Within the Academic misconduct process, you will have an opportunity to participate and share your point of view. Academic misconductincludes behaviour including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of identity or performance, fraudulent conduct and research misconduct. For a full overview of the process, breaches and possible sanctions, please read the Academic Conduct Policy and Procedures.
This page provides students with key pieces of information related to the Academic Misconduct Process, including:
What to Expect
Below you will find information about the different stages of the Academic Conduct Policy, starting from receiving the Notice of Investigation. If you have just received a Notice of Investigation, this page will help you understand the steps in the process and what to expect.
Notice of Investigation
You will receive a Notice of Investigation by e-mail that shares information about your suspected breach of the Academic Conduct Policy. The e-mail will contain a summary of the evidence about the breach and about next steps in the investigation. A Pending Grade (PDG) will appear on your academic record. This means you cannot drop/withdraw from the course, request transcripts or graduate.
Participating in the Investigation
After you receive the e-mail Notice of Investigation, you have ten (10) business days to respond to the suspected breach. You can 1) request a meeting or 2) provide a written statement. If you request a meeting, you can bring someone with you for support. This could be a friend, counsellor, lawyer or family member.
Possible Outcomes
At this point the investigation is on-going, and a decision has not yet been made. This is your opportunity to participate in the process to share your point of view or any relevant evidence. Your response will be taken into account during the investigation; if you do not respond, after ten (10) business days the investigation will conclude without your input.
Breach Confirmed
If a breach is confirmed, you will receive an e-mail notifying you of the Decision and Sanction(s). For a list of possible sanctions, refer to the Senate Policy on Academic Conduct.
If you disagree with the Decision and/or the Sanction, you can request a review (also known as an appeal) of your case by the Faculty Appeals Committee (FAC/Panel) within ten (10) business days.
If your case includes serious sanctions such as suspension, or if it isn’t your first breach, your case will be forwarded to the FAC/Panel. An Academic Honesty Coordinator will reach out to set up a meeting with you to discuss next steps.
Case Dismissed
If the case is dismissed, no record will be kept and the case will be resolved.
You will receive an e-mail notifying you that the case has been dismissed.
Appealing a Decision
Appeals will be heard by the Faculty Appeals Committee (FAC/Panel) in LA&PS. The committee is made up of two (2) Faculty members and one (1) student representative. They will review the decision and sanctions applied as the result of an academic misconduct investigation. During the Panel process, students will be able to share their point of view and any new or additional evidence relevant to the case. Students can also bring someone with them for support during the panel hearing. LA&PS Academic Honesty Coordinators will help students understand what to expect during a panel hearing by meeting beforehand and explaining the process.
Requesting an Appeal
Students can submit an appeal within ten (10) business days of receiving a Decision Letter with the outcome of the academic misconduct investigation. Information about how to appeal is available in the Decision Letter.
Purpose of Appeal
Students can request an appeal to ask the LA&PS FAC/Panel to review the outcome of an academic misconduct investigation. Or, if this is a second or additional breach, your case will have been procedurally forwarded to the FAC/Panel for review. The Panel will review the breach and any sanctions applied to your academic record and make a final decision on the case.
Preparing for Panel
Once your appeal has been submitted, an LA&PS Academic Honesty Coordinator will reach out to set up a meeting either in-person or online. This meeting is important because it will help you prepare for the panel hearing and understand what to expect.
Panel Hearing
The panel hearing is your opportunity to be heard. You will be asked to share your point of view and respond to the evidence in the investigation. Panel members will take this information into account when making their decision. The panel will share their final decision with you about the academic conduct breach and sanction at the end of the panel hearing. Students can also bring someone with them to the panel for support. This person can be a friend, counsellor, lawyer or family member. After the panel, students will receive a Hearing Summary by e-mail with the decision of the panel and any sanctions applied.
Option to Appeal to Senate Appeals Committee (SAC)
After your receive the decision of the LA&PS FAC/Panel, you can choose to appeal the decision to the Senate Appeals Committee (SAC) by completing the Notice of Appeal Form within thirty (30) days of your panel hearing. After you submit your appeal, the SAC will decide if they will hear your case. The reasons or grounds for appeal are explained in the Senate Appeals Committee Procedures (PDF). If the SAC chooses not to hear your case, the decision made by the LA&PS Faculty Appeals Committee will be final. After an appeal to the SAC is submitted, please send any questions to appeals@yorku.ca.
