Academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York. Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion.
Academic integrity is at the core of a college or university education. Faculty assign essays, exams, quizzes, projects, and so on both to extend the learning done in the classroom and as a means of assessing that learning. When students violate the academic integrity policy (i.e., “cheat”), they are committing an act of theft that can cause real harm to themselves and others including, but not limited to, their classmates, their faculty, and the caregivers who may be funding their education. Academic dishonesty confers an unfair advantage over others, which undermines educational equity and fairness. Students who cheat place their college’s accreditation and their own future prospects in jeopardy.
Definitions and Examples of Academic Dishonesty
1.1 Cheating is the unauthorized use or attempted use of material, information, notes, study aids, devices, artificial intelligence (AI) systems, or communication during an academic exercise. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:
- Copying from another person or from a generative AI system or allowing others to copy work submitted for credit or a grade. This includes uploading work or submitting class assignments or exams to third party platforms and websites beyond those assigned for the class, such as commercial homework aggregators, without the proper authorization of a professor. Any use of generative AI tools must be in line with the usage policy for specific assignments as defined in the course syllabus and/or communicated by the course instructor.
- Using artificial intelligence tools or systems, such as language models or code generators, to generate content for assignments or exams without written authorization from the instructor.
- Unauthorized collaboration on assignments or examinations.
- Taking an examination or completing an assignment for another person or asking or allowing someone else to take an examination or complete an assignment for you, including exams taken on a home computer.
- Submitting content generated by another person or an AI system or tool or other sources as solely your own work, including, but not limited to, material obtained in whole or in part from commercial study or homework help websites, or content generated or altered by AI or digital paraphrasing tools without proper citation.
- Fabricating and/or falsifying data (in whole or in part).
- Giving assistance to acts of academic misconduct/dishonesty.
- Altering a response on a previously graded exam or assignment and then attempting to return it for more credit or a higher grade without permission from the instructor.
- Submitting substantial portions of a paper or assignment to more than one course for credit without permission from each instructor.
- Unauthorized use during an examination of notes, prepared answers, or any electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, smart watches, or other technologies to copy, retrieve, generate, or send information.
1.2. Plagiarism is the act of presenting another’s ideas, research or writing, including computer generated content, as if it were your own. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:
- Copying another person’s or an AI system’s actual words or images without the use of quotation marks and /or using these without citations and footnotes attributing the words to their source.
- Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging the source.
- Failing to acknowledge collaborators on homework and laboratory assignments.
- Internet plagiarism, including:
- Submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers;
- Paraphrasing or copying information from the internet without citing the source;
- “Cutting & pasting” from various sources without proper attribution;
- Presenting computer-generated content as original to the student and without proper attribution
- Unauthorized use of AI-generated content; or use of AI-generated content, whether in whole or in part, even when paraphrased, without citing the AI as the source.
1.3. Obtaining Unfair Advantage is any action taken by a student that gives that student an unfair advantage in his/her academic work over another student, or an action taken by a student through which a student attempts to gain an unfair advantage in his or her academic work over another student. Examples of obtaining unfair advantage include but are not limited to:
- Stealing, reproducing, circulating or otherwise gaining advance access to examination materials.
- Depriving other students of access to library materials by stealing, destroying, defacing, or concealing them.
- Retaining, using or circulating examination materials which clearly indicate that they should be returned at the end of the exam.
- Intentionally obstructing or interfering with another student’s work.
1.4. Falsification of Records and Official Documents
Examples of falsification include, but are not limited to:
- Forging signatures of authorization.
- Falsifying information on an official academic record.
- Falsifying information on an official document such as a grade report, letter of permission, drop/add form, ID card, or other college document.
- Falsifying medical documentation that has a bearing on campus access or the excuse of absences or missed examinations and assignments.
- Presenting another student’s academic records as one’s own, including falsifying assignment submission data on the learning management system.
Promotion of the Academic Integrity Policy
2.1. The CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and John Jay College’s Policy are posted to John Jay College’s website and linked in the Learning Management System. The link to the policy will be included on the John Jay College Model Syllabus.
2.2. All college catalogs, student handbooks, faculty handbooks, and college websites shall include the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity, John Jay College’s Policy, and the consequences of not adhering to the Policy.
2.3. John Jay College shall subscribe to an electronic plagiarism detection service and shall notify students of the fact that such a service is available for use by the faculty. John Jay College shall make faculty aware of the availability of such services and faculty should inform students of their use.
Reporting and Record Keeping
3. Reporting and Record Keeping
3.1. The President of John Jay College shall appoint an Academic Integrity Officer in consultation with the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate. The Academic Integrity Officer shall serve as the initial contact person with faculty members when they report incidents of suspected academic dishonesty; this includes pre-filing, informal consultation with the faculty member. The Academic Integrity Officer should be an Academic Affairs official.
