Weinberg College
of Arts & Sciences

Procedures for Cases of Alleged Violations of Academic Integrity

It is each student's responsibility to be aware of all rules and policies applicable to their program. All students registered for classes at Northwestern must adhere to the University's standards of academic integrity. Weinberg College’s procedures, described here, operate within the broader Northwestern policy framework detailed on the academic integrity page of the Office of the Provost’s website, which includes Academic Integrity: A Basic Guide, a resource containing essential information and a section on how to avoid plagiarism.

Jump to:

• Initiation of a Complaint
• Meeting with the Assistant Dean for Academic Integrity
• Sanctions
• School-Level Appeal
• Provost Review
• Cross-School Cases
• School-Specific Considerations
• Information for Faculty

For Students

INITIATION OF A COMPLAINT:

• All cases of alleged violations of academic integrity by students in courses in Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences must be referred to the Assistant Dean of Academic Integrity (ADAI).
• Suspected cases of academic integrity violations should be reported by the course instructor to the ADAI. Reports must be brought within 1 month of the date the reporting individual becomes aware of the alleged incident. The ADAI will review the report and decide whether to bring a charge. The review may include electronic searches of plagiarism resources, websites, and other databases. 
• If the ADAI determines there is cause for further investigation, they shall provide the student with written notice of the nature of the allegation and the process to schedule a meeting with the ADAI.
• Students charged with an academic integrity violation may not change their registration or grading basis in a course in which a charge is pending, or in which a finding of an academic integrity violation has been made.
• The student will have reasonable time, if requested, within which to prepare a response to the charge. Ordinarily, an initial meeting with the ADAI will take place within 5 business days of receiving written notice of the charge. If the student does not schedule a meeting to take place within 5 business days, the ADAI may decide whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity. The ADAI may, at their discretion, grant reasonable requests for an extension of this deadline. 

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Meeting with the Assistant Dean for Academic Integrity:

• The ADAI has the authority to determine whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity.  
• In the meeting with the student, the ADAI will describe the allegation and detail the evidence provided by the instructor. The student will have the opportunity to present any relevant material or statements in their own defense.
• The student may be accompanied by a fellow student, a faculty member, or another individual of the student's choosing, but not by an attorney acting in a professional capacity. This person may not, however, take part in the proceedings; the student must speak on his or her own behalf.
• At this initial meeting, the student may decline to discuss the matter and/or request that the ADAI defer making a determination until after a subsequent meeting between the student and the ADAI, at which time the student may present relevant information or evidence.  This second meeting must be requested at the initial meeting and must be scheduled for a time within 5 business days of the initial meeting.
• After reviewing evidence and the statements made by the student in the meeting, the ADAI shall inform the student in a written statement of decision on whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity.
• Any finding of violation must be supported by a brief description of both the process used to come to that determination and the evidence supporting the finding. Except in cross-school cases, the statement will include the sanction to be imposed.
• There are three possible findings in the judgment of the ADAI: that there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity; that there was insufficient evidence to support the allegation; or that that there was no violation. In the case of no violation or insufficient evidence to support the allegation, the ADAI will instruct the professor of record to grade the assignment without prejudice.

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SANCTIONS:

Sanctions will be imposed by the school in which the student is enrolled. (Note: For dual-degree students, sanctions will be jointly decided by the relevant administrators in the applicable schools.) More information about possible sanctions (as well as grade modifications by the instructor) can be found in the relevant section of the academic integrity policy on the Office of the Provost’s website.

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SCHOOL-LEVEL APPEAL:

The ADAI’s finding of violation and/or school-level sanction imposed as a result of the violation may be appealed to the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Committee on Appeals by the student filing a written notice of appeal within 10 business days of the date of the ADAI’s written statement of decision. Grades modified by the course instructor following a finding of violation may not be appealed. However, if the finding of violation is overturned, the assignment should be graded on its merits. The Committee on Appeals includes at least one faculty member from each division of Weinberg College – humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences – and at least one Weinberg student. One of the faculty members will serve as Chair of the Committee.

The intent of the appeals process is to assess whether the violation of academic integrity occurred and/or whether the sanction was appropriate or consistent with what other students have received for similar violations.

The student’s written notice of appeal must include:

• what is being appealed – the finding of a violation, the sanction imposed, or both
• a detailed description of the grounds for appeal
• any supporting materials that the student would like the Committee on Appeals to review
• a list of the names of any proposed witnesses and a description of the nature of the evidence they are prepared to present

When the sanction is a suspension, the timing of the suspension cannot be appealed since it is determined as a consequence of when an allegation is made.

