) on the assignment. However, if you cheat, the consequences could be much worse, such as a disciplinary record, failure of the course, and/or dismissal from the university.

The assignments that you complete as a student are your "intellectual property," and you should protect your intellectual property just as you would any of your other property. Never give another student access to your intellectual property unless you are certain why the student wants it and what he/she will do with it. Similarly, you should protect the work of other students by reporting any suspicious conduct to the course instructor.

Many instructors prepare and distribute (or make available on a web site) a course syllabus. Read the course syllabus for every course you take! Students often do not realize that different courses have different requirements and/or guidelines, and that what is permissible in one course might not be permissible in another. "I didn't read the course syllabus" is never an excuse for academic misconduct. If after reading the course syllabus you have questions about what is or is not permissible, ask questions!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is academic misconduct.

The university's Code of Student Conduct  defines academic misconduct as "any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University, or subvert the educational process." While many people associate academic misconduct with "cheating," the term encompasses a wider scope of student behaviors which include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Violation of course rules;
• Violation of program regulations;
• Knowingly providing or receiving information during a course exam or program assignment;
• Possession and/or use of unauthorized materials during a course exam or program assignment;
• Knowingly providing or using assistance in the laboratory, on field work, or on a course assignment, unless such assistance has been authorized specifically by the course instructor or, where appropriate, a project/research supervisor;
• Submission of work not performed in a course: This includes (but is not limited to) instances where a student fabricates and/or falsifies data or information for a laboratory experiment (i.e., a "dry lab") or other academic assignment. It also includes instances where a student submits data or information (such as a lab report or term paper) from one course to satisfy the requirements of another course, unless submission of such work is permitted by the instructor of the course or supervisor of the research for which the work is being submitted;
• Submitting plagiarized work for a course/program assignment;
• Falsification, fabrication, or dishonesty in conducting or reporting laboratory (research) results;
• Serving as or asking another student to serve as a substitute (a "ringer") while taking an exam;
• Alteration of grades in an effort to change earned credit or a grade;
• Alteration and/or unauthorized use of university forms or records.

Cases of alleged academic misconduct are adjudicated through a formal hearing process by the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM), a standing committee of the University Senate. To insure a broad representation on the Committee, COAM draws its members from throughout the university's academic community: faculty (appointed by University Senate), graduate students (appointed by the Council of Graduate Students), and undergraduate students (appointed by Undergraduate Student Government).

Why should cases of alleged academic misconduct be reported to COAM?

One of the primary duties and responsibilities of the Committee on Academic Misconduct is to "investigate...all reported cases of student academic misconduct, with the exception of cases in a professional college having a published honor code, and decide upon suitable disciplinary action," and "instructors shall report all instances of alleged misconduct to the committee" (University Faculty Rule 3335-5-48.7[B1]). Aside from this rule, there are several additional reasons why faculty should report all instances of alleged misconduct to the Committee.

When a case of alleged academic misconduct is brought to the Committee:

• The case is resolved by an impartial hearing panel;
• The panel uses a consistent standard in reviewing alleged violations of the Code of Student Conduct;
• The panel uses a consistent standard when applying sanctions;
• The panel has the authority to determine if a student has a prior history of misconduct and to take this into consideration when sanctioning a student; and
• The panel has the authority to authorize grade sanctions for courses in which students have violated the Code of Student Conduct.
• The Committee has the authority to impose other sanctions as necessary to maintain the academic integrity of The Ohio State University.

What steps can students avoid and intructors take to prevent academic misconduct?

The Ohio State University represents a large and extremely diverse academic community. Faculty and students come from diverse academic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, and their interests cover hundreds of academic disciplines. Thus, it's not surprising to find that faculty and students often have different ideas of what types of student behavior constitute "cheating" and other types of academic misconduct, so the Committee on Academic Misconduct believes firmly in the proverb:

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

That is, faculty must be proactive in explaining and students must be proactive in understanding what types of behavior constitute academic misconduct in each course, laboratory, field setting, academic program/discipline, and/or other research or scholarly activity. Note that the onus rests with both faculty and students.

"Ignorance is no excuse."

If a student has any questions about what is or is not permissible in a course, an assignment, or other scholarly activity, he/she should ask the faculty member in charge of the course or the supervisor in charge of the activity! Students should also read Ten Suggestions for Preserving Academic Integrity (above) and Northwestern University's Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity .

If I suspect another student is violating the Code of Student Conduct, what should I do?

If you suspect that a student is violating the Code of Student Conduct, you should take the following steps:

• Observe the student's behavior carefully and write down what you saw;
• If possible, have another person verify your observations, especially in a testing situation, and have this person write down what he/she saw;
• Collect any other information that might be relevant to the alleged academic misconduct, such as examinations, answer sheets, notes, or other materials;
• Include in your observations the date, location, and time of the alleged misconduct, as well as the student's name;
• If the faculty member teaching the course is not present when the alleged misconduct occurs, contact the faculty member immediately.

What happens when the allegations of misconduct involve a graduating senior?

If allegations of misconduct are made against a graduating senior (especially if it's late in the semester), the Committee on Academic Misconduct can facilitate the hearing process. Even if the allegations are made during the 14th (or final) week of the semester, the Committee can hear and resolve the case as soon as possible.

I have a "hold" on my records. How do I find out who put it there and why? How do I get it removed?

There are a number of possible reasons why there's a "hold" on your records, but in a majority of cases it's because someone at the University is trying to get your attention. By putting a "hold" on your records, the University forces you to contact whoever put the "hold" on your records so you can provide that person with whatever information he/she needs. If the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) is unable to contact or obtain a current local address for a student, COAM will often put a "hold" on that student's records. This forces the student to contact COAM and provide the necessary information. Once the student provides the required information, COAM removes the "hold."

If you have been suspended from the University for Academic Misconduct (or some other violation of the University's Code of Student Conduct), the Registrar's Office will put a "hold" on your records. This is done to prevent you from registering for classes while you are suspended. Once your suspension has been satisfied, the Registrar's Office will remove the "hold" from your records.

Who Put it There?

If you have a "hold" on your records and want to find out why or have it removed, the first thing you need to do is find out who placed the "hold." The simplest way to do this is to telephone (614-292-0300) or visit the Registrar's Office (located in the Student Academic Services Building) and ask who placed the "hold" on your records. Once you have determined which University office placed the "hold" on your records, you can contact that office for additional information.

How do I get it removed?

That depends on which office put the "hold" on your records and why. The best thing to do is contact the University office that placed the "hold" and find out what you need to do to get the "hold" removed.

If the "hold" was placed by the Committee on Academic Misconduct, or if you were suspended from the University by COAM, you should contact COAM at 614-292-7262.

What happens with my grade if I am accused of academic misconduct?

There are a number of possible answers to this question, depending on the circumstances and timing of the allegations.

If you are accused of academic misconduct while enrolled in a course, you are assumed to be "not in violation of the Code of Student Conduct" until the allegations are resolved. This means that you are permitted to continue in the course without prejudice; you should continue attending class, and you should complete all course assignments. If the allegations of academic misconduct are resolved before the semester ends and you are found to be "not in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," your final grade in the course will be calculated as if nothing had happened. However, if the allegations of academic misconduct are resolved before the semester ends and you are found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," the instructor will calculate your final grade in the course based on the grade sanction authorized by the hearing panel or officer.

If you are accused of academic misconduct, you may withdraw from a course if you want. However, if you withdraw from a course and are found subsequently to be "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," COAM has the authority to re-enroll you and give you a failing grade in the course. In other words, if you are found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," you could receive a failing grade in the course even though you withdrew from the course.

If you are accused of academic misconduct and the allegations of academic misconduct are not resolved before the semester ends, the instructor must turn in a final grade for you. The grade will be either a letter grade (i.e., A, B, C, etc.) or an incomplete (I). If the instructor reports a letter grade for your final course grade, this does not mean that the allegations of academic misconduct have been dropped or resolved, and you should recognize that your final course grade can be changed if you are found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct."

If the instructor reports your grade as an incomplete, the instructor must also report an alternate letter grade. In such cases, an "I" will appear on your grade report, but the alternate letter grade will not be indicated. If you receive an incomplete grade in a course, the alternate letter grade takes effect automatically six weeks after the semester ends, and the Registrar's Office notifies you of this change by email. For example, if an instructor gives you an incomplete in a course with an alternate grade of "B," your grade for the course will appear initially as an "I." If nothing happens to change your alternate letter grade during the first six weeks of the subsequent semester, the "I" will change to a "B," and you will be notified of this change by the Registrar's Office; this is "standard operating procedure" for the Registrar's Office. You must recognize that this does not mean that the allegations of academic misconduct have been dropped or somehow resolved. Moreover, if you are eventually found to be "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," your final grade in the course (a "B" in this example) could be changed as a result of a grade sanction.

If an instructor reports your grade as an incomplete and the allegations of academic misconduct are not resolved within six weeks of the subsequent semester, the instructor has the option of extending the incomplete grade. If this occurs, your letter grade in the course will change from "I" to "IX." As noted in the above paragraph, this does not mean that the allegations of academic misconduct have been dropped or resolved. The "IX" simply means that your incomplete grade has been extended, and that your final grade in the course will be determined once the allegations of academic misconduct are resolved.

What happens after a case of alleged academic misconduct is reported to the Committee?

