Any violation of academic integrity is a serious offense and
is therefore subject to an appropriate sanction or penalty. Academic integrity
violations at Rutgers University are classified into two levels called
nonseparable and separable. Nonseparable violations are less severe violations
for which the possible sanctions do not include suspension or expulsion from
the university; separable violations are more severe violations for which the
possible sanctions include suspension or expulsion. Whether a given violation
is classified as nonseparable or separable depends on a number of factors
including: the nature and importance of the academic exercise; the degree of
premeditation or planning; the extent of dishonest or malicious intent; the
academic experience of the student; and whether the violation is a first-time
or repeat offense. 1. Nonseparable Violations
Nonseparable violations are less serious violations of
academic integrity. They may occur because of inexperience or lack of
understanding of the principles of academic integrity and are often
characterized by a relatively low degree of premeditation or planning and the
absence of malicious intent on the part of the student committing the
violation. These violations are generally quite limited in extent, occur on a
minor assignment or quiz, or constitute a small portion of a major assignment
and/or represent a small percentage of the total coursework. Below are a few
examples of violations that are most often considered nonseparable, at least
when committed by an undergraduate student as a first-time offense. This list
is not exhaustive and classification of a given violation as separable or
nonseparable is always heavily dependent on the specific facts and
circumstances of the violation.
- Improper citation without dishonest intent.
- Plagiarism on a minor assignment or a very
limited portion of a major assignment.
- Unpremeditated cheating on a quiz or minor
examination.
- Unauthorized collaboration with another student
on a homework assignment.
- Citing a source that does not exist or that one
hasn't read on a minor assignment.
- Making up a small number of data points on a
laboratory exercise.
- Signing in for another student via attendance
sheet or clicker in a course in which attendance counts toward the grade.
However, an alleged second nonseparable violation shall be
treated as an alleged separable violation. Moreover, some violations that would
be considered nonseparable for an undergraduate student may be treated as
separable for a graduate student [In this policy, the term graduate student
refers to postbaccalaureate students pursuing advanced degrees of any type or
enrolled in a graduate course or courses. The term also includes students in
the advanced stages of a professional program that leads to a master's or
doctoral degree without conferral of a baccalaureate degree.].
Sanctions for nonseparable violations include, but are not
limited to, one or more of the following, and do not include suspension or
expulsion:
- Required participation in a noncredit workshop
or seminar on ethics or academic integrity.
- An assigned paper or research project related to
ethics or academic integrity.
- A make-up assignment that may be more difficult
than the original assignment.
- No credit for the original assignment.
- A failing grade on the assignment.
- A failing grade for the course.
- Disciplinary warning or probation.
2. Separable Violations
Separable violations are very serious violations of academic
integrity that affect a more significant portion of the coursework compared to
nonseparable violations. Separable violations are often characterized by
substantial premeditation or planning and clearly dishonest or malicious intent
on the part of the student committing the violation. Below are some examples of
violations that are most often considered separable. Again, the list is
certainly not exhaustive and classification of a given violation as separable
or nonseparable is always heavily dependent on the exact facts and
circumstances of the violation.
- A second nonseparable violation.
- Substantial plagiarism on a major assignment.
- Copying or using unauthorized materials,
devices, or collaboration on a major exam.
- Having a substitute take an examination.
- Making up or falsifying evidence or data or
other source materials for a major assignment, including falsification by
selectively omitting or altering data that do not support one's claims or
conclusions.
- Facilitating dishonesty by another student on a
major exam or assignment.
- Intentionally destroying or obstructing another
student's work.
- Knowingly violating research or professional
ethics.
- Any violation involving potentially criminal
activity.
Sanctions for separable violations include, but are not
limited to, one or more of the following, and may, but need not, involve
suspension or expulsion:
- A grade of XF (disciplinary F) for the course.
- Disciplinary probation.
- Dismissal from a departmental or school honors
program.
- Denial of access to internships or research
programs.
- Loss of appointment to academically based
positions.
- Loss of departmental/graduate program
endorsements for internal and external fellowship support and employment
opportunities.
- Removal of fellowship or assistantship support.
- Suspension for one or more semesters.
- Dismissal from a graduate or professional
program.
- Permanent expulsion from the university with a
permanent notation of disciplinary expulsion on the student's transcript.
The recommendations for sanctions at each level are not
binding, but are intended as guidelines for the university community. For both
nonseparable and separable violations, the severity of the sanction imposed
should be proportional to the severity of the violation committed.
Sanctions for a given violation may be imposed differently
on those with more or with less experience as students. Thus violations of
academic integrity by graduate students [In this policy, the term graduate
student refers to postbaccalaureate students pursuing advanced degrees of any
type or enrolled in a graduate course or courses. The term also includes students
in the advanced stages of a professional program that leads to a master's or
doctoral degree without conferral of a baccalaureate degree.] will normally be
penalized more severely than the same violations by inexperienced undergraduate
students. In particular, violations that would be considered nonseparable for
an undergraduate student may be treated as separable for a graduate student.
Some professional schools or programs may have codes of
professional conduct with customary sanctions for violations thereof that may
be more severe than those recommended under this policy. These schools or
programs have the responsibility to educate their students about their
profession's code of professional conduct. Students are responsible for
understanding the requirements of the code of professional conduct for the
particular professional program in which they are enrolled and the penalties
for violating that code.
