Penalties

Though the burden of proof of student academic dishonesty or misconduct lies with the faculty member, the imposition of penalties is also the responsibility of the faculty member. The consequences of plagiarism vary based on whether the incident is a first, second, or third occurrence. Faculty members have the discretion to require that the student repeat the assignment or exam, or may give a failing grade for the assignment, exam, or courses, or may otherwise deal with the academic dishonesty in a manner they determine to be appropriate within the context of their course.

A first occurrence of plagiarism is generally believed to result from inexperience and/or a lack of familiarity using AMA guidelines or AI-generated material and is perceived as a misuse of sources, and the sanctions for a first offense generally include, but not limited to a grade of zero on the assignment or resubmission of the assignment for a reduced grade. A second occurrence of plagiarism is a more serious academic offense and is not attributed to naiveté, ignorance of guidelines, or a misunderstanding of what constitutes acceptable graduate scholarship at the College, and therefore, the sanction includes, but is not limited to a failing grade in the course. A third occurrence of plagiarism is seen as a student’s chronic inability or refusal to produce acceptable graduate-level scholarship. In such cases, the matter is referred to the Dean of Graduate Studies or their designee for disciplinary proceedings pursuant to the College’s “General Student Conduct Procedures” as articulated in the Student Handbook, and the sanction includes but is not limited to dismissal from the program.