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Academic Integrity Appendices
Appendix A: Commitment to Academic Integrity Appendix B:Infraction/Consequence Suggestions
Appendix C: Guidelines for managing academic integrity infraction close to the end of the semester
Appendix D: Guidelines for communication when dishonesty is suspected
Appendix E: Forms
- Referral form
- Non Communication Form
- Informal Resolution Form
- Formal Resolution Charge
- Appeal of Academic Integrity Infraction Charge
Appendix F: Resources and support for students
Appendix G: The college point-person
As a student at UMass Amherst, I understand that I am part of a community of scholars that is strongly committed to academic integrity, which is defined as completing all academic work without cheating, lying, stealing, or receiving unauthorized assistance from any other person or using any source of information not appropriately authorized or attributed. As a community, we hold each other accountable and support each other’s knowledge and understanding of academic integrity and I am an integral part of that process. As a student, I accept my responsibility to complete all my work with integrity and will follow the Academic Integrity policy in my tenure as a UMass student.
| Suspected infraction | Suggested/reasonable consequence |
| Genuine misunderstanding | |
| Accidental, unintentional dishonesty where student clearly misunderstood guidelines or made a mistake. |
Conversation with student. Opportunity to resubmit work. No need to trigger in/formal process. Instructors will submit a referral to the Academic Integrity Office; this is not disciplinary and is not reported on, but rather is informative and serves to support data on patterns of mistakes/misunderstandings. |
| Evidence-based dishonesty | Informal resolution form must be submitted for the following examples |
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Clear academic integrity infraction on an assignment, including but not limited to copying from a digital source, attempting to submit the same work for two separate assignments, or submitting an assignment generated by an AI program. |
Conversation with student. Failure of the assignment. |
| Dishonesty on a quiz or other low-stakes assignment. |
Conversation with student. Failure of the quiz/assignment. |
| Dishonesty in requests for extensions oncourse work. |
Conversation with student. Conversion of grade to match course late assignment penalty and/or missed test/exam penalty. |
| Falsifying attendance. |
Conversation with student. Conversion of grade to match course policies connected to attendance/participation. |
| Dishonesty on a test, midterm, final exam, or other high-stakes assessment. |
Failure of test, midterm, exam, or other assessment; this may result in failure of the course. |
| Concerted effort by an individual to provide materials for low- to high-stakes assignments/assessments to other students without permission that facilitates dishonesty. |
Individual conversation with student(s). Failure of the assignment/assessment for all students involved (which may result in failure of course for some/all students involved). All information on student who coordinated the materials submitted via informal process; if the student is currently enrolled in the class, failure of course. If the student was enrolled in the class in a previous semester, close review of all work from previous semester, may result in retroactive failure of the course (with potential implication for degree progression) |
| Concerted effort by a group of students toprovide materials for low- to high-stakes assignments/assessments to other students without permission that facilitates dishonesty. |
Individual conversation with students. Failure of the assignment/assessment for all students involved (which may result in failure of course for some/all students involved). All information on students who coordinated the materials submitted via informal process; if the students are currently enrolled in theclass, failure of course. If the students were enrolled in the class in a previous semester, close review of all work from previous semester, may result in retroactive failure of the course (with potential implication for degree progression). |
| Dishonesty across courses | |
| Individual student found to be dishonest in multiple, varying assignments across multiple courses. |
All instructors are encouraged to follow the informal process and submit required documents to college point person and Academic Integrity Office. When there are multiple forms filed with Academic IntegrityOffice, referrals will be made to DOSO for further discussion. |
| Concerted effort by an individual or a group of students to provide materials for other students to cheat on assignments, by individual/group not enrolled in the same course. |
Conversation with student(s). Failure of the assignments for students enrolled in the course. Referral to appropriate college point person for student(s) who organized/disseminated the materials. All information on students who coordinated the materials submitted via informal process; if the students are currently enrolled in the class, failure of course. If the students were enrolled in the class in a previous semester, close review of all work from previous semester, may result in retroactive failure of the course (with potential implication for degree progression). |
| Dishonesty at end of semester (for student who is not graduating). |
Conversation with student(s). Begin process of informal resolution. If question of academic integrity cannot be resolved before final grade submission, confirm availability for/willingness to communicate during periods of non- responsibility. Document all communication, including when the conversation will continue. See Appendix C: Guidelines for managing academic integrity infractions close to the end of the semester for support on managing the timeline. Connect with advisor and/or college point person for any external considerations, including but not limited to financial aid, housing, degree progression, etc. |
| Dishonesty at end of semester (for student who is graduating). |
Conversation with student(s). Begin process of informal resolution. If question of academic integrity cannot be resolved before final grade submission, confirm availability for/willingness to communicate during periods of non- responsibility. See Appendix C: Guidelines for managing academic integrity infractions close to the end of the semester for support on managing the timeline. Connect with advisor and/or college point person for any external considerations, including but not limited to financial aid, housing, degree progression, etc. Communicate with Registrar’s office for degree conferral deadline. |
For all suspected infractions:
- Informal process must be attempted; if accepted by all parties, the informal resolution will be filed with Academic Integrity Office.