Once a case of alleged academic misconduct is received, the following series of events is set into motion:

• The Committee's Coordinator verifies that the allegations fall within the Committee's jurisdiction and determines the specific charges against the student (e.g., plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, use or attempted use of unauthorized material during an examination, etc.).
• The student is notified of the allegations of academic misconduct and the charges. The student is also notified that he/she has the right to review and/or obtain a copy of the information that lead to the allegations of academic misconduct.
• The student is invited to meet with the Committee's Coordinator to discuss the allegations and hearing process, and to ask any questions that he/she might have.
• All individuals scheduled for the hearing are notified of the hearing time and date.
• The hearing is held.
• The student is notified of the Committee's decision. If the student is found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," the student is notified of the sanction and the appeal process is explained.

What are academic misconduct "charges?"

When allegations of academic misconduct arise, a student often does not know or understand what he/she has allegedly done wrong. Since the Committee desires that the hearing process be an educational process, the Coordinator charges the student with violating the Code using terminology that explains the nature of the behavior that lead to the allegations. The information below includes most of the formal charges used by COAM when charging a student with academic misconduct. As the nature of some of the charges may not be clear to students or include several different types of dishonest behavior, some charges are described in more detail than others. If appropriate, the Coordinator of the Committee may develop charges other than those listed below to describe the allegations.

Plagiarism (submitting plagiarized work in fulfillment of an academic assignment): Plagiarism is the representation of another's work or ideas as one's own. It includes the unacknowledged verbatim use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas. For the purposes of academic misconduct, plagiarism of published resources (e.g., books, journals, etc.), the Internet, or other printed/electronic resources (e.g., course syllabi, instructors' manuals, etc.) is considered a violation of the University's Code of Student Conduct.

Alteration and resubmission of course materials in an attempt to change the earned grade or credit: This includes altering in any way a laboratory report, a writing assignment, an examination, a quiz, or any other course material after it has been graded and submitting it again for grading in an attempt to change the earned grade or score.

Forgery: This includes any instance where a student alters a University or other form (or record), or where a student produces and/or submits to a faculty member, instructor, teaching associate, or other University official a forged, counterfeited, or fraudulent form, document or other information. Examples of forgery include, but are not limited to:

Unauthorized alteration and/or use of any University or other type of form or document;

Counterfeiting or unauthorized copying of any University or other type of form or document;

Any action where a student attempts to misrepresent himself/herself as somebody else. This may take the form of:

• Forgery of a signature
• Establishing "bogus" email or other types of electronic messaging accounts or otherwise changing electronic messages in an attempt to misrepresent oneself;
• Acting as a substitute ("ringer") for another student during an examination or other course activity: The nature of this charge is self-explanatory.

Requesting that another student take your place during an examination or other course activity: The nature of this charge is self-explanatory.

Copying or attempting to copy the work of another student in an unauthorized manner and misrepresenting it or attempting to misrepresent it as one's own work: This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, one student copying or attempting to copy the work of another student, and it includes any form of copying (or attempting to copy), such as:

• One student copying or attempting to copy answers or information from another student during a test, quiz, or other course assignment;
• One student copying or attempting to copy another student's assignment with the intent of submitting it (or actually submitting it) as his/her own work;
• The type of information copied and the method used to copy the information are irrelevan.
• Unauthorized Collaboration/Collusion and the sharing of electronic files: This includes any instance where two or more students work together and/or share information (electronic files) in a manner that is unauthorized, deceitful, fraudulent, or in violation of course policy for completion of an assignment.

Possession and/or use of unauthorized materials during an examination or other course activity: The nature of this charge is self-explanatory.

Submission of work not performed in a course: This includes instances where a student fabricates and/or falsifies data or information for a laboratory experiment (i.e., a "dry lab") or other course assignment, or where a student submits data or information (such as a lab report) from a previous course to satisfy the requirements of the course in which he/she is enrolled currently.

Failure to comply with course/program policies and/or requirements (sharing of electronic files): This includes instances where a student fails to follow or otherwise subverts published policies and/or requirements for the course or program in which he/she is enrolled including, but not limited to, the sharing of electronic files to complete an assignment.

Engaging in activities that place other students at an unfair advantage, such as taking, hiding, or altering source material, altering source material, or manipulating a grading system. Examples of such dishonest conduct include, but are not limited to:

• Stealing reserved reading materials from the library;
• Stealing or altering the labels on laboratory (teaching or research) specimens;
• Stealing or altering the notes, laboratory reports, or other course assignments of another student.

What's the difference between "fair use" and plagiarism?

The doctrine of fair use allows the limited use of copyrighted material for certain educational, scholarly and research purposes without the permission of the copyright owner. It applies to any copyrighted material regardless of source, including the Internet. If you photocopy a page from one of your textbooks or print a page from a copyrighted Internet site for certain educational, scholarly or research purposes, your actions may fall under the doctrine of fair use. The copyright laws give you permission to copy the work (with certain limitations), even though the owner of the copyright did not.

Plagiarism is "the representation of another's work or ideas as one's own; it includes the unacknowledged word-for-word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas" (The Ohio State University Code of Student Conduct). This means that if you use another person's work when completing any academic assignment, regardless of whether or not it's copyrighted and regardless of whether it is paraphrased or a direct quotation, you must give that person appropriate credit (provide a citation and use quotation marks, if appropriate). If you use another person's work (intellectual property) and do not give that person credit, you are representing that person's work as your own.

Consider the following example:

Bill copied five pages of copyrighted information from an Internet site for his history term paper. When Bill pasted this information into his term paper, he did not use quotation marks and he did not include a citation. Bill was charged with plagiarism. During his hearing before the Committee on Academic Misconduct, Bill argued that what he did was acceptable under the doctrine of fair use and, therefore, he did not violate the University's Code of Student Conduct.

For purposes of copyright law, Bill's assertion regarding the doctrine of fair use may be correct. That is, the doctrine of fair use may allow him to copy and use copyrighted material in his academic assignments (with certain limitations) without committing copyright infringement. Moreover, the doctrine of fair use does not necessarily require Bill to use quotation marks or cite the source of the copied material.

However, Bill's assertion that he did not violate the University's Code of Student Conduct is incorrect. Because Bill did not use quotation marks and did not cite the source of his information, he passed this work off as his own. This is plagiarism. Even if Bill paraphrased the information that he copied (in which case quotation marks are not required) but did not cite it, it's still plagiarism. Thus, Bill did violate the University's Code of Student Conduct.

For an excellent resource on avoiding plagiarism please refer to…

What can I do to prepare for a hearing?

There are a number of ways in which a student can prepare for a hearing. When a student is notified of the allegations of academic misconduct, he/she is given the opportunity to meet with the Committee's Coordinator. If a student takes advantage of this opportunity, the Coordinator explains to the student the hearing process and answers any questions that he/she might have. (The hearing is held regardless of whether or not the student has a preliminary meeting with the Coordinator.) The Coordinator also informs the student of other ways in which he/she can prepare for the hearing, such as:

• A student may invite to the hearing an advisor or support person. This might be a friend, an academic counselor, or a parent, etc. The advisor is not permitted to participate in the hearing process (i.e., address the Committee), but the advisor may advise the student during the hearing. Students who are not proficient in English are welcome to invite a translator as their support person.
• A student may invite to the hearing any individuals who (1) may have witnessed the alleged academic misconduct and/or (2) may have information pertinent to the allegations of academic misconduct.
• Before the hearing students are encouraged to prepare a statement.  Statements must be submitted to the COAM office at least two working days prior to the hearing. The statement may be sent electronically to [email protected] or delivered in person. Statements should be no longer than two pages. Alternatively, the student may prepare a statement to present at the hearing (bringing six copies for the panel) rather than turn one in, in advance.  Students will be asked to present their views orally to the panel rather than read a written statement. If there are additional materials the student wishes to present they may be introduced during the student’s testimony at the hearing.  Additional materials not directly germane to the allegations may not be considered.
• A student has the right to question the instructor who has made the allegation of academic misconduct. In advance of the hearing, a student receives a copy of all the materials that were submitted by the instructor in support of the allegation of academic misconduct. Thus, a student has ample opportunity to review this material and develop any questions that he/she thinks might provide useful information for the Committee.

What if I cannot attend my hearing or I have a conflict?

The Committee on Academic Misconduct will not check your class or personal schedule before scheduling a hearing. Thus, it is possible that your hearing time will conflict with your class or personal schedule. If this occurs, you may request a continuance for "due cause." If this applies to you, please read the following carefully.

What is "due cause" (i.e., what will COAM accept as a justification for cancelling and rescheduling your hearing)?

• If you have a class assignment or activity for which you must be present (e.g., an examination or quiz) and which cannot be completed at another time.
• If you are working and cannot change your work schedule.
• If you will be out of town and cannot reschedule your trip.

What is not "due cause" (i.e., what won't COAM accept as a justification for cancelling and re-scheduling your hearing)?

• If you have a class scheduled during that time.
• If your advisor, support person or witnesses cannot attend at that time.
• If I elect to do so, how do I request a continuance? Your request for a continuance must be submitted in writing to the Coordinator of COAM at least two working days before the hearing is scheduled to take place. Requests received less than two working days before a scheduled hearing will not be considered. Your request must indicate why you are requesting a continuance, and it should also contain any necessary documentation to support your request (or, you should be prepared to provide such documentation, if requested to do so). For example, if you must work or take an examination, you should provide (or be prepared to provide) a letter from your employer or instructor. If your continuance is approved, your hearing will be rescheduled.

