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Student Conduct & Academic Integrity Programs

Reporting Academic Misconduct

A student cheats on a test by having equations written on their hand.

How to Report Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is any act that improperly distorts (or could distort) a student’s grades or other academic records.

These instructions are for undergraduate academic misconduct. Graduate student academic misconduct is investigated by the Graduate Division.

First, Meet With the Student

  • Meet with the student in person. You must give the student a chance to respond to your concerns.
  • You may request the presence of the university ombudsperson to help ensure a fair and focused meeting.
  • Bring any supporting information. This may include: 
    > The student’s assignment/quiz/exam, 
    > A copy of the article from which the student allegedly plagiarized, 
    > A copy of the cheat sheet, and/or
    > Your syllabus or PowerPoint with your academic integrity expectations outlined, etc.
  • If you can’t meet in person, email the student within 30 calendar days of the discovery of the alleged act and give them 14 calendar days to respond.

 
  • If the student accepts responsibility:

    1. Assign a grade penalty that you deem appropriate for the offense. Take into account course expectations, nature of the assignment, degree of intentionality, etc. View grade penalty guidelines.   

    2. Report the incident to us. Submit an online report. 

    Please provide:

     
    • The type of violation (see definitions)
    • The course syllabus
    • Any original work or Safe Assign reports
    • A brief description of your interactions with the student
    • A completed student response form (signed by both of you)
    • The student’s ID number 
    • Any documentation of the alleged violation 
    • Any email correspondence (especially if that is how the student admitted to violating the policy)

    3. After you submit the report, no further action is required on your part. You will be copied on all correspondences between the student and our office.

  • If the student denies responsibility:

    1. Report the incident to us. Submit an online report. 


    Please provide:

     
    • A description of your interactions/concerns with the student
    • The type of violation (see definitions)
    • The course syllabus
    • Any original work or Safe Assign reports
    • A completed student response form (signed by both of you)
    • The student’s ID number
    • Any documentation of the alleged violation
    • Any correspondence (for example, phone/email records showing multiple attempts to reach a student who is ignoring you)

    2. If final grades are issued while the case is still pending, issue a Grade Delay (GD).

    3. After we meet with the student, we may contact you to get your take on the student’s version of the incident. Rarely, you may be asked to provide an additional statement.

    4. Once you receive a copy of our official decision letter, remove the GD and assign an appropriate grade.

  • If you need help:

    You are welcome to connect with us with questions and concerns prior to completing a report! We can help.

    Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Programs
    119 Costo Hall 
    (951) 827-4208
    conduct@ucr.edu

Additional Resources