- If attempts to communicate with student(s) is ignored, the instructor will complete the Non-Communication form, will gather evidence of dishonesty and attempts at communication, and will submit to AcademicIntegrity Office. Consequence will be at the instructor’s discretion.
- Instructors will reach out to students at least two times before the student can be considered to be ignoring the attempt at communication.
- Instructors may choose to initiate communication in person (for example, before or after class); oncethe integrity process is started, all communication on the informal/formal process must be handled via email
- Instructors will reach out to students via email (and following UMass guidelines, will use their UMass email and write only to the student(s) UMass email).
- If informal process is rejected by the student, this will trigger the formal process.
- Via the formal process, students who fail courses due to academic integrity infractions will not be able to re-take the course for grade replacement (they may re- take the course for credit/degree progression, if needed as a graduation requirement).
- In cases of egregious behavior, where students cannot or choose not to re-take a course with the same instructor, and the course is needed for degree progression, departments will determine an appropriate substitute course.
Informal resolutions may be educative moments
Instructors are encouraged to supplement the informal resolution with proactive support that prevents future academicintegrity infractions. Resources for instructors can be found at the Center for Teaching and Learning; resources for students can be found at the Office of Student Success.
- Begin communication with student(s) as soon as possible
- Initial outreach will include clear ideal timeline for communication along with explanation/expectation of communication during period of non-responsibility and/or clarity on when process will begin again if there is no expectation for communication during period of non-responsibility.
- Begin the process of the informal resolution
- If the 10 business days/5 business days fits within the period of responsibility for instructors and prior to the final grade submission deadline, proceed with efficiency.
- If the informal resolution can be agreed upon, proceed with the directions as laid out in the Academic Integrity Policy. Final grade may reflect and/or be impacted by the agreed-upon informal resolution.
- If the informal resolution cannot be agreed upon, the formal resolution process will be triggered. Both instructor(s) and student(s) will communicate with the Academic Integrity Office on next steps, including a proposed timeline.
- For student(s) who are not scheduled to graduate: If the 10 business days/5 business days backs into the period of non-responsibility for instructors and may extend beyond the final grade submission deadline, be clear in either availability for communication during period of non-responsibility, or when the conversation will continue.
- If the student wants to handle the incident as soon as possible and will be available for communication during instructor’s period of non-responsibility, consider passing the case off to the college point person if the instructor does not want to pursue the process during period of non-responsibility.
- The instructor may suggest a consequence as part of the materials submitted to the college point person. The instructor will enter the “NR” grade. The NR grade is value-neutral and does not factorinto a student’s GPA, can be changed, and has no impact on housing, visas, or financial aid. The instructor will keep records on grades earned thus far in the course. If the college point person manages the informal resolution to completion, they will inform the instructor of the outcome and whether any grade may need to be updated. If the student refuses the informal resolution, this will trigger the formal process. The college point person will notify the instructor and the Academic Integrity Office and plan next steps, including a proposed timeline.
- For student(s) who are scheduled to graduate: If the 10 business days/5 business days backs into the period of non-responsibility for the instructor and may extend beyond the final grade submission deadline, be clear ineither availability for communication during period of non-responsibility, or when the conversation will continue.
- If the student wants to handle the incident as soon as possible and will be available for communication during the instructor period of non-responsibility, consider passing the case off to the college point person if the instructor does not want to pursue the process during period of non- responsibility.
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- The instructor may suggest a consequence as part of the materials submitted to the college point person. The instructor will enter the “NR” grade. The NR grade is value-neutral and does not factor into a student’s GPA and can be changed. If the college point person manages the informal resolution to completion, they will inform the instructor of the outcome and whether any grade may need to beupdated. If the student refuses the informal resolution, this will trigger the formal process. The collegepoint person will notify the instructor and the Academic Integrity Office and plan next steps, including a proposed timeline.
- Connect with advisor and/or college point person for any external considerations, including but not limited to financial aid, housing, degree progression, etc. Communicate with Registrar’s office for degree conferral deadline.