Please note the following if you are considering a continuance:

• You are entitled to only one continuance! If you request a continuance and the request is approved (i.e., your hearing is rescheduled), you will not be granted a second continuance for any reason. Thus, if you have a scheduling conflict that might be resolved in another way (e.g., by asking your instructor if you can take an exam or quiz at another time rather than rescheduling your hearing), COAM recommends that you try to resolve the conflict in this manner.
• If you request a continuance and it is approved, your hearing could be delayed. At best, a rescheduling of your hearing will result in a delay of at least two weeks (since we must give you 10 days notice). At worst, a rescheduling of your hearing could result in a delay of one or two months. Thus, requesting a continuance should be avoided if you want to resolve the allegations of academic misconduct as quickly as possible.

What kind of evidence will the panel consider during a hearing?

The procedures of the Committee are not as formal as those existing in a court of law, but they are designed to ensure fairness. Also, unlike decisions in a court of law, which must be based on evidence that is "beyond a reasonable doubt," decisions of the Committee are based on a "preponderance of the evidence." Students are presumed "not in violation of the Code," and, to ensure fairness, the panel will consider virtually any type of evidence that is submitted by the student or instructor as long as it is directly related to the allegations or charges at hand. In addition to the materials submitted by the instructor when the case is reported and any information provided by the instructor and/or student during the formal hearing, the Committee will consider:

• A written statement provided by the student at least two working days prior to the hearing; (see 'What can a student do to prepare for a hearing?')
• Statements provided by witnesses who attend the hearing;
• Written statements by potential witnesses who are unable to attend the hearing;
• Such statements must be authenticated in some manner (e.g., notarized or sent via a secure email account and must be germane to the allegations or charges at hand);
• Statements from individuals who are invited to the hearing by the panel or Coordinator and who have special expertise; and
• Other forms of evidence that the instructor and/or student believe might be appropriate as reviewed by the Coordinator.
• Supplemental materials presented at the hearing are subject to approval by the Chair of that day's hearing and time allowing.

What is the standard of proof used in academic misconduct hearings?

The standard or level of proof required to find a student in violation of the Code of Student Conduct is a preponderance of the evidence. Known also as a balance of probabilities or "greater weight of the evidence," a preponderance of evidence is defined as follows: "The greater weight of the evidence required in a civil (non-criminal) lawsuit for the trier of fact (jury or judge without a jury) to decide in favor of one side or the other. This preponderance is based on the more convincing evidence and its probable truth or accuracy, and not on the amount of evidence. Thus, one clearly knowledgeable witness may provide a preponderance of evidence over a dozen witnesses with hazy testimony, or a signed agreement with definite terms may outweigh opinions or speculation about what the parties intended" (Law.com).

Who attends a panel hearing?

In addition to the student, the following individuals are scheduled to attend a hearing:

• The hearing panel, which consists of at least four (4) members of the Committee on Academic Misconduct. Of these four members, at least two must be faculty members and one must be a student. Only members of the hearing panel vote to determine if a student is "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct" and, if the student is found in violation, the sanction.
• An advisor or support person and/or any witnesses invited by the student;
• The person who reported the allegation of misconduct, most often a course instructor. Teaching associates, graders, lecturers, etc., who may have information about the alleged misconduct, are also invited;
• A representative from the student's college of enrollment;
• The Coordinator for the Committee on Academic Misconduct; and
• Any other individuals who might be able to provide information that will help the Committee reach its decision.

What happens during a panel hearing?

To insure that a student understands why he/she has been called before a panel of the Committee, a hearing always begins with the panel's chairperson informing the student that he/she has been accused of violating the Code of Student Conduct, as well as the specific charges against the student (e.g., plagiarism). The panel's chairperson asks the student if he/she has received written notification of the allegations, if the student understands the allegations, and if the student agrees or disagrees with the allegations.

The individual who reported the allegations of misconduct (usually the course instructor) presents his/her evidence, and the student is then given an opportunity to present his/her side of the story (including the presentation of any witnesses). Members of the panel then ask questions of the instructor and/or student in order to get a better understanding of the situation that resulted in the allegation. During this time, the student and instructor also may ask each other questions. When the panel members, student, and instructor have no more questions, the student is permitted to present a final statement before the panel considers the evidence. The student and instructor then leave the hearing room.

The members of the panel discuss the evidence presented by the student and instructor and determine if the student has violated the Code of Student Conduct. If the student is found "not in violation of the Code," he/she is invited immediately into the hearing room and informed of the panel's decision. If the student is found "in violation of the Code," the panel determines an appropriate sanction. The student is then brought into the hearing room, and the decision is read.

What is an "administrative decision?"

If the student agrees with the allegations of academic misconduct (i.e., admits to violating the Code of Student Conduct), he/she may elect to have the case resolved as an administrative decision. The student must waive his/her right to a panel hearing, and the case is resolved without a formal hearing. The student may submit a written statement explaining his/her view of the alleged incident, and a hearing officer (a member of COAM) assigns the sanction. If a student elects to have an administrative decision, the only basis for an appeal is that the sanction imposed is grossly disproportionate to the violation committed. Since a hearing is not held, administrative decisions can be made and the case can be resolved quickly.

How long does it take to resolve an allegation of academic misconduct?

The time required to resolve an allegation of academic misconduct varies considerably among cases. The time required to resolve an allegation of academic misconduct varies considerably among cases. There are several things a student can do to assist in the process:

• Make sure that you have a current local address on file with the University Registrar. If you do not have a current local address on file, all materials regarding the allegations of academic misconduct will be sent to your home address. This often delays the notification and scheduling processes significantly.
• Once COAM is notified of the allegations, we will notify you by mail of the allegations. Once you receive this letter, you should telephone COAM's office immediately and schedule a pre-hearing conference. Pre-hearing conferences are scheduled on a "first-come first-served" basis, so the longer you wait the less likely you will be able to find a time that fits into your schedule.
• Once you are notified by COAM of the allegations, make sure that you notify COAM of any changes in your personal information (especially your mailing address).
• Prior to the pre-hearing conference, read the University's Code of Student Conduct and COAM's Procedures and Rules document. In particular, you should be aware that allegations of academic misconduct can be resolved via either a panel hearing or an administrative decision, and that the method you select could affect the length of time required to resolve the allegations.
• Hearings to resolve allegations of academic misconduct for students enrolled at any of the regional campuses are scheduled less frequently than for those students enrolled on the main campus and, therefore, tend to take longer to resolve. Thus, if you are enrolled at one of the regional campuses and charged with academic misconduct, you should take special care to follow the above suggestions and, thereby, minimize the amount of time necessary to resolve the allegations. If you elect to have a panel hearing, the hearing will be scheduled to take place on the regional campus at which you are (were) enrolled. However, you can request that a hearing be held on the main campus. Since hearings on the main campus are scheduled more often, having your hearing on the main campus could shorten the process dramatically.

What happens to a student if s/he is found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct?"

If the Committee on Academic Misconduct determines that the allegations of academic misconduct are supported by a preponderance of the evidence, the student is found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," and the student is sanctioned. The sanction consists of two parts, a disciplinary sanction and a grade sanction.

Disciplinary Sanctions

Any student found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct" receives a disciplinary sanction such as a letter of reprimand, disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal. The Committee views the hearing as an educational process, and in most cases it has no desire to interrupt an undergraduate student's academic progress. Thus, undergraduate students found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct" for the first time typically receive a letter of reprimand or disciplinary probation. In cases where the violations of the Code are egregious or the student has previous violations of the Code of Student Conduct, the Committee may suspend or dismiss the student.

Grade Sanctions

The Committee also authorizes a grade sanction to the course instructor. The severity of the grade sanction depends on the nature of the student's behavior and any mitigating or aggravating circumstances. The grade sanction can range from an authorization that the student receive a "0" on the assignment to an authorization that the student receive a final grade of "E" in a course.

If a student drops a course after being notified by the course instructor or the Committee on Academic Misconduct of allegations of academic misconduct, and the student is found subsequently to be "in violation" of the Code of Student Conduct and the authorized grade sanction is a failing grade (E, U, or NP) in the course, the student will be re-enrolled in the course in which the academic misconduct occurred and given a failing grade. This policy does not apply if (1) a student drops the course before he/she is notified of the allegations of academic misconduct or (2) a student drops the course after being notified of allegations of academic misconduct and the grade sanction is anything other than a failing grade in the course.

Can a student use the grade forgiveness rule if they are found “in violation of the Code of Student Conduct” and receives a grade sanction?

As long as the student meets the criteria for the grade forgiveness rule, the student may apply the grade forgiveness rule to any grade sanction including “E” by Action of University Committee. As stated in the "University Faculty Rules" dated February 25, 2021, the grade forgiveness rule ( Rule 3335-8-27.1 ) is as follows:

Undergraduate students may petition the authorized representative of the dean or director of their enrollment unit to repeat a course and, after completing the course the second time, have the original course credit and grade excluded from the calculation of the student's cumulative point-hour ratio, but remain on the student's official permanent record. This action will be subject to the following conditions:

• This rule may be applied for a maximum of three courses.
• Grade forgiveness used for a course during Exceptional Circumstances as defined in 3335-8-21 (L) will not count toward the three-course limit.

If you have questions about this information and how it relates to your specific situation, please contact your advisor.

• Academic Advising Information: https://advising.osu.edu/grade-forgiveness
• Grade Forgiveness Petition Form: https://registrar.osu.edu/secure/gradeforgiveness/

What happens if a student is found "not in violation of the Code of Student Conduct?"

If the Committee on Academic Misconduct determines that the allegations of academic misconduct are not supported by a preponderance of the evidence, the student is found "not in violation of the Code of Student Conduct." In such cases, COAM maintains a permanent list of the names of students found "not in violation." However, all records pertaining to such a case are destroyed one year after the case has been resolved.

