13. DEPARTMENTAL POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND RESEARCH MISCONDUCT

It is the view of the faculty of the Department that the unique relationship between faculty and students, necessary for a successful graduate program, requires an extraordinary level of mutual trust. Any direct culpable involvement by a graduate student in any act of academic dishonesty or research misconduct may irrevocably impair that trust. We therefore reserve the right, after a hearing into the circumstances and a finding of direct culpability, to terminate our relationship with the accused student forthwith, and to take such further (or lesser) action as may be deemed appropriate and within our powers.

Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:

1. Cheating on examinations;
2. Plagiarism of dissertations, theses, papers, reports, or any other documents of academic significance;
3. Falsification of work, or the report of work performed, or the report of achievements and attainments, submitted for academic recognition or credit;
4. Collusion with another or others in any of the above, whether or not the accused stood to gain materially or academically from the alleged acts;
5. Falsification of letters of recommendation or the deliberate misrepresentation of academic or professional qualifications;
6. Falsification or misrepresentation of registration forms.

A more detailed description can be found through the Stony Brook Academic Integrity website.

Acts of research misconduct include, but are not limited to:

1. Fabrication of data or results;
2. Falsification of research records;
3. Plagiarism of the intellectual efforts of others without appropriate credit.

A more detailed description can be found in the Stony Brook University Research Misconduct Policy (P210).

These policies will apply in any instances of academic dishonesty or research misconduct brought to the attention of the departmental faculty, wherever within the larger academic community the act is alleged to have taken place.

The procedures for an action against a student are defined in the Graduate Bulletin and require:

1. The submission of a formal list of the charges to the accused student and to the Department Chair and GPD. For research misconduct, the Research Integrity Officer within the Office of the Vice President for Research must also be contacted.
2. The appointment by the Chair of a hearing committee that will hold a hearing at which the evidence for the acts of academic dishonesty are presented in the presence of the accused student. The committee will be composed of an equal number of faculty and students. Students should consult with the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School after reviewing the Grievance and Appeals Procedure section of the Graduate Bulletin for more information on their rights and responsibilities.
3. At a closed meeting, the hearing committee will evaluate the evidence and recommend an action appropriate to the charge and its findings. The recommendation will be transmitted to the Chair of the Department and to the accused student.
4. The Chair will transmit the recommendation to the Graduate School.
5. The Graduate School will serve as the appeal officer in the event such an appeal is desired by either the accused student or the accuser.