Terminology
| Terminology | Definition |
|---|---|
| Appeal | An appeal is a request for an additional review of the outcome of a decision made under the Academic Conduct Policy. If a student disagrees that a breach occurred and/or would like to request a different sanction be applied, they can appeal to the LA&PS Faculty Appeals Committee (FAC/Panel) for a review of their case. Decisions made by the FAC/Panel can be appealed for review by the Senate Appeals Committee (SAC) following a FAC/Panel hearing. More information can be found on the Senate Appeals Committee website. |
| Academic Misconduct | Academic Misconduct means any action or attempted action that may result in creating an unfair academic advantage for oneself or an unfair academic advantage or disadvantage for any other member or members of the academic community. This includes, but is not limited to, a wide range of behaviour including cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of identity or performance, fraudulent conduct and research misconduct. See the Academic Conduct Policy. |
| Balance of Probabilities | Decisions about whether a breach of the Academic Conduct Policy occurred is determined on a balance of probabilities. This means that, based on the evidence, it will be determined whether it is more likely or less likely that a breach occurred. |
| Breach | A breach refers to specific violations of the Academic Conduct Policy which are considered forms of academic misconduct. The breach refers to the activity that is considered academic misconduct (e.g., Cheating). Specific breaches can be found in section 5.2 Breaches of the Academic Conduct Policy. |
| Evidence | It is the responsibility of the course director (or person bringing forward the charge) to submit compelling evidence to prove there was a breach of the Academic Conduct Policy. As a student you have the right to request access to evidence at any point in the process. |
| Hearing | A Hearing is a meeting held at the faculty-level before an impartial panel called the Faculty Appeals Committee (FAC/Panel). The panel is made of up two (2) faculty members and one (1) student representative. The main functions of the panel hearing are to hear from students and then determine if a breach of the policy occurred and assign an appropriate sanction. |
| FAC/Panel | The LA&PS Faculty Appeals Committee (FAC/Panel) is made up of two (2) Faculty members and one (1) student representative. They will meet with you at a Hearing to review the decision and sanctions applied as the result of an academic misconduct investigation. |
| Pending Grade (PDG) | A Pending Grade is a grade qualifier that indicates there is an ongoing investigation or a suspected breach of academic conduct related to the course. If a PDG is assigned to a course, it will appear on your transcript and a student cannot drop the course or graduate until it is removed. The PDG will be removed after the academic misconduct case has been resolved. |
| Permanent Grade of Record (PGR) | A Permanent Grade of Record is a type of sanction where the grade assigned for a course will remain as the one grade of record even if the course is repeated. This means that even if you retake the course, the permanent grade of record will remain on your transcript and as part of your grade average. |
| Sanction | Students will receive a sanction once a breach of the policy is confirmed. One or more sanctions may be applied, which may be imposed for an individual violation or for combined violations. For a list of possible sanctions, consult the Academic Conduct Policy. |
| Support Person | You can choose to bring someone to support you during an academic misconduct meeting or Panel hearing. This person could be a friend, family member, translator, counsellor or lawyer. They will be asked to show ID and have their cameras on during virtual meetings. |
Student Rights & Responsibilities
Rights
Under the Academic Conduct Policy and Procedures, during the academic misconduct process students have a right to:
- Respond to the Notice of Investigation of academic misconduct by providing a written statement or requesting a meeting.
- Bring a support person to the academic misconduct meeting or Panel hearing.
- Request an appeal to the Faculty Appeals Panel if you do not agree with a Decision related to a breach and/or sanction(s).
- Speak with an Academic Honesty Coordinator at any time about their next steps and options by reaching out to lapshonesty@yorku.ca
Responsibilities
Additionally, students have the following responsibilities under the Academic Conduct Policy (section 6.2):
- Read and become familiar with the Academic Conduct Policy and to comply with the principles and practices of good academic conduct set out in the policy;
- Become familiar with related educational resources including, but not limited to, those offered through the office of the Vice-Provost Academic; York University Libraries; York University Writing Centre, and at the Faculty level. See LA&PS student support and resources.
- Follow their instructors’ expectations for using text, image, code, or video-generating artificial intelligence (AI); referencing sources; group work and collaboration, and be proactive in the pursuit of clarification and resources to support these expectations;
- Take necessary precautions to prevent their work from being used by other students;
- Use course and exam software in ways that are consistent with the Academic Conduct Policy; and
- Act in accordance with this policy and/or the Policy on Responsible Conduct of Research when conducting and reporting research.
Academic Conduct FAQs
Questions?
We encourage you to reach out to an Academic Honesty Coordinator!
Connect with us by emailing lapshonesty@yorku.ca.