What is Academic Misconduct?

Key Takeaways:

• Academic misconduct refers to gaining, attempting to gain, or helping others gain unfair advantages in school.
• Consequences range from having to re-do the assignment to expulsion, depending on the severity.
• Students accused of academic dishonesty can appeal their instructor’s decision.

Flickr user David A Ellis

Academic misconduct, which includes plagiarism, falsifying data, and more, is when you are accused of breaking a school’s code of conduct to gain an unfair academic advantage, either for yourself or others. Cheating now might seem easy, but the consequences can be severe – and could even lead to expulsion. If you’ve been accused of academic misconduct, here’s what you need to know about the potential consequences, how you can appeal the decision, and your options for removing it from your academic record.

What Is Academic Misconduct?

Academic misconduct, also known as academic dishonesty or fraud, relates to the concept of gaining, attempting to gain, or helping others gain unfair advantages. It goes against the idea of academic integrity and the code of conduct that schools make students sign before attending. Some schools may also call it an “honor code violation.”

Your mind likely jumps to plagiarism or cheating on a test, but there are actually many other types of infractions that could reflect on your academic record. Here are some examples:

• Plagiarism: If you take someone else’s ideas, essays, or other content and pass them off as your own, either purposefully or accidentally, you committed plagiarism. Reusing past assignments or copy/pasting ChatGPT replies, especially without citations, are two examples.
• Cheating: Students can cheat on homework, papers, tests, and even college admissions. Some examples include letting someone copy your essay, pre-programming calculators, or using artificial intelligence (AI) for math homework.
• Impersonation: If you impersonate another student (or someone impersonates you) to take an exam, you’re guilty of impersonation, a form of cheating. Some schools now require you to present student IDs before turning in tests.
• Fabrication of information: The joke goes, “73.6% of statistics are made up.” However, making up or altering statistics, data, or facts on your coursework can result in serious consequences.
• Damage/theft of property: Stealing someone else’s books, notes, projects, or properties, such as tablets or laptops, is academic misconduct.
• Buying or selling tests: Teachers and professors often reuse exams from year-to-year. Buying tests to memorize the answers or selling them to help other students is a form of cheating.
• Classroom misconduct: Acting out in class can find its way onto your academic record. In some cases, the teacher or professor may prohibit you from entering the classroom.
• Altering application documents: Forging a professor’s signature, submitting fake recommendations, or altering your grades transcripts on college applications, is committing academic fraud. If caught, the school will likely reject your application.

What Are the Consequences of Academic Misconduct?

The consequences of academic misconduct depend on the school, its policies, and the situation. The more severe the infraction, the more likely you’ll receive a severe consequence.

In high school, you could receive a “0” and have to re-do the assignment. The teacher may also write you up, send you to detention, and involve your academic advisor or the principal. Repeated instances could cause the school to suspend or expel you.

The consequences for academic misconduct in college are usually less forgiving. Professors expect you to know that it’s wrong to plagiarize, fabricate data, or cheat. Depending on the severity, you could:

• Receive a “0” and have to re-do the assignment
• Be required to attend a meeting with the dean
• Automatically fail the class
• Receive a suspension or be expelled from college
• Impact your reputation and career
• Receive a notation on your official transcripts
• Lose scholarships or financial aid
• Be placed on academic probation
• Have to attend an honor code course or program
• Face a review of your past assignments for other violations

Serious offenses follow you. Academic misconduct can make it to your high school academic record, which you’ll have to report on your college applications. In turn, this could affect your admission chances.

Honor code violations in college also makes it difficult to transfer schools, earn a degree, attend graduate school, or even find a job. In some niche fields, your infraction could be big enough news that potential employers won’t consider you for a position.

What Should I Do If I’m Accused of Academic Dishonesty?

If you’ve been accused of academic dishonesty or similar in college and you believe you’re innocent, you can contest it. The process depends on the school, but generally you can follow these steps:

1. Try to fully understand the situation. At this stage, you need information. Why are you being accused? Why do you believe you’re innocent? What are the consequences?
2. Review college regulations. Your college should have guidelines that outline what constitutes academic misconduct, including the code of conduct you signed in your first year. Read them over. They should also provide details on the exact process for contesting the allegation.
3. Talk to your instructor. Politely ask for a meeting with your professor or teacher to discuss the situation. You can share your perspective and better understand theirs. After the meeting, your instructor might withdraw the allegation.
4. Go above your instructor. In the event your instructor doesn’t agree with you, you can go above them, usually to the department head. You can also talk to your academic advisor, school’s ombudsman, and academic integrity department for further advice.
5. File an appeal. If mediation doesn’t correct the issue, you’ll likely have to file an appeal with the academic integrity department. You might have to attend a hearing to discuss the case.
6. Document anything that could help your case. Go into meetings with all the relevant information to back up your case, and keep a running list of who you talked to, when.

You might also want to consider hiring a lawyer if you’re facing expulsion. If you’re still found guilty after an appeal, you can ask for lesser repercussions.

What Should I Do If I’m Accused of Academic Dishonesty in High School?

If you’re accused of honor code violations during high school and you believe you’re innocent, your first step is to meet with the teacher. You can also talk with your parents, guidance counselor, and the principal. Just like college, you may be able to argue your case.

If you’re guilty of the accusation, being honest, explaining the situation, and asking for a second chance or lesser repercussions could keep the misconduct off your record.

Do I Have to Report Misconduct on College Applications?

College applications ask about students’ academic conduct during high school. If you have any serious infractions on your transcripts or record, you need to be honest and report them on your applications.

Keep in mind, you don’t have to report everything you got in trouble for. Colleges don’t care if you were occasionally late to school or left stinky socks in a random locker as a prank. You only have to explain “serious” offenses during high school – generally offenses you received significant punishment for, such as suspension or expulsion.

While it may be tempting to lie on this portion of the application, don’t. It’s better to be honest from the beginning. Trying to hide it reflects worse on your character than telling the truth and taking ownership of your actions. Even if your honor code violation isn’t reported on your transcripts, colleges could find out if you lied and rescind their acceptance offers.

You’ll have space to explain the offense with context. Avoid giving excuses or blaming others. Keep to the facts and highlight that you understand it was wrong and explain what you’ve learned from this.

Having academic misconduct on your application doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be rejected from all colleges. Many schools don’t even read that response and if they do, they don’t weigh it heavily if you otherwise have a stellar application.

If you’re not sure what you should and shouldn’t include under the disciplinary action sections, talk to your academic advisor or guidance counselor before you submit your applications.

How Can I Remove Misconduct Off My Application?

You generally can’t remove misconduct off your high school academic records that are submitted with your college applications. You usually need to appeal the decision before it appears on your transcripts. If you’re found guilty, your best option is to be honest on your application.

It’s also difficult to remove honor code violations off college records. However, some colleges will remove the violation if you complete an honor code program and/or you don’t repeat the offense.

High schools and colleges have their own policies regarding honor code violations, academic misconduct, reporting, and appeals. Read over these guidelines to explore your options.

If you’re ever struggling with an assignment, avoid honor code violations. It’s much better to be honest and ask for help. If you’re facing an academic misconduct violation, appealing the decision could keep it off your academic record.

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