Can a student appeal the decision of COAM?

If a student is found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," the student may appeal the Committee's decision. The appeal process is described in the Code of Student Conduct (3335-23-18) and the Committee's Procedures and Rules (Section 11). Students are informed of the appeal process when they meet with the Committee's Coordinator, when the Committee's decision is read at the hearing, and in the letter that they receive after the hearing. A student may appeal the Committee's decision based only upon one or more of the following grounds:

• Procedural error;
• Misapplication or misinterpretation of the rule alleged to have been violated;
• Findings of facts not supported by a preponderance of the evidence;
• Discovery of substantial new facts that were unavailable at the time of the hearing; and
• That the sanction imposed is grossly disproportionate to the violation committed.
• If a student elects to have a case resolved in an administrative decision, the only basis for an appeal is that the sanction imposed is grossly disproportionate to the violation committed (see Section 5 of the Committee's Procedures and Rules).

Each student is limited to one appeal, and the decision of the appeal officer is final.

How long does the appeal process work and what are the possible outcomes of an appeal?

If a student is found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," the student is notified in writing of the panel's (hearing officer's) decision. To appeal this decision, a student must submit his/her appeal to the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University (Office of Academic Affairs) within 5 days of the date on the letter that notified him/her of the panel's (hearing officer's) decision. As noted in the previous FAQ, the student's appeal must be based on one or more specific criteria.

If a student appeals, there is not another hearing to resolve the appeal. Rather, the provost or his designated appeal officer in the Office of Academic Affairs reviews all of the information relative to the case and determines if the student's appeal has merit. This review process can take several weeks to complete. Once the officer in Academic Affairs makes his/her decision, the student is notified of the decision.

If the officer determines that the student's appeal does not have merit, then the panel's (hearing officer's) decision and the disciplinary and grade sanctions are not changed. If the officer in Academic Affairs determines that the student's appeal does have merit, then the Academic Affairs has several options depending on the basis of the appeal and the circumstances of the hearing. These options include (but are not necessarily limited to):

• Overturning the decision (verdict);
• Sending the case back to COAM for a new hearing;
• Modifying the disciplinary sanction;
• Modifying the grade sanction.

What happens if I'm charged with academic misconduct during the spring semester and I'm not enrolled for autumn semester classes?

The Committee on Academic Misconduct does hold a limited number of panel hearings during the summer term. If a student has a pending case (e.g., from the previous spring semester), COAM will attempt to schedule a hearing to resolve this case during the summer term as long as both the student and instructor are available. If either the student or instructor is not available, the hearing will not be scheduled until the autumn semester.

If you have a pending case and are enrolled for courses during the summer term, we will assume that you are available for a hearing and attempt to schedule one. If we are able to schedule your hearing, we will notify you of the hearing date and time by mail.

If you have a pending case and are not enrolled for courses during the summer term, but you live in central Ohio, we will contact you via your OSU email account to determine if you would like to schedule a hearing for summer term. If you want a hearing, we will attempt to schedule one. If you do not want a hearing (or we are unable to contact you), a hearing will be scheduled for autumn semester.

If you have a pending case, are not enrolled in courses during the summer term, and do not live in central Ohio, we will assume that you are not available for a hearing during the summer term. However, if you are willing to return to campus for a hearing, you can request that a hearing be scheduled. Your request for a summer term hearing must be submitted in writing (email is acceptable, but it must originate via your OSU email account), and it should be submitted a least one month before you want the hearing scheduled. Because of COAM's limited hearing schedule during the summer term, there is no guarantee that such requests can be honored.

How are cases of alleged academic misconduct handled for students enrolled at the regional campuses?

With the one exception noted in the following paragraph, allegations of academic misconduct are handled the same for students enrolled at the main (Columbus) and regional (ATI, Lima, Newark, Mansfield, Marion) campuses. Thus, virtually all of the information in these web pages applies to students regardless of the campus at which they are enrolled.

The one exception is the location of the panel hearing. If a student is enrolled at a regional campus and elects to have a panel hearing to resolve allegations of academic misconduct, the hearing will be scheduled for the regional campus at which the student is (was) enrolled. However, the student does have the option of having the hearing on the Columbus campus. If the student wants his/her hearing on the Columbus campus, the student must make this request in writing to the Coordinator of COAM, and the request must be made before the hearing is scheduled on the regional campus.

Are cases of alleged academic misconduct involving undergraduate and graduate students handled the same way?

Under the University's and COAM's current rules and policies, cases involving undergraduate and graduate students are processed and resolved in the same way. If an undergraduate student is found "in violation" of the University's Code of Student Conduct, the student's enrollment college is not notified of the Committee's finding. If a graduate student is found "in violation," the Graduate School is notified of the nature of the violation and the sanction.

What records does the university keep relative to allegations of academic misconduct?

When students are found "not in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," COAM maintains a permanent list of such students' names. However, the Committee destroys all of its records that pertain to a case one year after the case is resolved.

If a student is found "in violation of the Code of Student Conduct," the Committee maintains records of the allegations and hearing according to its records retention policy. A record of the violation is also kept in the University's Office of Judicial Affairs. These records are confidential.

If a graduate student in found "in violation," the Graduate School is notified of the nature of the violation and the sanction imposed.

What information is entered in a student's "permanent record?"

If a student is found "not in violation," nothing is entered in the student's permanent record.

If a student is found "in violation" and his/her grade in a course is changed as a result of the Committee's grade sanction, the new grade appears on the student's transcript. However, there is no indication on the student's transcript that he/she received a particular grade as a result of the Committee's sanction. For example, if a student fails a course as a result of the Committee's sanction, there is no indication that the failing grade was a result of academic misconduct.

If a student is found "in violation" and the disciplinary sanction is a formal reprimand or disciplinary probation, notice of the disciplinary sanction is not entered in the student’s transcript.  If the disciplinary sanction is suspension or dismissal, a notation of the record action (e.g., "disciplinary suspension" or "disciplinary dismissal") is added to the student’s transcript.  Records of all academic misconduct violations are retained as part of the student’s conduct record by the COAM Office and are also reported to the student’s college office as well as the Office of Student Conduct (Office of Student Judicial Affairs).

How long does the University maintain academic misconduct records?

If the disciplinary sanction for violating the university's Code of Student Conduct is anything other than "dismissal," the university maintains a copy of a student's judicial records for 10 years. After 10 years, the student's judicial record is destroyed. If a student is "dismissed" from the university for academic misconduct, the university maintains a copy of the student's judicial record indefinitely.

After a case is resolved, what should I do with my records regarding the allegation?

Since the University maintains all of the necessary records pertaining to allegations and findings of academic misconduct, you may destroy all of your records following resolution of a case. Although you are not required under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to destroy your records of alleged academic misconduct, you should recognize that the FERPA regulations do apply to any records that you retain.

Who has access to the records of COAM hearings?

As with all students' records at The Ohio State University, the Committee's records are confidential. The student may access these records, and the student may give permission for others to view these records. University personnel have access to these records on a "need to know" basis.

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What should I do if I did someone else's homework a few years ago?

A few years ago, while I was working as a freelancer, I did something very stupid. On a freelancing website someone posted a few exercises about ordinary differential equations and asked someone to solve them (I don't remember the details exactly, but I think it's safe to assume it was their homework).

I did the project. That's the only time that I cheated and I regret it. Now I'm an undergraduate student and am thinking about going to graduate school and maybe even getting a job in academia after finishing graduate school (I dropped out of the school and just started the school this year, and that's why I'm still an undergrad).

What are the possible consequences of what I did and what should I do now? Should I tell it in my resume (for graduate school and possibly when I want to get a job in future) or just pretend it didn't happen or something else?

• 36 I don't understand. Why do you say you have cheated? It might not be very ethical to help someone to cheat but I don't consider what you did cheating. The situation is different if both the person who cheats and the person who enables the cheating are students and bound by an honor code. You were not a student. –  user9482 Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 11:15
• 4 If the only concern is that this issue returns back to you, I do not think someone can pin you down for helping a student's homework. Indeed, someone asked you to do it to earn money or something different, and you did it. You cannot check every time if a posted question on a website is for homework or not. If you did an online exam, however this can have maybe some consequences if you are in academia and this issue has been told to the Dean of the university etc. but I am not sure. –  optimal control Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 11:55
• 2 Related: Moral dilemma in unwittingly being paid to complete a student's work –  GoodDeeds Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 12:49
• 3 Also slightly related: Cheated on an exam when I was eight years old. Should I tell graduate admissions? –  GoodDeeds Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 12:50
• 23 To be meta about it, how do we know this question isn't OP's homework for some sort of Education Studies course ;-)? –  user128581 Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 11:32

5 Answers 5

Assuming this was several years ago and not a continuing pattern, the fact that you raise the question suggests you have learned something in the interim.

You should do precisely nothing about the old transgression. Someone else got a benefit they didn't deserve, but it was a small thing in their overall record. Likewise, while your actions can't be commended, I assume it was a small thing overall in your learning process.

Let it go. Let the past remain in the past.

