Students, faculty, and staff who discover an apparent violation of academic integrity or responsible conduct of research should report the incident to the appropriate person in charge of the course, lab, program, or department. Failure to do so is itself a violation of academic integrity.
For Faculty and Staff
Follow all departmental, college and university guidelines and procedures regarding academic dishonesty. Follow the procedures outlined on the Dean of Students’ Academic Integrity/Honesty page. In brief, you should:
a. Meet with the student and discuss the alleged violation in order to give the student a chance to explain. Be sure to have a colleague, teaching assistant, or staff member present at the meeting; do not meet with the student alone. (Note: Should the student fail or refuse to meet with you, you may decide upon an appropriate sanction without the student’s input, as long as you make a good faith effort to meet with the student and allow a reasonable time-frame for scheduling the meeting.)
b. If a violation has not occurred, drop the matter.
c. If a violation has occurred, consult with your program, department or college, to determine the appropriate sanction. According to UNM policies, you may fail the assignment or examination and/or withdraw the student from the course with a grade of “F.”
d. Report the violation to your department and to the Dean of Students’ office using the Faculty Adjudication Form provided by that office or by sending written documentation. The Dean of Students may determine that further sanctions may be necessary if the student has a record of repeated violations.
e. If you have evidence of research misconduct, contact the appropriate official in your department, program or college, as well as the RCR Officer in the Office of the Vice President for Research. When possible, you should provide documentation of misconduct; rumor, gossip, innuendo should be treated as such.
For Students
Follow all departmental, college and university guidelines regarding academic dishonesty and research misconduct (see both from Faculty Handbook and Office of Research Integrity and Compliance).
As a witness, you should report the incident to the faculty or staff member who teaches the course, runs the lab, or oversees the program. For research misconduct, you may report fraud, misconduct, or retaliation using the UNM Hotline 1-888-899-6092. You should not confront the person you suspect of misconduct on your own. If for some reason the faculty or staff member does not follow through, you should approach the appropriate program or department chair or college dean.
If you have been accused of academic or research misconduct and you have had a faculty-imposed sanction imposed against you, you have the right to discuss the matter with the faculty member to resolve the issue. If the informal discussion does not resolve the issue, you may bring a formal appeal following the procedures outlined in section 2.3 of the Student Grievance Procedure. For more information on these procedures, see the Dean of Students’ Code of Conduct FAQ page and section 2.3 of the Student Grievance Procedure.
If you are a graduate student, you should follow the Graduate Student Grievance Procedure set forth in The Pathfinder.
Note: These blurbs and assignments are written in the voice of the instructor; you may alter these statements, of course, as best suits your course and needs.
