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Academic Misconduct Code Violations

  1. Unauthorized Assistance: Unauthorized collaboration and/or accessing or using unauthorized materials, information, tools, or study aids. Also, allowing another person to submit work or participate in academic requirements on one’s behalf, or assisting another to engage in any form of academic misconduct. 

  1. Misrepresentation: Misrepresenting another’s material as one’s own, including using another’s words, results, processes, or ideas in whole or in part without giving appropriate citation or credit. Includes acts of plagiarism. 

  1. Fabrication: Providing false information in fulfillment of an academic assignment, exercise, publication, or another requirement, including making up data, sources, efforts, events, or results and recording, reporting, or using them as authentic. 

  1. Reuse of academic work: Using the same academic work, in part or entirely, for credit more than once, unless specifically authorized by the instructor receiving the reused work. Includes reusing previously graded work when retaking a course. 

  1. Misuse of instructional content: Recording and/or disseminating instructional content, including course exams, or other intellectual property, without the express written permission of the instructor(s) or intellectual property owner, or as permitted by their Campus Disability Coordinator.  

Resolution of Academic Misconduct Allegations

Academic misconduct is prohibited by university policy. The resolution of an allegation of academic misconduct is managed, in accordance with applicable policy by the instructor and the respective college, school, or campus academic integrity committee. After this resolution of the alleged violation, the case is referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response for recordkeeping and consideration of whether student conduct action plan is appropriate. The student conduct process does not allow for a reconsideration of the finding of an academic misconduct violation.

  1. Upon receipt of an academic misconduct violation referral, the Senior Director will determine whether it is appropriate to apply an Action Plan (see Section V., 5.) after considering the following:
            a. The nature and severity of the academic misconduct.
            b. Any recommendation of administrative sanctions from the instructor, or the campus or college.
            c. Whether the Respondent has previous academic misconduct violations.
  2. When the Senior Director decides it is appropriate, the Respondent will receive notice of that decision which includes the assigned Action Plan.
  3. When the Action Plan includes suspension or expulsion, the Respondent may submit a student conduct appeal to consider whether the action plan imposed was appropriate for the violation(s). Neither a finding of academic misconduct nor an academic sanction is considered a student conduct action and are not eligible for appeal through the student conduct appeals process.
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Academic Misconduct Procedures
Penn State Student Affairs
Student Accountability and Conflict Response
Location

120 Boucke Building 
University Park, PA 16802
StudentConduct@psu.edu