Academic Integrity Best Practices for Instructors

Academic Integrity Process Overview

This section provides an overview of the academic integrity process. If you have specific questions about the process, please contact the Center for Community Standards at 509-335-4532, email community.standards@wsu.edu, or schedule an appointment.

If you are a Washington State University instructor and need to complete an incident report related to an academic integrity violation. Please complete the form below.

  • Step 1: Initiating the process

    An instructor member who has identified that a possible academic integrity violation has occurred and plans to investigate must do the following:

    1. Instructors collects evidence related to the academic integrity violation.
    2. The instructor makes reasonable attempts to meet with the student(s) to discuss the faculty’s accusation, evidence collected, and student(s) testimony.
  • Step 2: Make a determination and report the violation

    The instructor member must make a determination of responsibility based upon a preponderance of the evidence. The preponderance of the evidence standard means that it is 51%, or more likely than not, that a student(s) is responsible or is not responsible for violating academic integrity. If the instructor has determined that the student(s) is responsible for violating academic integrity, they must do the following:

    1. Instructor notifies the student of their determination in writing, this notice must also include information on how to appeal the instructor's determination, and penalties assigned by the instructor in accordance with their course syllabus.
    2. instructor reports the academic violation to the Center for Community Standards (CCS), and provides to CCS the following items:
      1. All evidence collected by the instructor.
      2. All communications related to meeting with the student to discuss the accusations.
      3. All communications related to notifying the student of the instructor's determination of responsibility.
      4. The instructor's course syllabus.
  • Step 3: Appeal

    The student has 20 calendar days to submit an appeal to the Center of Community Standards (CCS). On the 21st calendar day the determination becomes final, and no appeals may be submitted.

    If an appeal is submitted, CCS schedules an Academic Integrity Hearing Board (AIHB) and notifies both the student(s) and the instructor that the hearing has been scheduled.

     If an appeal is not submitted, CCS schedules a Conduct Officer Hearing and notifies the student(s) that the hearing has been scheduled.

  • Step 4a: Academic Integrity Hearing Board

    The Academic Integrity Hearing Board (AIHB) will review all documents and reports submitted to the Center for Community Standards (CCS) by the instructor and all appeal documents and reports submitted by the student. The AIHB will then make a new determination based upon a preponderance of the evidence. The preponderance of the evidence standard means that it is 51%, or more likely than not that:

    1. A student(s) is responsible or is not responsible for violating academic integrity.
    2. The instructor did or did not follow course policies when assigning penalties for the violation.

    The AIHB may also remand the case back to the instructor if they find that there are documents missing from the instructor's initial report or if they find that the instructor did not follow steps outlined in the academic integrity process. When cases are remanded back to the instructor from the AIHB, instructors are given:

    1. Instructions related to what needs to be provided to the AIHB.
    2. A deadline for when it must be provided to the AIHB.

    Failure to meet the deadline or failure to provide what is requested by the AIHB will result in the AIHB reversing the instructor's initial determination of responsibility.

    If the student is determined to be responsible CCS sends the new decision letter to the student(s), instructor and instructor's chair. CCS then schedules a Conduct Officer Hearing and notifies the student(s) that the hearing has been scheduled. 

    If the student is determined to be not responsible the CCS sends the new decision letter to the student(s), instructor and instructor's chair. CCS then closes the case, and the instructor must change the student(s) grade in accordance with the AIHB decision letter.

  • Step 4b: Conduct Officer Hearing

    If a student(s) does not appeal an instructor's determination of responsible or if an Academic Integrity Hearing Board (AIHB) has found a student(s) responsible. The Center for Community Standards (CCS) will schedule a Conduct Officer Hearing with the student. It is not required that the student(s) attend, and student(s) who do attend are not required to testify or answer questions. Please refer to student rights and responsibilities for more information.

    The purpose of this hearing is to:

    1. Discuss what happened that led up to a responsible determination.
    2. Discuss ways in which to avoid this occurring again.
    3. Assign educational sanctions to avoid this occurring again.

    It is the student's responsibility to complete all educational sanctions assigned by CCS and to work with their assigned conduct officer as needed. Once all educational sanctions are completed the case is then closed.

     *The CCS can refer any case to a Formal Hearing instead of a Conduct Officer Hearing if CCS finds that there are egregious or repetitive concerns with the student(s) conduct at Washington State University. Only CCS can make this determination.

Academic Integrity Syllabus Statement

Below is a sample syllabus statement provided by the Center for Community Standards that can be used by faculty in their course syllabus to address academic integrity, as well as syllabus best practices.

  • Sample Syllabus Statement

    Academic integrity is the cornerstone of higher education. As such, all members of the university community share responsibility for maintaining and promoting the principles of integrity in all activities, including academic integrity and honest scholarship. Academic integrity will be strongly enforced in this course. Students who violate WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy (identified in Washington Administrative Code WAC 504-26-010 (4) will receive [insert academic sanction (e.g., fail the course, fail the assignment, etc.)], will not have the option to withdraw from the course pending an appeal, and will be reported to the Center for Community Standards.  

    Cheating includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration as defined in the Standards of Conduct for Students, WAC 504-26-010 (3). You need to read and understand all of the definitions of cheating.  If you have any questions about what is and is not allowed in this course, you should ask course instructors before proceeding.

    If you wish to appeal a faculty member's decision relating to academic integrity, please use this form. Make sure you submit your appeal before 21 calendar days of the faculty member's decision.

  • Syllabus Best Practices

    Emphasizing the importance of academic integrity in the course syllabus will assist you in addressing it on the first day of class. Information should specify what academic behaviors are prohibited, how you will manage academic integrity violations, and any consequences that may result.

    • Be clear about what style you expect students to use when citing in written work.
    • Be clear about what written work needs citations: homework, drafts, final paper, etc.
    • Be clear about what type of collaboration or group work is allowed and what is not. Discuss items such as sharing notes, studying together, working on homework, and tutoring.
    • Be clear about what is your intellectual property and what is not. Discuss commercial note-taking and lecture materials.
    • Be clear about what will happen if you suspect any integrity violations.
    • Include the WSU Syllabus Statement
    • Establish clear expectations regarding the use of artificial intelligence. More information about course policy options is available on the Provost’s website.

Chegg Honor Code Investigation

If an instructor has reason to believe that students are using or posting unauthorized course content to Chegg, they can request that the Center for Community Standards initiate an honor code investigation through Chegg. This investigation can remove content from the website or identify users that have accessed content on the Chegg website. Chegg requires that Center for Community Standards initiate the process.

Submit a Chegg Honor Code Investigation Request