Frequently Asked Questions

You should report any suspected incidents of academic dishonesty within 5 business days of discovery. This is a common concern faculty are faced with each semester, but the policy is in place to protect you from having to investigate and/or impose consequences on your own. Call the office to process/consult with a staff member if you ever want to discuss a situation at 575-5229.

This decision is up to you, and faculty vary widely on their preferences. Faculty inform students in person, by email, or refrain from doing so entirely. Here is an email template that you could use, but you are not required to provide any notification.

There is a designated AIM for each college. The policy stipulates that AIMs are responsible for reviewing all cases reported in classes taken within his/her college.

As an instructor, you would be updated throughout the process and have options if you disagree with a decision. You would have option of appealing either the AIM’s recommendation and/or the AUAIB’s decision. A formal appeal must be submitted within 5 working days to Academic Initiatives and Integrity. Forms can be found here: Appeal of AIM’s Decision and Appeal of AUAIB’s Decision.

Faculty should refrain from imposing any type of grading penalty until the AUAIB makes a decision that would support doing so. If the case is not resolved before the end of the semester, we ask faculty to list the grade as ‘Incomplete’ until the AUAIB makes a decision.

It is appropriate for you to relocate the student to a different area of the room and/or immediately confiscate any unauthorized materials (i.e. cheat sheet, notebook, etc). We also encourage you to document any suspicious behaviors and have multiple proctors submit reports if possible. Regardless of the circumstances it is in your best interest to allow the student to complete the exam, because the student may be allowed to keep the original grade if charges are dismissed.

No. The academic integrity policy and sanction rubric are faculty approved University policies, and it is expected university faculty will comply. Additionally, the policy stipulates that if faculty do impose sanctions without following the policy the student’s grade will be overturned on appeal. This system is in place to treat everyone fairly/consistently, consider repeat offenses (if applicable), and protect faculty by allowing an Associate Dean of the college to address the matter on your behalf.

The percentage match on a SafeAssign report should serve to alert you that you need to investigate further – it does not mean you should automatically report the matter. If after further investigation you find that the paper was not cited properly, or it is not the student’s work, then you should submit a report.

As a core part of its mission, the University of Arkansas provides students with the opportunity to further their educational goals through programs of study and research in an environment that promotes freedom of inquiry and academic responsibility. Accomplishing this mission is only possible when intellectual honesty and individual integrity prevail.

Each University of Arkansas student is required to be familiar with and abide by the University’s ‘Academic Integrity Policy’ which may be found at http://honesty.uark.edu/policy/. Students with questions about how these policies apply to a particular course or assignment should immediately contact their instructor.

There are companies that will try to lure you into selling the notes you take in this class. Don’t let these companies take advantage of you. Selling my notes to any commercial service I will consider a violation of my intellectual property rights and/or copyright law as well as a violation of the U of A’s academic integrity policy. Any violation will be reported to the Office of Academic Initiatives and Integrity.