3.2. A faculty member who suspects that a student has committed a violation of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy shall first review the facts and circumstances of the suspected violation with the student and provide a preliminary opportunity for the student to respond. Thereafter, a faculty member who concludes that there has been an incident of academic dishonesty sufficient to affect the student’s final course grade shall submit the Allegation of Academic Integrity Violation Report form (AAIVR) and supporting documentation to the Academic Integrity Officer, copying their Department Chair. Faculty are encouraged to report suspected violations as soon as possible. Allegations pertaining to spring or summer courses must be reported by the twenty-fifth day of the subsequent fall semester; allegations pertaining to the fall or winter courses must be reported by the twenty-fifth day of the subsequent spring semester. All instances of academic dishonesty that are reported to the Academic Integrity Officer shall be recorded for documentation and tracking purposes.
3.3. A faculty member who concludes that there has been an incident of academic dishonesty, but the resolution does not affect the student’s final course grade may, but is not required to, report such incident on the AAIVR Form, copying their Department Chair.
3.4. The Academic Integrity Officer shall update the AAIVR Form after a suspected incident has been resolved to reflect that resolution. Unless the resolution exonerates the student, as described in Section 4.4, the Academic Integrity Officer shall place the Form and all documentation relating to the allegation in a confidential academic integrity file created for each student alleged to have violated the Academic Integrity Policy and shall retain each Form for the purposes of identifying repeat offenders, gathering data, and assessing and reviewing policies. Unless they exonerate the student, written decisions on academic integrity matters after adjudication also shall be placed in the student’s academic integrity file. The Academic Integrity Officer shall be responsible for maintaining students’ academic integrity files.
Procedures for Investigation and Adjudication of Suspected Violations
4. Procedures for Investigation and Adjudication of Suspected Violations
4.1. Preliminary Review of Formal Reports
The Academic Integrity Officer shall review the report and supporting documentation for completeness. If the report indicates that the matter has been resolved, the Academic Integrity Officer will, by email, confirm receipt with the faculty member, copying the student. The report and supporting documentation will be placed in the student’s confidential academic integrity file. If the report indicates that the student admits to the charge, but the matter is not resolved, the Academic Integrity Office shall encourage the faculty member to resolve the matter directly with the student. The faculty member may informally consult with the Academic Integrity Officer on an appropriate resolution. If the matter is not resolved and the report does not indicate student admission, the Academic Integrity Officer will refer the matter to the College Grade Appeals Committee, copying the faculty member and the accused student on that communication.
4.2. Procedures in Cases Involving Academic Sanctions.
4.2.1. Student Admits to the Academic Dishonesty and Does Not Contest the Academic Sanction.
If the student does not contest either their guilt or the resolution prior to preliminary review by the AIO, the faculty member will indicate this in the report as described in section 4.1. If, at any point after the preliminary review, the student admits to the violation and accepts the sanction, this will be reflected in the final case disposition letter. The Academic Integrity Officer shall update the applicable Faculty Report Form to reflect that resolution.
4.2.2 Student Admits to the Academic Dishonesty but Contests the Academic Sanction.
In a case where a student admits to the alleged academic dishonesty but contests the particular academic sanction imposed, the student may appeal the academic sanction through the college’s grade appeal process. The student shall be allowed, at a minimum, an opportunity to present a written position with supporting evidence, consistent with the college’s grade appeal procedures. Specifically, these are the same procedures governing all student appeals of final course grades. At the conclusion of deliberations of the relevant grade appeals committee, the decision regarding the final course grade will be communicated to the Academic Integrity Officer for inclusion on the Faculty Report Form.
4.2.3. Student Denies the Academic Dishonesty
In a case where a student denies the academic dishonesty, a fact-finding determination shall be made by the College Grade Appeals Committee. For the purposes of implementing CUNY policy, the College Grade Appeals Committee is the college committee serving the functions of the Academic Integrity Committee, “Committee” hereafter. The Academic Integrity Officer may not serve on the Committee. The Committee shall serve as the fact-finding body only in cases for which the student denies the accusation of academic dishonesty.
The Academic Integrity Officer will provide the Committee with access to the faculty report form and all supporting information collected during the preliminary review (the case file). The Committee shall provide students with a copy of the form submitted by the faculty member (the complaint). The Committee may include supporting information from the case file and/or submitted by the faculty member as appropriate. The Committee shall inform students and faculty of their right to appear before the committee. The Committee shall inform students of their right to present witness statements and to call witnesses to testify before the Committee. The Committee may request testimony or documents from the faculty member, student, or any witnesses to the alleged violation.