Guidelines for instructor communication
Recommended language for initial conversation:
When contacting a student to discuss suspected academic dishonesty, you should:
- Contact them within 10 business days of your discovery of the suspected dishonesty
- Send the message to the student’s UMass email address and include the word confidential in the email subject line
- Request a meeting with the student (phone, Zoom, in person) to discuss the situation
- Specify a deadline for response, noting they have at least 5 business days to respond
Suggestions for your message:
- Notify the student what you’d like to talk to them about specifically
- Include your availability to meet and preferred way to meet
- Include reference to the Academic Honesty Policy, and resources, such as the Academic Integrity Office.
- If you are contacting more than one student to discuss academic dishonesty, make sure to keep FERPA guidelines in mind.
Example message:
Your essay assignment #1 appears to violate the Academic Integrity Policy, as outlined in my syllabus. Several paragraphs appear to be plagiarized from one of the assigned readings.
I would like to meet with you to discuss this situation. I am available to meet during office hours, or we can schedule anappointment next week. Please respond to this message by [5 business days]. If I do not hear from you, I may file a formal charge with the Academic Integrity Office.
I also recommend that you review the Academic Integrity policy. You may also reach out to the Academic Integrity Office at @email for support.
Recommended language for students who ignore/neglect any communication outreach:
When following up with a student who has not responded to previous outreach attempts:
- Notify the students of your next steps
- Document any attempts to reach the student
- Suggest they contact the Academic Integrity Office with questions
Example message:
I contacted you on [date of last message] to discuss my suspicion that your essay assignment #1 violates the Academic Honesty Policy, asking that you return my message and schedule a meeting with you. Because I have not heard back from you by the deadline, I am moving forward with submitting a formal charge with the Academic Honesty Office. The Academic Integrity Office will contact you with more information.
I also recommend that you review the Academic Integrity policy. You may also reach out to the Academic Integrity Office at @email or support.
Recommended language for communicating with multiple students:
FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, protects the confidentiality of student records in academic environments. Student records related to Academic Honesty are protected under FERPA.
Instructors Should Not:
- Share information about a student’s academic honesty record with anyone (including instructors, other students, staff, etc.) other than the student without the student’s consent.
- Include names or other identifying information of other students on Academic Honesty forms or in outreachabout suspected Academic Dishonesty.
- Show or submit academic work of one student to another without first redacting the student’s name or other identifying information.
Some instances of academic dishonesty may involve multiple students. Instructors may prefer to speak with both (or all) students at once to discuss the incident and can do so if they first receive consent from the students. For example, if an instructor believes two students collaborated on an exam, the instructor should reach out to the two students separately and ask if they are willing to attend a meeting together, without sharing names or identifying information.If an instructor would like to send the same message to several students about potential academic dishonesty, the email should be free of identifying information and all students should be blind copied, so they do not see the otherrecipients of the email.
Example message:
Your essay assignment #1 appears to violate the Academic Integrity Policy, as outlined in my syllabus. Severalparagraphs appear to be plagiarized from another student in the course. I have also contacted that student to discuss thesituation.
I would like to meet with you to discuss this situation. I am available to meet during office hours, or we can schedule anappointment next week. Please respond to this message by [5 business days]. If you would like to discuss the situation with the other student, please let me know in your response that you are willing to attend a meeting together. If I do not hear from you, I may file a formal charge with the Academic Integrity Office. I also recommend that you review the Academic Integrity policy. You may also reach out to the AcademicIntegrity Office at @email for support.
Recommended language for communicating with overly persistent students
Students are often nervous or anxious to receive responses related to the Academic Honesty Policy/Process and may contact their instructor multiple times in a row, without giving reasonable time for their instructor to reply. Students may also continue to request additional conversations or information after an instructor has proposed an informal resolution or submitted a formal charge. When communicating with students who are persistent in theircommunication, it may be helpful to:
- Notify the student of your communication practices to set expectations for responses (for example, that you may take 24-48 hours to respond to emails, that you do not check emails on nights or weekends, that you willhave limited access during times of non-responsibility, etc.)
- Reiterate your next steps to the student and ask that they follow the policy guidelines
- Encourage the student to contact additional resources to help them navigate the process.
Example message:
Thanks for reaching out with your questions. Please note that I only check emails during business hours, and it may take 24-48 hours to receive a response from me.
During our last meeting, I proposed the informal resolution you received a copy of to sign. If you have additional questions about signing the form or the process, please contact the Academic Integrity Office at @email.If you decide you would rather not sign the informal resolution and go the formal charge route, please let me know by [deadline].