• 4 It's not even certain that "someone else got a benefit"; it depends on whether that one homework assignment affected the course grade (which would be rather unlikely in my classes). –  Andreas Blass Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 16:16
• 1 We're also assuming that the work the OP submitted was, well, good ! But +1 for move on, and know how it feels, so the next time someone asks for "help", you can see what the outcome would be. –  CCTO Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 19:48
• 8 I have this mental image of a world in which we are tattooed with each of our sins. By the time we reach 40 there isn't room for the next one. Thankfully. –  Buffy Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 19:50
• 3 @Buffy If our sins were all were public, I think there would be many fewer of them. –  Kyle Jones Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 22:20
• 19 You cannot expunge the past but if you have learned from it and have determined not to repeat it, the matter is ended. Do not plague yourself with pointless guilt for one of life’s trivial learning experiences. –  Anton Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 22:21

This makes no sense at all. You didn't cheat. Eventually the supposed student may have cheated. You didn't have any obligations towards his school. The school doesn't have the power to forbid you from solving ODEs. There is no legal, moral or ethical dilemma here. But you may have or acquire enemies/adversaries and they may try to frame you. So you should never give ammunition to your potential enemies so never talk about this anymore.

• 6 By the way, who cares about homework? If a test is meaningful it must be done in a controlled environment with oversight to make sure nobody is cheating otherwise it doesn't really matter. –  Mandrill Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 5:25
• 3 I prefer this answer to Buffy's for the simple reason that OP is completely guessing about the ultimate use of this freelance assignment and inventing an ethical violation out of whole cloth. If someone posts a request for solving ODEs to a freelance site, OP is free to solve them, and he doesn't have to care what the client will use them for. –  tbrookside Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 13:19
• 18 Disagree: there are moral and ethical obligations to not facilitate cheating. The OP's behavior hardly seems like a major crime, but to say that it was entirely acceptable is too far. –  Nat Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 15:09
• 4 He contributed to cheating, and this is absolutely despicable. He also got paid for it (that is why he did it - it wasn't voluntary work). –  Peter Mortensen Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 20:33
• 3 "By the way, who cares about homework? If a test is meaningful... [etc.]" The instructor gets to decide that. Not you, not me, and not someone using motivated reasoning to argue their way out of an ethical transgression. Shades of "if they leave their door unlocked, they deserve to get robbed". –  Daniel R. Collins Commented Aug 29, 2021 at 13:55

As Jesus said, “Go forth, and sin no more.”

You're over-thinking this. Do nothing about it. It is entirely legitimate to answer peoples' questions on-line. If we had to screen all of on-line questions in regard to possible exams or quizzes, nothing would get done.

For future, though, of course, if the on-line questions demonstrate weak prior effort, and you suspect it's someone trying to get other people to do their work, sure, don'd buy in.

But it is not your job as a technical person to "police" peoples' requests to you for explanation of technical things. Sure, be a little aware of obviously cheat-y things, but that should not be your major occupation.

• 3 Disagree on "overthinking"; there's nothing wrong with thinking things through. Just like solving ODE's, once you have solved the problem once completely, the next time you see a variant the solution becomes more intuitive. If something is puzzling, intriguing or troubling, it's always better to think it through than it is to try not to think about it. –  uhoh Commented Aug 29, 2021 at 2:13
• 1 @uhoh, well, yes, but/and "with hindsight" there may have been no problem at all. Yes, good to think about it... to a point... etc. A significant point is that (in my observation) people who are concerned about good action worry a lot more about things than people who don't care. It's good to think about things, but it's not good to over-load oneself with unsolvable problems, etc. "Gosh, no simple answers..." –  paul garrett Commented Aug 29, 2021 at 2:23
• Personally I have always heavily loaded myself with potentially unsolvable problems, and occasionally I get lucky. However I would not recommend anybody else do so. :-) –  uhoh Commented Aug 29, 2021 at 2:31

Times are different. This is the age of the internet, and "The internet’s not written in pencil... it’s written in ink." 1

I think you should go find the post and screen-capture or archive it and record to the best of your knowledge your thinking at the time and reason(s) for participating in the forum.

It sounds like you participated for profit, and if it seems you've done this more than once now that you check, document it all, along with your notes now. They're not contemporaneous, but at least they can have a time stamp.

Once that's over, then you can forget about it knowing that in the event that you end up in a career path where people go look you up exhaustively, you can answer any questions credibly.

You might end up in a mathematics career in an institution where they do background checks or competing for a competitive position, or even running for political office some day.

If you have the notes, then even though you've taken the luxury of forgetting about it you still can produce the complete story. Background checks do not look for trivial imperfections so much as they look for potentially leverage-able information and things you may hope nobody ever finds out. Being open and forthcoming is the best way here.

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Is Homework Illegal In The United States?

When Horace Mann invented school, homework became an important part of it. But there is one question in students’ minds “is homework illegal? – because students have to do a lot of homework. They don’t have time to do other things. They want to play outside games and hang out with their friends. But teachers give them a lot of homework to do, and they have to complete it. 

In many American elementary schools, homework has been banned. Because they find it stressful, homework can affect students’ health by causing stomach and headaches issues. 

Homework is very time consuming and stressful for students. The homework issue is still debatable, but to be on the safe side, you have to be open-minded about it because, for many reasons, you could say it is illegal, and for some, it is legal. In this blog, we will start with is homework illegal.

What Is Homework?

Table of Contents

It is defined as an out-of-class task that teachers assign to the students to do at home. Students have to complete their homework at home. In the United States, a high school student will usually have several hours of homework per night. Homework is used to test students and see how they learn. It can also be used to make sure they understand their school work.

Why Is Homework Important?

Is homework illegal? Homework is important for many reasons. Here are some reasons why is homework important:

• It motivates students to structure their time wisely. And it also teaches students to take all responsibility for their work.
• Parents can also get the opportunity to work together with their students. Through that, parents can develop a strong relationship with their students. 
• Homework can teach students to solve their problems on their own. 
• Homework can help students to get ready for the next class.
•  It can help students organize their thoughts and prepare for tests and exams.
• It helps students understand a subject better and gives them a greater understanding of the material than they would get from just reading the chapter.

Is Doing Homework a Waste Of Time?

• Yes, it is a waste of time because they don’t have time to do other things when students do homework. Students only do homework when they come back home from school. Students should also have free time to enjoy life. Students should do other activities such as spending time with family, playing outside games, handing out with friends etc. 
• Many students take pressure to complete their homework every night, whereas they should relax their minds and body. 
• Many teachers don’t grade papers because they don’t have time as they are very busy designing lesson plans. 
• Homework can affects the performance of children. 
• Children should be students at school and children at home because, at home, students are children of parents. Parents should teach their children to be responsible at home as well. You can also read why homework is bad .

Why Should Students Have Homework?

Homework Motivates People To Do The Practice.

Many people believe that homework can motivate the discipline of practice. At the same time, homework can be boring and time-consuming compared to other activities. Homework helps students to make concepts more clear. It also gives them opportunities when they start their careers.

Homework Gets Parents Involved.

Homework is always a source of conflict between parents and children. Parents require their children to complete homework to develop discipline and get a good education. It allows parents to keep up with what children are doing in school. 

It Teaches Time-Management

Homework is not just finishing the assigned tasks. It can also develop time management skills when students require completing their homework on time. They have to make a schedule for their tasks. So they can finish their homework on time. 

Homework Allows For More Learning Time

Homework gives students more time to complete their studies. School hours aren’t always enough time for children to understand essential topics, and homework can counter the effects of time shortages, benefiting students in the long run, even if they don’t realize it.

What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Assigning Homework?

Advantages of homework.

Is homework illegal? There are many advantages of assigning homework . Here are some of the main advantages: 

• Homework can assist students in learning more material. 
• If students spend more time on their homework, they will be able to improve their learning better. 
• It can assist students in developing good study habits. 
• Homework can also prepare children for college and universities workloads. 

Disadvantages Of Homework

There are also many disadvantages to assigning homework to students. Here are some disadvantages of homework:

• For many students, homework is very stressful. They feel under pressure, and they will never have any free time. 
• Secondly, when students get more homework, it can be lead to cheating and academic dishonesty issues.
• Students have a lot of homework, that’s why they don’t have time for outdoor activities. you should also read why homework should be banned .

Is It Illegal To Do My Homework?

Is homework illegal? Legally, you don’t have to do your homework. No law enforcement body can arrest you for not doing homework on any day. But, schools have the right to decide what happens to a student who doesn’t complete homework. 

Homework is an important part of the learning approach in school. If you continuously ignore homework, you can be asked to leave the school. If your parents allow you to ignore homework, they can state their case to the school board and an attempt to get an exemption. But majorly, such cases result in a negative response and the child gets expelled from the school.

So, if you are refusing to do your homework and not breaking any state laws, you have no control over the school’s actions after refusing to do your homework. They have the authority to decide what they deem necessary in any situation.

Is It Worth Buying homework?

In my opinion, paying someone to do homework is beneficial. Because many students have a busy schedule and can’t do their homework on time, if you are one of them, I will suggest you take help from professional experts who can provide you with the best assignment solution.  

Many students get benefits from homework companies providers. Because they need free time for outdoor games, spending time with family, and hanging out with friends. Reputable homework companies always provide top-notch homework services within the given deadline. 

Is it illegal to do someone’s homework?

No! It is not illegal to do someone’s homework as you know that when we were young, our parents helped us with our homework. They helped us to do our homework on time and correct our mistakes. Even now, many students take help from professional experts. 

But When it comes to ethics, we should remember that students will be independent. When we do homework by ourselves, we can easily create other questions similar to the homework. And it helps us to explain to others and solve the homework ourselves.

This helps students in the long run with academics. And students learn to work well with little supervision. On the other hand, try to teach your friends similar tasks, and they can solve the homework themselves when you teach well to them. 

Can I Refuse For My Child To Do Homework?

Absolutely yes, you can refuse for your child to do homework. Because you have the legal right to put limits on your child’s homework time. 

