Policy & Procedures : Student Success : UMass Amherst

The Academic Honesty Policy defines our collective responsibility as a university community to uphold and maintain academic integrity. The Faculty Senate, the representative body responsible for faculty and librarians in university planning and governance, creates and maintains the Academic Honesty policy.

The Academic Honesty policy provides a campus-wide standard for academic integrity. But specific guidelines for what is permitted may vary from class to class and even assignment to assignment. For example, collaboration on homework assignments may be permitted in one computer science course, but not in another. It is crucial that instructors communicate academic integrity standards for their courses clearly with students both in class and on their course syllabi, and that students ensure their understanding of academic integrity standards for each course they take.

The policy prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty and is applicable to all students and instructors participating in academic classes, programs, and research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Matters of dishonesty related to paid research completed under a Principal Investigator employed at UMass fall under the UMass Amherst Research Misconduct Procedures.

View the Full Academic Honesty Policy

Procedures

The Academic Honesty process begins when an instructor suspects academic dishonesty has occurred. Any suspicion of academic dishonesty from other parties (i.e., other students, instructors, staff, etc.) may be reported to the instructor of record to initiate the process.

The Academic Honesty policy requires that instructors who suspect academic dishonesty first notify the student and request a meeting to provide an opportunity to understand and respond to the allegation(s).

The student must be contacted within 10 business days
The student must be contacted through their UMass email address
The instructor must request a meeting with the student (phone, Zoom, in person) to discuss the situation
The student is allowed at least 5 business days from the initial outreach to respond
The instructor should specify deadline for response (at least 5 business days)

After the initial outreach, there are three outcomes, pictured below:

Infographic explaining the academic honesty process with three paths: discuss & resolve, informal resolution, and formal charge, detailing steps for each approach.

Outcome 1: Discuss & Resolve

Outcome 2: Informal Resolution

Outcome 3: Formal Charge

After initial outreach to the student, an instructor may file a formal charge of academic dishonesty within 15 business days of any of the following:

The student, after 5 business days, has not responded to any outreach attempts
The student and instructor agree that academic dishonesty occurred, but cannot agree to a description and penalty (i.e., an informal resolution cannot be reached)
The student denies the allegation of academic dishonesty, but the instructor still believes the policy has been violated
The instructor wishes to impose a University Sanction*

*For more information about sanctions, including University Sanctions, please view our Guide for Instructors.

A Formal Charge allows the student the option to officially appeal the suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Formal Charge form requires instructors submit a description of the incident, any evidence they would like to submit, and their intended sanction to resolve the incident of academic dishonesty.

When an instructor submits a formal charge, the Academic Honesty Office notifies the student, sends them the form and any submitted materials, and informs them of the 10-business day deadline to appeal the charge.

If the student does not appeal the formal charge, the instructor is notified that they may implement the intended sanction, and the charge becomes part of the student’s conduct record.

If the student does appeal the formal charge, the Academic Honesty Office will schedule a hearing, where both the instructor and student will present their case to a panel of Academic Honesty Board members.

Formal Charge Appeal Hearings

When a student appeals a formal charge of academic dishonesty, the matter is resolved at a Formal Charge Appeal Hearing. During these hearings, a panel of members of the Academic Honesty Board review information presented by both the instructor and student to make a formal finding on the outcome of the case.

Before the hearing, the instructor and student each submit materials for the panel members to review. These materials typically include the course syllabus, information about the academic exercise (paper, exam, etc.), a copy of the academic exercise, statements related to the suspected incident of academic dishonesty, and any other relevant evidence or information that may help the panel decide on the case outcome.

During the hearing, both the instructor and student have 10 minutes to present to the panel, and 10 minutes to give a closing statement. Panel members may ask questions to better understand the presentations or submitted materials.

After the hearing, the panel privately deliberates on the hearing outcome. The Academic Honesty Office will communicate the finding to the instructor and student. When the panel upholds a formal charge, the instructor may implement the sanction, and the charge becomes a part of the student’s record. When the panel dismisses the formal charge, the instructor must grade the student accordingly, and the charge is not recorded.

For more information about hearings, including who can be present at the hearing, please view the Academic Honesty Policy.

Multiple Instances of Academic Dishonesty

The Academic Honesty Office keeps records of any informal resolutions or upheld formal charges a student acquires during their time at UMass Amherst. If a student has accumulated three or more academic honesty resolutions, the Academic Honesty Office is required to schedule a hearing to address the matter.

Hearings that address three or more findings of academic dishonesty are known as University Sanction Hearings. Unlike typical Formal Charge hearings, which are designed to address whether an act of dishonesty occurred and a reasonable consequence, University Sanction Hearings are to address a pattern of confirmed cases of academic dishonesty. In this process, students face additional sanctions, ranging up to suspension.

The student will be invited to the University Sanction Hearing and granted an opportunity to present their case to a representative of either the Dean of Students Office or the Graduate School and a panel of Academic Honesty board members. The outcome of a University Sanction Hearing becomes part of the student’s conduct record.