ACADEMIC INFORMATION

SCHOLASTIC OFFENSES

Scholastic Offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Plagiarism, which may be defined as "The act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one's own mind." Excerpted from H.C. Black, Black's Law Dictionary, West Publishing Co., 1979, 5th Ed., p. 1035.

    This concept applies with equal force to all assignments including laboratory reports, diagrams, and computer projects.

    Students wishing more detailed information should consult their instructor, Department Chair, or their Dean's Office. In addition, they may seek guidance from The Dartmouth Handbook on Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement, Dartmouth College, Hanover New Hampshire, 1968, copies of which are available in the University libraries.

  2. Cheating on an examination or falsifying material subject to academic evaluation.
  3. Submitting false or fraudulent assignments or credentials; or falsifying records, transcripts or other academic documents.
  4. Submitting a false medical or other such certificate under false pretences.
    1. Improperly obtaining, through theft, bribery, collusion or otherwise, an examination paper prior to the date and time for writing such an examination.
    2. Unauthorized possession of an examination paper, however obtained, prior to the date and time for writing such an examination, unless the student reports the matter to the instructor, the relevant Department, or the Registrar as soon as possible after receiving the paper in question.
  6. Impersonating a candidate at an examination or availing oneself of the results of such impersonation. Impersonating a candidate at an examination is also an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.
  7. Intentionally interfering in any way with any person's scholastic work.
  8. Submitting for credit in any course or program of study, without the knowledge and written approval of the instructor to whom it is submitted, any academic work for which credit has previously been obtained or is being sought in another course or program of study in the University or elsewhere.
  9. Aiding or abetting any such offence.

Procedures for Handling Scholastic Offences

An instructor who suspects a student of cheating, plagiarism or other scholastic offence has an obligation to investigate. Normally, the instructor will discuss the allegation with the student and examine all relevant evidence, including evidence that the student may provide in his or her defence. If the allegation cannot be supported, no further action will be taken. If the instructor concludes that an offence has occurred, he or she shall consult with the Department Chair* or designated undergraduate officer (or, in faculties without departmental structure, with the Dean of the Faculty in which the course is taught) to review the evidence and to determine an appropriate penalty. This consultation is to provide consistency in the application of penalties. In determining a penalty, the instructor, Chair, designate or Dean, as the case may be, may take into account the specific circumstances of the offence.

Penalties imposed at the level of the department may range from a reprimand to a failing grade for the course in which the offence was committed. The Chair or designate (or Dean in faculties without departmental structure) shall also inform the student in writing of the penalty to be imposed. This letter will draw the student's attention to the Offence Record policy (see below) and to the student's right to appeal, as outlined in the section on STUDENT ACADEMIC APPEALS (Pointer). A copy of the letter from the Department or Faculty of Health Sciences School will be sent to the Dean of the student's home Faculty.

If the instructor, Chair or designate (or Dean in faculties without departmental structure) considers that the offence warrants a more severe penalty the matter will be referred to the Dean of the student's home Faculty who will review the evidence provided by both the department and the student and may investigate further. The Dean will also review any existing Offence Record for the student in question. Following that review, the Dean will determine the penalty or penalties to be imposed and will so inform the student in writing. The Dean's letter will draw the student's attention to the Offence Record policy and the student's right to appeal.

* In the Faculty of Health Sciences, "School Director or his/her designate" replaces "Department Chair or designated undergraduate officer", with the following exception. In the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) program, which is independent of any School affiliation, the School Director or his/her designate is replaced by the Chair of the BHSc Standing Committee.

Offence Record

The offence record will be held in the Dean's Office of the student's home Faculty and will be kept separate from the student's academic counselling file. It will contain evidence collected in the investigation of the offence, together with copies of any correspondence with the student. If a student is subsequently found not to have committed the offence in question, the record of that charge will be destroyed. Apart from the student, no one outside the Dean's Office shall have access to an offence record, except in the event of an appeal by the student to SRBA against the decision or the penalty (or penalties) imposed.

Scholastic Offences by Graduate Students

An instructor who suspects a graduate student of cheating, plagiarism or other scholastic offence has an obligation to investigate. Normally, the instructor will discuss the matter with the student and examine all relevant evidence, including evidence that the student may provide in his or her defence. If the allegation(s) cannot be supported, no further action will be taken. If the instructor concludes that an offence has occurred, he or she shall consult with the student's advisor/supervisor, the Graduate Program Chair or Director and, where the graduate program and academic department coincide, with the Department Chair. The chief purpose of this consultation is to determine an appropriate penalty, taking into account all of the circumstances of the case. Before informing the student of the penalty to be imposed, the Graduate Program Director will consult with the Dean of Graduate Studies. As is the case for undergraduate students, the Dean may review the case, taking into account the student's offence record, if any, and may require further investigation and/or impose additional penalties in the same manner as described above.

Release of Information Concerning Scholastic Offences

The letter informing a student that he or she has been found to have committed a scholastic offence, and the penalty or penalties imposed is a confidential document. Copies will be sent only to involved parties (instructor, Chair, designate, Dean of Faculty in which the course was taught and the Dean of the student's home faculty).

In the event that the penalties imposed are to be reflected in the student's academic record, either on the official transcript or the internal electronic record, a copy will be sent to the Registrar. If a student transfers to another Faculty, or to an Affiliated College of this University, that Faculty or Affiliated College may request that the offence record be transferred to the Dean's Office of that Faculty or College. The letter informing the student of the penalty shall also indicate that the offence record may be sent to another Faculty or Affiliated College within the University should the student transfer from one to another. This letter will also indicate to the student if there is to be a notation on the academic record.

In addition to the exception noted above (i.e., for students transferring between undergraduate Faculties) information may be released with the written permission of the student or if required by a court order. Under all other circumstances, the information contained in a student's offence record shall be considered confidential and, unless the offence is to be recorded on the student's transcript, no information about the student's offence record shall be provided to any person or institution outside the University.

Academic Calendar
ACADEMIC INFORMATION
ACADEMIC POLICIES / REGULATIONS
ACADEMIC RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
STUDENT ACADEMIC APPEALS
REQUESTS TO INSTRUCTOR, DEPARTMENT CHAIR, AND FACULTY DEAN

[Previous] [Parent] [Next]

[Table of Contents] [Index]
[Courses by Subject] [Courses by Name] [Awards by Category] [Awards by Name] [Calendar Search]