Sometimes when students do a lot of homework it destroys family relationships. And also it increases the student’s anxiety. That’s why many people think that it times to make modifications. For this first, you should try to communicate with teachers and administrators. If that does not work, then you have legal homework rights. The legal right is also called a 504.

How Is Homework Harmful?

According to the research, when teachers give homework to the students they spend too much time on homework. Because they think that if they can’t complete their homework, then teachers will punish them. That’s why they spend too much time on homework at night. It may affect stress, physical health problems, and a lack of balance. 

Why Homework Should Be Banned?

Here are some reasons why homework should be banned :

• It is a waste of time for students.
• It can affect the student’s physical health
• Homework doesn’t provide student’s practical knowledge.
• Homework can also affect the student’s mental health.
• Many students start to hate studying because of homework.
• Homework force students to work like a robot
• It is very boring for many students 
• Homework doesn’t help students that much in the study.
• Homework can create the habit of memorizing concepts in the students.
• Many teachers give a lot of homework to the students
• Students have no time for other activities
• Students can’t spend time with family because of homework
• Many students lose their confidence when they can’t complete their homework on time.
• Many students start thinking of their teacher and parents as a villain

Conclusion (Is Homework Illegal)

We hope you enjoyed our blog post on whether homework is illegal or not. The bottom line is that it depends on the individual circumstances around your case. If you’re looking for someone who will provide you with the best homework help service , please visit calltutors. They have a large team of professional writers who are experts in many subjects.

FAQs Related To Is Homework Illegal

How is homework useless.

1. No efficiency  2. No productivity 3. No agenda

How is homework harmful?

According to the research, students who spend too much time on homework may affect more stress and physical health problems. According to the study, more than two hours of homework a night can be unproductive.

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Get Help Today: Toll Free: 855-338-5299 , Florida: 754-701-7014

Focused 100% On Education Law Matters

Accused of having someone else take your online class or an online test? Defense tips from an attorney for online students.

On Behalf of Asselta Law P.A. | Apr 17, 2018

You struggled in school and couldn’t get a good grade on an assignment, quiz, or test. Faced with getting a bad grade in class, you make a decision – you pay someone, pay a company, or ask a friend to do the online class. They accept your offer and complete the online work. Suddenly, the teacher wants to meet. They are accusing you of having someone else do work for your online class. What should you do? Read on for cheating defense tips from an attorney for online students.

Can I have someone else do work in my online class?

No. Schools view paying someone or even having a friend help you in your online class cheating.

The company who advertised doing my online class said it was not cheating.

Even though they call the people completing your work “tutors,” schools still consider it cheating. The school honor code is clear and the language regarding assignments, test, and quizzes most likely refers to all submitted work needing to be produced by the student. Using a service to do your work or having a friend help you can be considered a violation of the school’s honor code.

What will happen if I was caught having someone else do my online class?

The teacher will likely refer the situation to the academic integrity office. It is the job of the academic integrity office to investigate the cheating allegation. They will gather evidence and ask for your side of the story. If the academic integrity investigation shows there is evidence that cheating occurred, the student will have two options. They are as follows: T e ll the truth and accept the consequences

Consequences for a cheating violation could be as minor as a letter of reprimand up to a suspension or expulsion from the program.

Fight the cheating charge

If a student chooses to defend against the charge of cheating, this means they will appear before an academic integrity panel. This panel will hear both sides – the teachers evidence and your defense against the evidence.

I am being falsely accused of having someone else do work in my online class. What should I do?

False accusations can happen, and it is terrifying for a student facing a false cheating allegation. There are several reasons a student can be falsely accused of having someone complete work in an online class. The most common one? Unusual IP address logons to your online class under your username. Schools often look for IP addresses that are not near a student’s residence, in another state, or even in another country. There are defenses to this, but it requires a student to fight the cheating charge.

Recommendations from an experienced an attorney for online students

Hire a lawyer to help you defend yourself in the student disciplinary process. There are defenses for students accused of having someone else do their online class depending on the facts of the case. An attorney experienced in defending online students can help by creating a solid defense and even discredit the evidence used by the school. Online students can be at a disadvantage since they are a distance from the actual school. Having an expert help them fight the cheating charge can lead to a successful outcome.

Can you help all online students accused of cheating?

Yes. I help online students all over the United States fight accusations of cheating. Don’t take too much time to start building your defense. A well planned defense takes time. The faster an attorney for online students is involved, the greater your chance at success. Richard Asselta is an award-winning attorney who defends online students against academic dishonesty charges throughout the United States. Call Asselta Law today for a free consultation and start building your defense today. 855-338-5299 Click here to read what clients are saying about Richard Asselta on AVVO, a lawyer review website.

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Research into cheating at the college and university began in 1990 by Dr. Donald McCabe, one of the founders of ICAI. This research continues today, spearheaded by ICAI and its members.

McCabe’s original research and subsequent follow-up studies show that more than 60 percent of university students freely admit to cheating in some form.

In March 2020, ICAI researchers tested an updated version of the McCabe survey with 840 students across multiple college campuses. This work showed the following rates of key cheating behaviors:

• Cheated in any way on an exam

• Getting someone else to do your academic work (e.g. essay, exam, assignment) and submitting it as your own.

• Using unauthorized electronic resources (e.g. articles, Wikipedia, YouTube) for a paper, project, homework or other assignments.

• Working together on an assignment with other students when the instructor asked for individual work.

• Paraphrasing or copying a few sentences or more from any source without citing it in a paper or assignment you submitted.

*This includes data from 5 institutions including a private university, two large public universities, a small public university, and a small private liberal arts college

Rettinger, et al. (2020) in prep

Cheating in High School

McCabe also conducted surveys of over 70,000 high school students at over 24 high schools in the United States. This work demonstrated that 64 percent of students admitted to cheating on a test, 58 percent admitted to plagiarism and 95 percent said they participated in some form of cheating, whether it was on a test, plagiarism or copying homework.

More about Don McCabe’s surveys and statistics, including sources for these statistics, is available in his excellent book Cheating in College .

School Discipline

Do i have rights if i am suspended, expelled, or placed on an involuntary transfer.

YES. Under the California Constitution students have the right to an education 1 . That means that your school cannot take your education away from you without giving you due process, or in other words, following rules that protect your rights.

Please note this handout only covers general education discipline. If you are a special education student, meaning you have an individualized education plan (IEP) or 504 Plan, you have even more legal rights.

SUSPENSIONS

What is a suspension.

SUSPENSION is a form of school discipline which temporarily removes you from a class or from school. Your school may remove you from school grounds, a classroom, or place you in a supervised (“in-school”) suspension classroom separate from other students.

Can my school suspend me for anything?

NO. Your school can only suspend you for behavior explicitly listed in the California Education Code and only for your behavior at school or related to a school activity. This includes behavior at school, during school-sponsored activities, and on your way to and from school.

A school cannot suspend you for school absences or tardiness. A school also cannot suspend students below the ninth grade (in-school or out-of-school) for “willful defiance.” Starting on July 1, 2024, a school cannot suspend any students (grades TK through twelfth grade) for “willful defiance.” Willful defiance is generally defined as disrupting school activities or otherwise willfully defying the authority of school staff. This can include for example a student refusing to take off a hat in class.

Are there rules my school has to follow before it suspends me?

YES. Your school must first try other ways to change your behavior.  Examples of other ways a school might use are student or parent conferences, referrals to counselors, psychologists, or anger management programs, creating study or guidance teams, or making a referral for a comprehensive assessment 2 .Your school may only suspend you if those other ways don’t work, unless your behavior is violent or dangerous.

Do I have rights during the suspension process?

YES. You have the right to an informal pre-suspension conference with school or district staff, unless there is an emergency situation. You also have other rights during the process, including the right to tell your side of the story and present evidence in the conference before you are suspended.

Do I have other rights after a final decision of suspension?

YES. Your school must send a written notice of its decision to your parents or guardians. Your school cannot suspend you for more than five days in a row or for more than 20 total school days in one school year. You may have the right to appeal your school’s final decision, meaning someone else can review the final decision to see if it’s correct.

What is an expulsion?

EXPULSION is when your school district excludes you from attending traditional schools in your district.

Can my school expel me for anything?

NO. Your school can only expel you for behavior on school grounds or at a school-related activity. You cannot be expelled for “willful defiance,” or for causing serious physical injury out of self-defense 3 .

Your school MUST expel you only for the following “zero tolerance” behaviors: (1) possessing or selling firearms; (2) threatening another person with a knife; (3) selling a controlled substance; (4) attempting or committing a sexual assault; (5) possessing an explosive; or (6) inflicting serious bodily injury. If you are expelled for one of these offenses, you may still be placed on a “suspended expulsion.” This puts the expulsion on hold, but if you commit another expellable offense, you can be expelled without a hearing.

Your school MAY expel you for other behavior, but only those explicitly listed in the Education Code 4 .Your school must first try other ways to change your behavior. Examples of other ways a school might use are student or parent conferences, referrals to counselors, psychologists, or anger management programs, creating study or guidance teams, or making a referral for a comprehensive assessment 5 .

Do I have the right to attend school while I am waiting for my expulsion hearing?

YES. Prior to your hearing, your district must continue to offer you an educational program. However, if you have been recommended for expulsion and your school believes you would cause a danger in school or disrupt the typical school day, your school may extend your suspension until your hearing. If your school extends your suspension, you have a right to another meeting (usually called an “extension of suspension” or “due process” meeting). Your school can suspend you until your expulsion hearing, but you should still request that your homework be sent home.

