If you encounter or suspect academic or non-academic misconduct, read this page and contact either your course coordinator (if you're a TA) or the GI Coordinator (if you're a GI) before taking action.
This page contains the following sections:
- What are academic and non-academic misconduct?
- Promoting academic integrity and preventing misconduct
- What to do if you suspect or find misconduct
What are academic and non-academic misconduct?
What is academic misconduct?
The following are some of the most common instances of academic misconduct:
- Cheating on exams
- Plagiarism
- Unauthorized assistance on an assignment
- Unauthorized re-submission of a work
- Violation of exam regulations
For a full list of academic and non-academic offences and a detailed description of how to deal with them, see the University’s Policy 71—Student Discipline.
If you detect academic misconduct, you must deal with it (see What to do if you suspect or find misconduct below). Although an instance of academic misconduct may seem slight, unintentional, or isolated, keep in mind that not dealing with cases may in the end lead to harsher consequences for the student when it is detected in another context and that it is impossible to detect if a student is exhibiting a pattern of behaviour across different courses or departments unless misconduct is reported.
What is non-academic misconduct?
Common classroom difficulties with students (disruptive behavior, disrespect) are discussed in Dealing with challenging teaching situations. In general these behaviours should be dealt with by meeting with the student. However, more serious behaviours may require disciplinary procedures. These include:
- Disruptive, dangerous, aggressive or threatening behaviour, including by electronic means
- Violation of the instructor’s communicated rules, such as prohibition of recording a lecture
- Vandalism
- Theft
- Infringing unreasonably on the work of others
For a full list of academic and non-academic offences and a detailed description of how to deal with them, see the University’s Policy 71—Student Discipline.
Promoting academic integrity and preventing misconduct
Academic and non-academic misconduct can sometimes result from students not knowing or misunderstanding scholarly standards and practices. The following strategies may help prevent issues of misconduct:
- Design your assignments to minimize the chance of academic dishonesty. See the strategies on CTE's Encouraging academic integrity page.
- Ensure that your students understand what academic integrity is and the consequences of misconduct.
Give this information in class at the beginning of your course, reinforce it at relevant points, and include the department’s template text on academic integrity in your syllabus. Refer students to the Faculty of Arts web page on Ethical behaviour. - Clearly present your expectations for behaviour in the class.
- Provide instructions on how to properly cite and document sources and clearly outline your expectations for assignments and tests.
- For group work, consider using this Group Assignment Disclosure (PDF) form.
- Consider using Turnitin as a part of the course. See the Centre for Teaching Excellence's Using Turnitin in your courses, which lists the advantages and disadvantages of using Turnitin.
For more suggestions on promoting academic integrity to your students, see How to help your students on the Office of Academic Integrity website.
What to do if you suspect or find misconduct
Plagiarism
If you suspect plagiarism, do as much preliminary investigation as possible to ensure that you are fully informed before taking the matter forward. If possible, obtain copies of the sites or papers from which you believe the material has been plagiarized.
If you are a TA
If you are a TA, thoroughly document why you believe the assignment is plagiarized (e.g., highlighting areas of the assignment that could be plagiarized and providing URLs if the suspected source is online) and forward those to your course coordinator, who will take the subsequent steps in this process. After a TA has passed off the commented assignment to the course coordinator, their part is done. You or your course coordinator can also contact the TA coordinator if further support is needed.
If you are a GI
If you are a GI, speak first to the GI coordinator before proceeding to deal with the case.
In general, the process for dealing with plagiarism is as follows:
- Meet with or email the student promptly and point out the plagiarism. Tell the student the case will be reported to the associate dean of arts (or to another associate dean if the student is in another faculty) and let the student know you will be discussing the possible consequences of the plagiarism with the associate dean. Don't give the assignment a mark, and note if the student admits or denies the plagiarism.
- Send a brief email to the Associate Dean of Arts, Undergraduate Studies, concisely describing the offence. Include your course number and the names and ID numbers of the students involved. You can include the essay in question as an attachment, highlighting the relevant passages. CC the Academic Integrity Coordinator, Emily Hudson (e4hudson@uwaterloo.ca) and the English undergraduate chair (englug@uwaterloo.ca).
- From there the associate dean will decide how to proceed and may request further information. It’s important to report cases to the associate dean in case the student has been plagiarizing in multiple courses—then there is a central record of the infractions. Consequences may be more severe if that’s the case. When you hear from the associate dean, implement his or her recommendation, which will likely follow the Framework for the Assessment of Undergraduate Plagiarism.
Keep a written record of all steps in the process, including notes on all meetings or conversations with students or other relevant people. Do not attempt an informal resolution without administrative support.
See Policy 71 (Student Discipline): Procedures (PDF) for a fuller summary of these procedures and University Policy 71 for full details.
A student can appeal the decision of the Associate Dean by following the process outlined in Policy 72 – Student Appeals.
Harassment or Discrimination
Harassment is unwanted attention or, more formally, “engaging in a course of vexatious comments or conduct that is known, or ought reasonably to be known, to be unwelcome.” If you are aware of a situation in which someone is suffering harassment or discrimination, or someone complains to you about being harassed or discriminated against, follow the Conflict Management and Human Rights Office's Guidelines for Teaching Assistants Re: Harassment and Discrimination. If you suspect electronic harassment, keep copies of all the relevant emails.