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Allegation of Academic Dishonesty
This form is to be used to record instances of student academic dishonesty, including but not limited to, acts of
cheating, plagiarism, attempts to help others cheat, obtaining prior knowledge of exams, etc. See the
Academic Integrity Policy
in the GGU catalog for a full description of academic integrity.
This form is not only to be used as a record; it is also a tool for you to help you evaluate the incident and the
student’s intent. Read through the entire form before using it for the first time, as it will orient you to the
process and procedure in use at the university. Each of the Nine Steps urges you to perform a specific action.
You are encouraged to contact the Director of Academic Integrity, Karen McRobie, to discuss your findings at
any point in the process: evaluating an incident, determining its severity, questioning a student’s statement in
self-defense, deciding on academic sanctions, and so on. Speaking with your program or department
chairperson is recommended, as well.
This form should be submitted to academicintegrity@ggu.edu
(or in hard copy via campus mail to Karen
McRobie) only after you have communicated with the student and conveyed the academic sanction, if any.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Identify the situation and players:
Student name:
ID#:
Course title, number:
Term:
Student Program:
Instructor:
2. Describe the incident (attach documentation, if needed):
3. Determine the severity of the alleged violation
Here are some examples:
A student was caught looking at an Internet site during an exam worth 30% of the course grade.
The directions stipulated that no outside sources could be used during the exam. This is more
severe than handing in a weekly homework assignment with a sentence copied uncited from a
source not listed on the reference page.
A student forwarded an electronic copy of a final course exam to classmates who had not yet
taken it, so that they might get higher grades. This is more severe than paraphrasing the textbook
without an attribution line in a short response on a quiz.
In response to a minor assignment accounting for less than 5% of the overall course grade, a
student submitted a portion of a paper that s/he had previously submitted in a previous course.
This is less severe than submitting a paper which was bought through a paper-writing business.
A student removed data from a data set so that all of the remaining data would support his thesis.
This is more severe than glancing quickly at the test paper of a student sitting in the next row and
not using any of the material the student saw.
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Use the following checklist to help you establish how severe the incident is by evaluating each
item on the scale below, choosing “1” if you believe it corresponds with the phrase on the left, “4”
if you believe it corresponds with the phrase on the right, and “2” or “3” if it’s somewhere in
between, in your judgment.
How severe was the alleged act of academic dishonesty?
Minor
Major
Weight of the assignment or exam:
Minor (10% or less of the final grade) ………………….… Major (more than 10% of the final grade)
1 2 3 4
Extent of the alleged violation:
Affected 5% or less of the assignment/exam …….. Affected 50% or more of the assignment/exam
1 2 3 4
Scope of the alleged violation:
Only the alleged violator was ……….......................................................… The alleged act affected
knowingly affected one or more classmates
1 2 3 4
Student intent:
The alleged act appears to have been …………………...…. The alleged act appears to have been
accidental intentional
1 2 3 4
Student belief:
Insists that s/he did not know it was wrong ……………… Claims to understand academic integrity
1 2 3 4
Student response:
Admitted to the act of academic dishonesty ……..… Denied having committed an act of academic
dishonesty
1 2 3 4
You:
Did not include the academic integrity policy ….……….. Included academic integrity on the course
on the course syllabus syllabus and reinforced it in class
1 2 3 4
As a faculty member, it is at your discretion to impose an academic sanction. Your choice of the
sanction should reflect the relative severity of the violation and whether the student acted in a
premeditated fashion, or erred due to ignorance or inexperience.
The lower the average for severity, the more likely it is that you will choose a milder sanction in
addition to filing the incident with the university. Why? You have probably identified a student who
is (1) unable to produce original work due to lack of experience or an extended absence from the
educational system; (2) from another culture, where verbatim copying is not prohibited; (3)
overextended and desperate to meet deadlines; or (4) a non-native speaker of English. Any
combination of the above, along with other factors not noted here, could cause a student to commit an
act of academic dishonesty that is not premeditated or malicious in intent.
The higher the average on the severity scale above, the more likely it is that you have identified a
student who not only planned to cheat and did so knowingly, but also in some way may have
compromised the integrity of others by acting dishonestly.
4. Impose academic sanction(s):
Warning warnings are not effective deterrents
Points deducted but partial credit given on the affected assignment/exam
Grade of F on the assignment/exam
Zero points on the affected assignment/exam
Final grade of F in the class
Other:
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At this point, if you haven’t already, you might want to discuss this situation with a member of the
GGU community.
5. Talk the incident over with (optional):
Name
Karen McRobie 415.442.6599
Barbara Karlin 415.442.7882
It is imperative to communicate with the student directly and establish that there is an allegation of
academic dishonesty and an associated sanction.
6. Record your communication with student (required):
Date(s): _______________
Result of communication:
Phone call
Student acknowledges the act of academic dishonesty
Email exchange
Student claims he/she did not know it was an act of academic dishonesty.
In person
Student denies having committed an act of academic dishonesty
Other:
The submission of this form to the Director of Academic Integrity prompts the establishment of a file
for the student. The student is sent a letter which reiterates the policy on academic integrity,
summarizes the incident as reported, and confirms the academic sanction. The letter also outlines
possible administrative sanctions in the event of repeated violations of academic integrity. You will
not know if the student you are reporting has been accused of academic dishonesty in the past, but that
information is available to the Director of Academic Integrity. Finally, the letter tells the student what
the appeal process is in the event that he or she contests the finding of academic dishonesty or the
severity of the sanction.
Faculty generally do not recommend administrative sanctions, which include administrative
withdrawal from the course, suspension for one or more terms, academic probation, loss of university-
based scholarship money and expulsion. However, it is sometimes deemed necessary for a student to
be withdrawn from a course as a result of academic dishonesty that results in compromised quality for
his or her classmates.
7. Recommend administrative sanctions:*
No administrative sanction unless this is a repeat offense
Recommend administrative sanctions as appropriate
Other:
* Recommendations are discussed at the dean level and higher, as needed.
8. Sign here:
Signatures
Instructor ________________________________________________________ Date ___________
Director of Academic Integrity ________________________________________ Date ___________
9. Submit this form: to Karen McRobie by campus or postal mail, 536 Mission Street, San
Francisco, CA 94105, in person in room 4338 at the above address, or electronically
academicintegrity@ggu.edu.