Academic Integrity
Policies and Procedures
The Northwestern Provost's Academic Integrity webpage provides information on relevant policies and ways to recognize and avoid violations of academic integrity.
Weinberg College has specific procedures for handling a possible academic integrity violation, including an appeals process.
What is considered a violation of academic integrity?
Northwestern’s academic integrity policy contains a non-exhaustive list of behaviors that violate standards of academic integrity.
Please note: plagiarism includes more than just copying someone’s work. Northwestern's "Principles Regarding Academic Integrity" defines plagiarism as "submitting material that in part or whole is not entirely one's own work without attributing those same portions to their correct source." The “How to Avoid Plagiarism” page contains a discussion of the proper citation of sources. Northwestern's Writing Place provides more tips for avoiding plagiarism.
Reporting a Suspected Violation
A student who suspects that another student has violated academic integrity standards is encouraged to bring his or her concern to Dean Ricardo Court (court@northwestern.edu). The student can be assured that the conversation regarding the matter will occur in the strictest confidence and that nothing will happen unless the student reporting the incident gives their consent for the dean to act on the report.
A faculty member who suspects that a student has violated academic integrity standards should report this to Dean Ricardo Court (court@northwestern.edu) as soon as possible. If the faculty member is unsure whether what occurred constitutes a violation, they should feel free to discuss the concern with Dean Court to explore the question. For additional information, faculty can consult the handbook Teaching in Weinberg College (see Teaching Guides and Resources), or the Chairperson’s Handbook, which also provide suggestions for minimizing instances of academic integrity violations.