Sanctioning Guidelines for Violations of Academic Integrity

When submitting an academic integrity form, instructors must recommend an academic outcome for the alleged violation(s) that reflects the severity of the violation. The following provides context to help instructors make those recommendations. None of the information below supersedes expectations and requirements that instructors will submit an academic integrity form when they suspect/have evidence for an academic integrity violation. Reporting is essential for interventions with repeat offenders and improvements to the academic integrity process. However, instructors may consider the following information when forming their recommendation(s) for academic consequences. 

To determine the severity of the alleged violation, instructors may consider the following:

  • the student's intent (if possible), including their familiarity with academic integrity expectations and the amount of instruction the student has had on the alleged misbehavior
  • the percentage of the assignment/assessment affected by the alleged violation
  • the value of the affected assignment/assessment on the course grade
  • the impact of the violation on others
  • how long the student has been a Penn State/college student

After considering the severity of the violation, instructors should consult the information below to determine their recommendation. Note that recommendations should be specific outcomes (e.g., redo the assignment) and not severity descriptions (e.g., Minor).

Violation Categories
(not an exhaustive list; not mutually exclusive) 		Additional Considerations Recommendation Suggestions by Violation Severity
Unauthorized Assistance

Examples:

  • use of a prohibited aid or source
  • prohibited collaboration
  • allowing another to fulfill academic requirements on one's behalf
  • providing prohibited assistance

If a student providing prohibited assistance does their own work honestly or receives no academic benefit from assisting another, recommend only a response from the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response on the Academic Integrity Form.

You may submit an AI form for a student who is not enrolled in the affected course.

Minor: Redo and/or reduced assessment or assignment grade with/without an integrity warning (see below)

Moderate: 0% on the assessment or assignment with/without a reduction in course grade

Major: Course grade of "F" or "XF" (see below)

Misrepresentation

Examples:

  • submitting another person's work as one's own without attribution
  • submitting work created by generative technology without attribution
  • copying or adjusting another's image, idea, concept, data, or information, in whole or part, without attribution
  • altering a graded answer in attempt to gain an academic advantage
If research misconduct is suspected, the Research Misconduct staff should be consulted before submitting an Academic Integrity Form. Minor: Redo and/or reduced assessment or assignment grade with/without an integrity warning (see below)

Moderate: 0% on the assessment or assignment with/without a reduction in course grade

Major: Course grade of "F" or "XF" (see below)

Fabrication

Examples:

  • using false information in academic work, including quotes, data, results, sources, and citations
  • lying to gain an academic advantage or makeup opportunity
If research misconduct is suspected, the Research Misconduct staff should be consulted before submitting an Academic Integrity Form. Minor: Redo and/or reduced assessment or assignment grade with/without an integrity warning (see below)

Moderate: 0% on the assessment or assignment with/without a reduction in course grade

Major: Course grade of "F" or "XF" (see below)

Reuse of Academic Work

Examples:

  • self-plagiarism
  • using the same work, in part or entirely, to gain credit more than once without the permission of the current educator
  • reuse of the same work when retaking a course or assessment without the permission of the current educator
  • reuse of work completed at another academic institution
If research misconduct is suspected, the Research Misconduct staff should be consulted before submitting an Academic Integrity Form.

Many students are not aware this is a problem. Even when intentional, the student is submitting their own work for grading.

Minor: Redo and/or reduced assessment or assignment grade with/without an integrity warning (see below)

Moderate: 0% on the assessment or assignment with/without a reduction in course grade

Major: Course grade of "F" or "XF" (see below)

Misuse of Instructional Content

Examples:

  • recording or sharing instructional content, assessments, or intellectual property without permission
  • sharing assessment questions without permission
  • sharing educator-created materials without permission
You may submit an AI form for a student who is not enrolled in the affected course.

The Campus Disability Coordinator may allow students to record and share some instructional content.

Recommend only a response from the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response on the Academic Integrity form.

Please note the following:

  • An Integrity Warning alerts the student that a procedural change is necessary to avoid future academic integrity violations and harsher consequences but has no impact on the student's academic progress. This recommendation is most appropriate when the alleged academic integrity violation is both minor and unintentional.
     
  • Requests for reduced assessment grades should include specific information about the reduction (e.g., 5%, 15 points, etc.)
     
  • Requests for a reduced course grade should be specific (e.g., One letter grade, 5% of the course grade, etc.). Educators may consider reductions that are equivalent to the value of the affected work (e.g., the student violated on work worth 5% of the course grade, so I am recommending a 0% on the assignment and an additional 5% reduction in course grade).
     
  • The grade of "XF" reflects a failing course grade and indicates the failure is due to academic misconduct. Requests for the "XF" are appropriate when the student has multiple academic integrity violations within the same course or the violation is egregious (see AAPPM policy G-9) AND the student's course grade will be/become an "F", at least partially because of the academic consequences for the violation. The duration of the "X" portion of the grade is determined by the academic integrity committee.
  • On rare occasions, an academic integrity committee may remove a student from their major program.
  • Policy AAPPM policy G-9 provides a mechanism for students to appeal the "X" portion of the "XF" grade and/or program removal.

Instructors may also consider their recommendation within the context of the other consequences students face when they have an academic integrity violation. Students who accept responsibility for an academic integrity violation/who are found responsible for an academic integrity violation: 

  • Lose the opportunity to drop/withdraw from the affected course. Note: AAPPM policy G-9 provides a narrowly defined exception, but most students do not meet the criteria. Instructors who think that the student should be able to drop the course should contact their academic integrity administrator/committee chair.
     
  • Lose eligibility for the Dean's list for the semester or, for part-time students, the 12-credit cumulative period during which the violation occurred (see AAPPM G-8).
     
  • Lose the opportunity to elect a Pass/Fail for the course (see AAPPM G-6) AND the opportunity to apply the grade forgiveness policy to the course (see AAPPM H-2).
     
  • May receive an educational intervention or administrative sanction from The Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response (OSACR). Administrative sanctions may include a Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion. Instructors who want to recommend an administrative sanction to OSACR for an academic integrity violation should contact their college/campus academic integrity administrator/committee chair.
     
  • May face additional consequences from their home/major program if that program has a Senate-approved retention requirement related to ethical behavior and/or academic integrity.
     
  • May face additional consequences from The Schreyer Honors College (SHC) if they are SHC students (see https://www.shc.psu.edu/academics/index.cfm).

Updated 2/7/2023