Referral Form
All referral forms are completed by Docusign and managed by the Academic Integrity Office. Below is a template of the content of the form:
Report of academic misunderstanding/mistake
Student name
Student Spire ID#
Student email
Student grad date
Course #
Semester/Year
Instructor Name
Instructor Email
Description of incident
Description of communication and clarification
Instructor signature, date
Student signature, date
Non Communication Form
All non-communication forms are completed by Docusign and managed by the Academic Integrity Office. Below is a template the of the content of the form:
Report of Academic Integrity Infraction – Non-Communication Form
Student name
Student Spire ID#
Student email
Student grad date
Course #
Semester/Year
Instructor Name
Instructor Email
Description of incident
Attempted resolution
Documentation of attempts at communication
Instructor signature, date
Informal Resolution Form
All informal resolutions are completed by Docusign and managed by the Academic Integrity Office. Below is a template the of the content of the form:
Report of Academic Integrity Infraction – Informal Resolution
Student name
Student Spire ID#
Student email
Student grad date
Course #
Semester/Year
Instructor Name
Instructor Email
Description of incident
Resolution
Instructor signature, date
Statement of consent:
I have been informed of the Academic Integrity Policy, including the right to a formal charge and theright to appeal formal charges of an academic integrity infraction. I agree to the resolution described on thisform. I understand that a record of this agreement will be maintained by the Academic Honesty Officeand that more than two such resolutions may result in a University Sanction Hearing.
Student signature, date
Statement on information:
For general information about academic honesty standards of the university’s policy you may contact the Academic Integrity Office at @email.
Formal Resolution Charge
All formal resolutions are completed by Docusign and managed by the Academic Integrity Office. Below is a template the of the content of the form:
Report of Academic Integrity Infraction – Formal Charge
Student name
Student Spire ID#
Student email
Student grad date
Course #
Semester/Year
Instructor Name
Instructor Email
Integrity process information
Was an informal resolution attempted Y/N
Date of initial contact with the student about grade/assignment in question
Has the student been informed of the Academic Integrity policy and the right to appeal? Y/N
Describe the incident (you may attach files on the next page or email to @email)
Attached any necessary files (If using the fillable PDF, please include any necessary files as attachments when submitting the form to @email via email)
Describe your intended sanction and rationale (if recommending a University Sanction, specify the duration):
Note: Sanctions may not be implemented, and grades may not be submitted until you have been notified by the Academic Integrity Office. Please submit an NR grade to the Registrar’s Office if grades are due.
Appeal of Academic Integrity Infraction Charge
Student name
Student Spire ID#
Student email
Student grad date
Course #
Semester/Year
Instructor Name
Instructor Email
Basis of appeal (Describe the grounds on which the charge of academic integrity infraction or the sanction(s) are being appealed. Include all evidence that will be presented at the hearing [by attaching this form or emailing to @email], including the names of any witnesses).
Did you review all the available materials at umass.edu/honesty, including the Academic Integrity Policy andGuide for Students to prepare for this process? Y/N
I understand that after submitting this appeal, a hearing will be scheduled based on my course schedule, within 15 business days of the receipt of the appeal. Y/N
Student signature, date
Academic Advisors
When faced with allegations of academic integrity violations, students are encouraged to be proactive in their communication with instructor. If/when students have concerns about the process, they are encouraged to communicate with their academic advisor; all advisor contact information can be found on a student’s Spire homepage. The academic advisor cannot arbitrate any academic integrity violations, but can provide information on proactive communication with instructors and resources for student support. The academic advisor may consider including the Director of Academic Advising (DUA), department head/chair, the college academic dean and/or the college point-person in communication as well.
Ombuds Office
Undergraduate students: Student Government Association and/or Conduct advisors
Graduate Students: Graduate Student Government, Student Legal Services
Each college/school/area (hereafter: college) will have point-person(s) for Academic Integrity who can be available to support instructors working through the academic integrity process. The college point-person(s) will be AssociateDean(s) and this work will be assigned by the college Dean. With respect to the volume of cases in each college, the Dean may choose to divide this position up in ways that make the most sense for each college, including but not limited to a point-person tasked with undergraduate education and one tasked with graduate students or point persons assigned to particular departments/majors within the college.
The college point-person will be familiar with the academic integrity policy and will be able to guide individualinstructors through the process. In instances where individual instructors cannot see the process through on their own, the college point-person can operate as their designee and will take on the leadership of the process. Examples include, but are not limited to, instructors teaching large lecture classes with a high number of cases of suspected violations where following the process will pose an undue burden on their teaching effectiveness, or cases of suspected dishonesty with a high degree of tension between student(s) and instructors which may also include code of conduct violations. The college point-person will consult with the instructor on all facets of the process.
For any course where there is a suspected academic integrity infraction, the process will follow the instructor and the college where the course is housed. In courses where there are students from multiple colleges, the point person for the college that houses the course will be the main contact point.
Instances of academic integrity infractions may vary widely across colleges; the college point person for each college may seek support from other colleagues, particularly at times of high need.