Often schools give students a “stipulated expulsion” agreement. A stipulated expulsion agreement is usually a written document where the parent waives the student’s right to a hearing and simply agrees to have the student expelled.  By signing this agreement, a student is admitting that they violated the school code and will have an expulsion on their record. Such agreements are generally NOT in your best interest and should be looked at very carefully—consult with an attorney if you can before signing that agreement.

Are there rules my school has to follow before it expels me?

YES. You have the right to an expulsion hearing within 30 school days of the proposed expulsion, but you also have the right to postpone your hearing at least once if you want to, as long as you request that in writing 6 . Your school district will make its final expulsion decision after your hearing.

Your school district must also provide you written notice of your expulsion hearing date at least ten days before your hearing 7 . This notice should list the date and location of the hearing, the facts and grounds for the expulsion referral, your rights, and a copy of the district’s disciplinary rules for the alleged offense.

You have the right to request all of your student records and inspect any evidence the district plans to present against you before your expulsion hearing, including witness lists or written statements. Ask your district for these documents as soon as you can so that you have plenty of time to review them.

Do I have other rights during and after the expulsion process?

YES. You have many rights during your expulsion hearing, including:

• The right to appear in person at your hearing;
• The right to bring an attorney or other nonlegal advocate to help tell your side of the story;
• The right to confront and question any witnesses the school district brings;
• The right to present your own oral or written evidence and witnesses; and
• The right to neutral panelists (people who don’t work at your school site).

After an expulsion hearing, you have the right to a written final decision by the district board of education.

If you are not expelled then you won and almost always have the right to return to your school. The district cannot appeal a decision not to expel, meaning they cannot expel you again for the same incident.

If you are expelled , you have the right to appeal, which means to have the decision reviewed. Check with your local county board of education about appeal procedures and deadlines (usually 30 days). You should not be expelled for more than one year and may be able to return to your school after expulsion.

INVOLUNTARY TRANSFERS

What is an involuntary transfer.

An INVOLUNTARY TRANSFER is when a school district transfers a student to an alternative school against the wishes of the student or their parent or guardian. Schools have a lot of discretion in transfers, but there are important limits on their discretion.

What are alternative schools?

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS include county community schools, community day schools, and continuation schools. These schools may be beneficial for some students, but they generally do not provide the same educational or extra-curricular opportunities as traditional schools.

Do I have rights if I am involuntarily transferred to a county community school? 

YES. You may be involuntarily transferred to a county community school if you are expelled, referred by a School Attendance Review Board (SARB), or referred under court order.

You cannot be transferred to a county community school solely because you are a homeless or foster youth. You have the right to object to your transfer to a county community school if the school cannot meet your educational needs, you have safety concerns, or if the school is too far from the student’s home. Your school district also may not transfer you to a county community school that does not have space for you.

If you are transferred to a county community school based on a SARB referral, you have the right to return to your original school or another traditional school at the end of the transfer period 8 .

Do I have rights if I am involuntarily transferred to a community day school? 

YES. A district may only involuntarily transfer you to a community day school if you are expelled, on probation, referred by a School Attendance Review Board (SARB), or referred through a district level referral process. You cannot appeal a transfer to a community day school, but you can appeal an expulsion that led to your transfer. Check with your local county board of education for procedures and deadlines.

Do I have rights if I am involuntarily transferred to a continuation school? 

YES. A district may only involuntarily transfer you to a continuation school if you committed a violation of the Education Code, have been habitually truant or have had irregular attendance in your required classes 9 . Your district may only transfer you to a continuation school in the semester when the act occurred or the semester after.

Your district may not transfer you to a continuation school unless other attempts to change your behavior fail or your presence at school causes a danger to others or disrupts the typical school day.

Are there rights I can assert before and after a final decision to involuntarily transfer me to a continuation school? 

YES. You have the right to request a meeting with a representative of the school district superintendent before your involuntary transfer to a continuation school. You have the right to present your side of the story with evidence, advocates, and witnesses. No one from your school can be involved in the final decision to transfer. You have the right to a written notice of your district’s final decision. You have the right to return to a traditional high school the following year with consent of your district’s superintendent.

RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SCHOOL DISCIPLINE

• CA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPULSION MATRIX
• FIX SCHOOL DISCIPLINE RESOURCE
• PUBLIC COUNSEL 2013 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE GUIDE
• California Constitution, Article IX, sections 1 , 5 .
• See California Education Code sections 48900.5 , 48900.6 .
• California Education Code section 48915(a) .
• See California Education Code sections 48900 , 48900.2 , 48900.3 , 48900.4 , 48900.7 , and 48915 .
• California Education Code section 48918 .
• California Education Code section 48918 . 
• California Education Code section 1981 (b)(4) .
• California Education Code section 48432.5 .

Doing Other People's Homework For Money?

<p>Considering that there are so many smart people on this website, I was wondering if anyone does other students hw and gets paid. Today, I was in my french four class, and one of the seniors told me that if I did 3 of the french hw’s that she was missing she would pay me. I told her I would do it for $8.00, and she agreed. Its no skin off my back because I’ve already handed in the assignments awhile ago and its not like she is going to get a good grade on the hw because its already so late, so instead of an 100 she would get an 80. Anyway, does anyone else do this?</p>

<p>1) if they do, a public forum is a horrible place to admit to it. 2) as an accomplice, if the teacher finds out, you can be flunked 3) just no no and no. i hate when people ask me for my work</p>

<p>And I hate it when people ask me if he/she can copy my homework.</p>

<p>People charge?</p>

<p>What if you were offered sexual favors? Would you accept doing the person’s homework for it?</p>

<p>… </p>

<p>i guess if you don’t have morals and feel fine doing so.</p>

<p>Masterus, of course. Why would you even ask?</p>

<p>depends if they were good looking or not</p>

<p>cuz Masterus can’t get any.</p>

<p>Why not if its two willing parties then I don’t see the problem. Its mutally benefical.</p>

<p>What do you do if they don’t pay you? :P</p>

<p>$8 is way too little for doing this. If you’re going to do this, you have to play for value. I’d start at $20 per hour it’d take for them to do this, not you.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t do it. In middle school, I did charge 10 dollars once to this kid I never talked to for my science notes. </p>

<p>I’d never do anyone else’s homework, though, especially for money. I mean, I help my friends for free, but I don’t actually do it for them. That’s pretty low.</p>

<p>I won’t give her the hw, if she doesn’t give me the money. If this does happen again, i’ll charge her more lol, it only took me a half an hour to do though. so I made about 15 cents a sentence. hmm maybe I should make it a quarter a sentence. :)</p>

<p>Doing someone else’s hw is cheating, no matter how you spin it.</p>

<p>Doing someone’s homework for them is cheating, and, if you’re caught, you can forget about your ambitious plans for college.</p>

<p>^Exactly. blah10charblah</p>

<p>I once did my cousin’s, who goes to another school, lab report thing for $3 dollars. I felt like such a gigolo.</p>

<p>Last year in physics, my lazy friend paid someone $20 to do her webhw rofl.</p>

<p>i was offered to write a simple essay last year for $20. i ended up not doing it because i am lazy.</p>

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How Should Schools Hold Students Accountable for Hurting Others?

When there are incidents of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia or just plain bullying in a school community, what should a school do? What does justice look like?

By Nicole Daniels and Michael Gonchar

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 2021.

Are there ever incidents of racism, hate or bullying at your school? Do students ever use racial slurs or homophobic language, for example? How does your school deal with these situations? Is the response mostly punitive — in other words, does the school generally suspend, or even expel, offending students as punishment? Or is there ever any attempt to create dialogue between victims and offenders, to try to repair harm that was done and to facilitate healing? How effective do you think your school’s response is?

In “ This Is the Casual Racism That I Face at My Elite High School ,” Rainier Harris, a senior at Regis High School in New York, writes about what happened when he addressed racism at his school:

One afternoon last year, some friends and I were venting about the racist culture in school. A teacher heard our conversation and joined us. I am one of a handful of students of color at Regis; the students I was with were white and Hispanic. We felt comfortable with her and began recalling several racist incidents. I was completely surprised by her reaction. She was horrified and stunned that this was happening at Regis. When she asked me and my friends to identify the individuals behind the actions, I felt uncertain, given the response the administration had shown to a student the year before. At the end of my sophomore year, the school expelled a white student who made what he thought was a benign birthday message: he posted a picture of one Black friend instead of the other, “falling” into the “all Black people look alike” myth. He truly thought that it would be a funny, lighthearted post. Complicating this is the fact that the student also used the N-word with other white friends. He was asked to leave the school. This punitive approach to racist behavior seems to be commonplace in the Catholic schools that many of my friends attend. The protocol is simply to remove the one “bad apple,” and thus the racism is rooted out. I ended up naming the students, but I grew anxious afterward. I did not want them to be expelled. I felt that expulsions would do little to affect their behavior and would also place their lives and families in turmoil. My fears were allayed, however. Regis took a new and innovative approach that I know made a tremendous difference: restorative justice. Restorative justice “repairs the harm caused by a crime,” according to the Centre for Justice and Reconciliation. It involves a collaboration between victim and offender. The process is uncomfortable and tedious for everyone involved, but it leads to a transformative result. While restorative justice is often looked at through the lens of prison reform, I believe that it can play an especially effective role in schools around the country. Instead of expelling the offenders, Regis immediately scheduled a series of assemblies and classroom discussions. The school set up meetings with my parents and checked in with me every day to make sure I remained in a positive mental space. Administrators facilitated real dialogue between me and my main offender, a former friend who had used the N-word in front of me on several occasions. While the switch to remote learning happened before we could have a sit-down conversation, we were still able to speak to each other about what had happened and any misunderstanding we had of the situation. We talked at length over his thought process, and he even sent me a message apologizing and telling me exactly what it was he did wrong and that my frustrations were valid. I would have likely not had the chance to positively interact with him again, had he been kicked out of school, and he would no doubt have been embittered and less willing to talk to me as well. Restorative justice doesn’t allow an institution to simply remove the bad apples. It inspires solutions that achieve value and respect for everyone. It forces an institution to look at community-oriented solutions that make everybody uncomfortable, not just those who are involved. But it’s the only way real change can be made. “I’m sorry, Rainier,” my former friend said. “I didn’t realize why what I said was wrong. I didn’t know it was racist.” It felt like progress, as if I actually made a difference in his life.