At the appeal meeting:

• The student will be granted opportunity to appear to present his or her case.
• The student will be able to hear and respond to any testimony provided by the ADAI or witnesses.
• The ADAI will hear and respond to testimony of the accused student or any witnesses appearing on his or her behalf.

The student may be accompanied by a fellow student, a faculty member, or another individual of the student's choosing, but not by an attorney acting in a professional capacity. This person may not, however, take part in the proceedings; the student must speak on his or her own behalf.

The Chair of the Committee on Appeals has sole discretion to determine what witnesses other than the accused student and the ADAI it will hear, if any. The Committee on Appeals will schedule the appeal hearing as soon as practical after it has been filed.

Following its review, the Committee on Appeals may sustain or reverse the finding of a violation or modify (but not increase, unless additional violations are shown to have occurred) the sanction, if that portion of the ADAI's decision was appealed. The ADAI will send an emailed letter on behalf of the Committee on Appeals communicating its decision.

Sanctions will take effect at the expiration of the period for appeal if one has not been filed, or after a decision has been reached by the Committee on Appeals or the Provost if an appeal has been filed. If the sanction is sustained, it will be applied retroactively and, if necessary, current registrations will be canceled.

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PROVOST REVIEW:

Final review of an unsuccessful appeal may be requested in writing by the student within 10 business days by the Provost or an advisory committee designated by the Provost. The Provost will review unsuccessful appeals only after a finding and a sanction have been issued.  Bases for review can be found in the relevant section of the academic integrity policy on the Office of the Provost’s website.

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CROSS-SCHOOL CASES:

• When a student who is enrolled in another school is suspected of an academic integrity violation in a Weinberg College course, the authority of Weinberg College will extend only to determining whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity. Any finding of violation will be referred to the relevant administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled for imposition of a sanction. 
• When a student who is enrolled in Weinberg College has been found in violation of academic integrity in a course based in another school, the ADAI may contact the student in writing to request a meeting to take place within 5 business days, at which the student present any evidence of mitigating circumstances, but not regarding the finding of If the student does not schedule an appointment within the allotted time, the ADAI may determine a sanction based on the available information.
• The ADAI will inform the student in writing of a sanction to be imposed and of the student’s right to appeal that sanction within the school.
• In a cross-school case, an appeal of a finding of violation will take place in the school in which the course is based (i.e., the school in which the finding of violation was made). An appeal of a sanction imposed by the school in which the student is enrolled should take place in that school (i.e., the school that has imposed the sanction). A sanction will not be determined until the appeal process of the finding has been completed.

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 SCHOOL-SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS:

• While the Dean’s Office cannot assure confidentiality, it will strive to keep this process as private as possible, involving only those with a specific need for involvement.
• Students may not drop or withdraw from or change their grading basis in courses in which they have been found in violation of academic integrity.
• Students may not receive a Northwestern University degree while an allegation of academic integrity violation is pending or until any sanction imposed for such a violation, particularly suspension, has been completed.
• All materials relating to violations of academic integrity will be kept electronically by the Weinberg College Office of Undergraduate Studies and Advising for ten years after the incident.

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INFORMATION FOR FACULTY

• The Faculty of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences has delegated the determination of cases of academic integrity violations to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs. According to this delegation, faculty are obliged to report all cases of alleged violation of academic integrity by students in their courses to the Assistant Dean for Academic Integrity (ADAI).
• Faculty must report cases within 1 month of the date they become aware of the alleged incident.
• Once an allegation has been reported to the ADAI, it may not be withdrawn without the ADAI's approval, nor may the reporting faculty member resolve an open case without the ADAI's approval. Faculty should refer the questions of involved students to the ADAI and the Dean’s office.
• After the review, the ADAI determines if there is cause for further investigation. If there is, a case will be opened. If not, the ADAI will inform the reporting faculty.
• Faculty may not impose a grade sanction without having reported the allegation to the ADAI and may not impose a grade sanction until a finding of violation has been issued by the ADAI.
• The ADAI has the authority to determine, based on the evidence available, whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity.
• The ADAI is available to consult on suspected cases of academic integrity violations. Consultations will not necessarily result in an investigation. If an investigation is initiated, it will not necessarily result in a finding or a sanction.
• If circumstances (e.g., departure of a visiting instructor) prevent the instructor of the course in which the violation is alleged to have occurred from participating at any stage of these procedures, the relevant department chairperson or program director may act on the instructor's behalf.
• If the student is found to have violated academic integrity, the faculty member has the sole discretion to determine the impact on the grade for the particular assignment and for the course as a whole.
• If the student is found not to have violated academic integrity or if the ADAI finds insufficient evidence for a finding of violation, the faculty member must grade the assignment and the student’s performance in the course without prejudice.

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Last revised October 2024