Students may respond to the complaint in writing, including supporting documents. Students may, at their request or at the request of the Committee, present their response at a meeting of the Committee. Any supporting documents must be provided to the Chair of the Committee at least one week prior to the student’s appearance. Faculty may, at their request or at the request of the Committee, present information supporting their accusation at a meeting of the Committee
Upon conclusion of the fact-finding process, the Committee shall issue a written decision and send a copy of the decision, and all documents and materials gathered as part of the investigation, to the Academic Integrity Officer. The Academic Integrity Officer shall promptly report the decision to the faculty member and student and file a record of the resolution in the student’s confidential academic integrity file, unless, as explained in section 4.4, the suspected violation was held to be unfounded. Students found to have violated the academic integrity policy can request review of the decision by the Provost (or Provost’s designee, provided the designee is not the Academic Integrity Officer or a member of the College-Wide Grade Appeals Committee). If at the conclusion of this process a change of final grade is needed, the faculty member shall then update the relevant grade(s), as appropriate. In the case of a grade of PEN, the Academic Integrity Officer shall request a change of final grade from the Office of the Registrar.
4.2.4. Student Does Not Respond to Allegation
If the faculty report indicates a lack of response from the accused student, the Academic Integrity Officer will acknowledge receipt of the report and supporting documentation, copying the accused student. The accused student has 30 calendar days from the date of this attempted contact to respond to the Academic Integrity Officer. If the student does not reply during this time frame, the academic sanction proposed by the faculty member will apply.
4.3. Procedures in Cases Involving Disciplinary Sanctions.
4.3.1 Determining a Recommendation for Disciplinary Sanctions
When a student had admitted to a violation, when a reported accusation proceeds uncontested by the student, or when the College Grade Appeals Committee has determined a violation occurred, the Academic Integrity Officer shall determine if a disciplinary sanction should be recommended. In making this determination, the Academic Integrity Officer may consult with the faculty member who initiated the case, the accused student, other students, student affairs administrators, and academic affairs administrators as needed. When determining whether a disciplinary sanction is recommended, the Academic Integrity Officer shall also consult the student’s confidential academic integrity file, if one exists, to determine whether the student has been found to have previously committed a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, the nature of the infraction, and the sanction imposed or action taken. Prior violations include both violations at the student’s current college and violations that occurred at any other CUNY college. In making the determination on prior violations, the Academic Integrity Officer shall determine whether the student previously attended any other CUNY college and, if so, shall request and be given access to the academic integrity file, if any, at such other CUNY college.
The Academic Integrity Officer should recommend disciplinary sanctions only if (i) there is a substantial violation; or (ii) the student has previously violated the Policy; or (iii) academic sanctions may not be imposed because the student has timely withdrawn from the applicable course. Examples of substantial violations include but are not limited to: forging a grade form or a transcript; stealing an examination from a professor or a university office; having a substitute take an examination or taking an examination for someone else; having someone else write a paper for the student or writing a paper for another student; generating entire assignments or exam responses using AI language models or code generators without authorization; sabotaging another student’s work through actions that prevent or impede the other student from successfully completing an assignment; and violations committed by a graduate or professional student or a student who will seek professional licensure. In making this determination, the Academic Integrity Officer should consider any mitigating circumstances, if present in the record or discovered by the College Grade Appeals Committee through their fact-finding.
If the Academic Integrity Officer determines that disciplinary sanctions should be sought, the Academic Integrity Officer shall refer the case to the Dean of Students who shall determine whether the case can be resolved through mediation.
4.3.2 Adjudicating a Recommendation for Disciplinary Sanctions
If the college decides to seek a disciplinary sanction, the case shall be processed under Article XV of the CUNY Bylaws. If the case is not resolved through mediation under Article XV, it shall be heard by the college’s Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee.
If a determination is made to seek a disciplinary sanction before the process for determining an academic sanction is complete, the college shall proceed first with the disciplinary proceeding and await its outcome before addressing the academic sanction. The student’s grade shall be held in abeyance using the PEN grade established for this purpose, pending the Committee’s action. The PEN grade must be resolved to a letter grade by the end of the semester following the semester in which the PEN grade is given. If the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee finds that the alleged violation occurred, then the faculty member may reflect that finding in the student’s grade. The student may appeal the finding in accordance with Article XV procedures and/or may appeal the grade imposed by the faculty member in accordance with section 4.2.2. If the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee finds that the alleged violation did not occur, then no sanction of any kind may be imposed.
Where a matter proceeds to the Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee, the Committee shall issue a written decision and send a copy of the decision to the Academic Integrity Officer. The Academic Integrity Officer shall promptly report the decision to the faculty member and student and file a record of the resolution in the student’s confidential academic integrity file, unless, as explained below, the suspected violation was held to be unfounded.
4.4. Required Action in Cases of No Violation
If either the College Grade Appeals Committee or the Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee finds that no violation occurred, or if during the preliminary review the Academic Integrity Officer concludes there is insufficient evidence to proceed, the Academic Integrity Officer shall remove all material relating to that incident from the student’s confidential academic integrity file and destroy the material.