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Law Office of Michelle Ball

Suspended Students May Have Right To Homework

Last Updated on August 6, 2024 by Michelle Ball

By Michelle Ball, Sacramento California Expulsion, Special Education, sports/CIF, College, Education and School Attorney/Lawyer for Students since 1995

It used to be that suspended students could not get homework unless their teachers decided they could. No longer. California law now provides that students suspended two or more days can get homework, IF the student or parent requests it.

What Law Mandates Homework During Suspension (if requested)?

For several years, the California legislature has been on a push to keep students in school who commit wrongs, to avoid suspensions if possible , and to instead use restorative justice and positive behavior interventions.

One of the legal changes to support these goals is in Education Code 48913.5 which states:

(a) Upon the request of a parent, a legal guardian or other person holding the right to make educational decisions for the pupil, or the affected pupil, a teacher shall provide to a pupil in any of grades 1 to 12… who has been suspended from school for two or more schooldays the homework that the pupil would otherwise have been assigned.

Homework during school suspensions is now available to students suspended two days or longer.

This means students suspended pending expulsion can get their work, and don’t have to rely on a teacher or administrator deciding to, maybe ( sigh ), give it to them.

Homework Must be Requested

When a student is suspended two or more days, to get homework, the parent or student has to actually take action and request the homework from the school. If no request is made for homework, there is no obligation to provide it.

So, this a student right, but only if actually used. If a parent fails to ask, the school does not have to do anything.

Timeframe to Complete Work

The law does not have a precise time specified when a student has to turn in the homework received during suspension. However, section 48913.5 indicates that work can be turned in upon the student’s return from suspension or within the original homework timeframe.

What that second part, “original timeframe” means, isn’t entirely clear. Does this mean if the student had a week to turn it in, they have another week? Or do they just have to turn the work in on the due date, even if it is 3 days from when they return? It is unclear.

Families may have to work directly with a teacher on when work should be submitted.

Late Work Penalty ?

The law does not address whether there may be a late penalty for work turned in. But, as the legislature granted students this right to complete and turn in homework while suspended, it is logical that there should be no late penalty.

Work That is Not Graded Prior to End of Semester

Section 48913.5 does indicate that if the suspended student’s homework is not graded before the end of the semester or term, it is not to be factored into the student’s overall grade .

Charter Schools Are Also Obligated to Provide Homework

The legislature mandated similar requirements in charter schools for students suspended two days or more. These charter school students also must be provided with homework while suspended if a parent asks, under a different section: Education Code 47606.2 .

The motto of this story is don’t forget to ask for student homework during suspension!

Michelle Ball is a lawyer for students, helping California families with problems in schools and colleges. As an attorney in Sacramento, she reaches families throughout the state, in Red Bluff, Cool, San Jose, Amador, Oakland, Granite Bay, and can assist throughout California.

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What To Do If You're Accused of Plagiarism/Cheating

The best rule for cheating and plagiarism: don't do it. but if you find yourself being accused, here's what to do..

Let’s just get this out of the way right off the bat. Don’t plagiarize. Don’t cheat.

Seriously, though, don’t do it. Not only does it devalue what you’re supposed to be learning and the hard work your peers are putting in, it’s completely and utterly against all colleges’ policies and rules. Violating a college’s academic honesty policies is no joke – most colleges have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to plagiarism and cheating, which can lead to your probation or expulsion. So again…seriously, do not plagiarize or cheat on any of your work, exams, papers, or projects.

But you wouldn’t be reading this article if you weren’t in some kind of trouble, so whether you did plagiarize/cheat or have been falsely accused of doing so, it’s imperative for you to know how to handle such a situation if it arises in your college career.

What to Do If Accused of Plagiarism?

Plagiarizing is taking someone else’s work and claiming it as your original work. This can take many forms. The most well-known (and easily recognized) way is copying someone’s paper / project or having someone else write your assignment for you. But copying pieces of material without giving credit or citations, using artwork you didn’t create or get permission to use, patchwriting , and paraphrasing ideas that aren’t your own without credit are all forms of plagiarism.

If you’ve been accused of plagiarism there’s a couple of key points to keep in mind:

1. Learn the School/Department’s Policy

Knowing your rights in this type of situation is vital for your defense against it. Are you being accused of direct plagiarism (i.e. directly stealing someone else’s work), self-plagiarism (reusing your own work), paraphrasing/patchwork plagiarism, unintentional plagiarism (poor or lacking citations), or something else? Keep in mind none of these are good, but the severity of what you are accused of matters…a lot. Blatant plagiarism will likely be dealt with very harshly, whereas accidental plagiarism might involve a heartfelt apology and minor punishment. Know what you’re accused of, what your school’s policy details might entail, and what the consequences are before you do anything.

2. Don’t Lie

Your professor has heard every excuse out there. They have software built for detecting plagiarism, instructors spend their entire careers learning this material, and they know from previous interactions how you talk, write, and think. Do you really think you’ll be able to get one by them? Lying about plagiarism is a sure-fire way for people to lose any feelings of leniency towards you. You’ll just tick them off.

3. Talk to Your Professor

Your professor is the first point of contact when being accused of plagiarism. Ask them to explain what they’re accusing you of and why they believe you plagiarized. They are also the ones most likely to grant you mercy (if you deserve it), so pay attention to what they’re saying, try to clarify if you can, and make sure you understand at the end of the conversation what they intent to do next – let you off with a warning, flunk you, report you to a higher authority in the school, etc.

4. References, References, References

Learn to reference and cite your sources. No one has ever gotten in trouble for over citing their sources. It’s perfectly fine if you reference someone else’s work in your papers, but give them proper credit in your project. Make sure you know your references and have them handy if accused of plagiarism. Showing where you got your information and how you accidentally didn’t cite something properly can go a long way in getting all charges cleared. Remember, instructors aren’t looking to bring someone up on academic dishonesty charges for a genuine mistake. If you can show where you made a good faith effort, you’ll likely just be given a warning.

5. Respect the Process & Ask for Mercy

If you get caught, do not (really, don’t do it) get defensive and aggressive. Being upset and defensive can get you into more trouble and create problems. Instead, be calm. Talk with your professor and/or dean calmly about your situation and learn what you need to do to plead your case. If you’ve plagiarized, there may be nothing you can do except accept the consequences of your actions, however, doing so in a calm and adult manner can only help you in the long run.

What to Do If Accused of Cheating?

Cheating on any academic work is unacceptable. Cheating is pretty self-explanatory for most people, but it can include looking at someone’s test/answers during an exam, using outside resources when they’re forbidden, stealing test answers off the internet, plagiarizing (which is a form of cheating), etc. So, what should you do if you are caught cheating?

1. Read and Learn the Policy

Sound familiar? Similar to plagiarism, it’s important to learn your school’s policy on cheating. It will tell you what the school defines as cheating and your rights. This can help you determine if you even have a case against the cheating charge you’re accused of committing.

2. Talk to Your Instructor

Be real—did you cheat? If you did, beg your instructor for mercy. They might not give it but it’s worth a shot. If you really, truly didn’t cheat, explain–calmly and rationally—the situation from your perspective. Try to give evidence in support of why you weren’t cheating. Do not become aggressive, angry, or shout at your instructor. Ask for their help in clearing you of this issue.

3. Ask If Your Score Can Be Thrown Out

Failing a class is better than getting in trouble for your entire academic career. You can ask you professor if they are willing to throw out the score or give you a zero on the test/exam/project you’re accused of cheating on. Keep in mind this might mean you risk failing the class, but that might be the best bad option. It’s easier to re-take a failed class rather than get kicked out of school.

4. Speak with the Administration about It

If this is your first offense and the severity of your cheating isn’t high, you may get a warning. There are many levels to this process – speak to an administrator or dean and understand the steps you’ll need to go through. Plead your case, ask for mercy, and show genuine remorse at your mistake. If you can show how this will never happen again (and mean it!) people will be more likely to give you a second chance.

5. Accept the Consequences

Colleges and universities have zero-tolerance policies for a reason. If you cheated (particularly if this is a 2 nd or more offense) you will likely have to accept the consequences of your actions. Try to do so responsibly and with contrition. You’ve come to college to learn and have a successful future, so cheating really isn’t the answer. But start now by making amends and take responsibility for your mistakes. It won’t clear away the problem right this moment, but it can turn things around for you down the road.

Plagiarism and cheating are serious, and the best way to not need any of this advice is to just not do it. College is about learning new things. Cheating your way to graduation is definitely going to harm not only your college career, but it can follow you into your job.

Author: Denisha Smallwood Denisha Smallwood is a Senior at Baruch College majoring in Accounting.