Academic Integrity Policy

The School of Nursing Academic Integrity Policy (the “Policy”) is based on the shared core values stated in the School’s Values Statement. Each member of the School of Nursing community, whether student, faculty or staff, holds themselves and others to the highest standards based on the values of excellence, respect, diversity, integrity, and accountability.

Each student is obligated to adhere to the highest standards of academic ethics and conduct in their academic endeavors.

Scope

This Policy applies to all matriculated and continuing School of Nursing students in full-time and part-time programs, and non-degree courses.

Cross-Divisional Enrollments

School of Nursing students may enroll in courses in one or more other University divisions or schools. School of Nursing students are subject to this policy not only when enrolled in School of Nursing courses, but also when enrolled in courses in other University divisions or schools. Academic misconduct in the context of those "outside" courses will be subject to and resolved under this policy.

Research Misconduct

Research misconduct is defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. For a complete definition, refer to The Johns Hopkins University Research Integrity Policy (“Policy”) available at the Johns Hopkins Policy & Document Library.

The Policy applies to all University faculty, trainees, students, and staff engaged in the proposing, performing, reviewing, or reporting of research, regardless of funding source. Allegations of research misconduct regarding a student should be referred to the Research Integrity Officer for assessment under that Policy, but may also be directed to the department chair or Dean of the responsible unit where the alleged research misconduct occurred.

Non-Academic Misconduct

All issues of non-academic student misconduct will be subject to the University-wide Student Conduct Code. 

Policy Violations

Academic misconduct is prohibited by this Policy. Academic misconduct is 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 a wide variety of behaviors such as cheating, plagiarism, altering academic documents or transcripts, gaining access to materials before they are meant to be available, and helping another individual to gain an unfair academic advantage. Nonexclusive examples of academic misconduct are listed below. All suspicions of academic misconduct, no matter how minor, must be investigated.

Cheating

The following are nonexclusive examples of cheating:

• Fraud, deceit, or dishonesty on an academic assignment, test, or examination
• Use or consultation of unauthorized or inappropriate materials (e.g., notes, books, internet resources, etc.) on assignments, tests, or examinations
• Unauthorized discussion of a test or exam during its administration
• Copying content on an assignment, test, or examination from another individual
• Obtaining a test or examination or the answers to a test or examination before administration of the test or examination
• Studying from an old test or examination whose circulation is prohibited by the faculty member
• Use or consultation of unauthorized electronic devices or software (e.g., calculators, cellular phones, computers, tablets, etc.) in connection with assignments or during tests or examinations
• Use of paper writing services or paper databases
• Unauthorized collaboration with another individual on assignments, tests, or examinations
• Submission of an assignment, test, or examination for a regrade after modifying the original content submitted
• Permitting another individual to contribute to or complete an assignment, or to contribute to or take a test or examination on the student's behalf
• Unauthorized submission of the same or substantially similar work, assignment, test, or exam to fulfill the requirements of more than one course or different requirements within the same course
• Tampering with, disabling, or damaging equipment for testing or evaluation

Plagiarism

The following are nonexclusive examples of plagiarism:

• Use of material produced by another person without acknowledging its source
• Use of another person’s ideas or words without giving appropriate credit
• Submission of the same or substantially similar work of another person (e.g., an author, a classmate, etc.)
• Use of the results of another individual's work (e.g., another individual's paper, exam, homework, computer code, lab report, etc.) while representing it as your own
• Improper documentation/acknowledgement of quotations, words, ideas, views, or paraphrased passages taken from published or unpublished sources
• Wholesale copying of passages from works of others into homework, essays, term papers, dissertation, or other assignment without acknowledgement
• Paraphrasing of another person’s characteristic or original phraseology, metaphor, or other literary device without acknowledgement

Forgery/Falsification/Lying

The following are nonexclusive examples of forgery, falsification, and lying:

• Falsification or fabrication of data/information for an assignment, on a test or exam, or in an experiment
• Citation of nonexistent sources or creation of false information in an assignment
• Attributing to a source ideas or information that is not included in the source
• Forgery of University or other official documents (e.g., letters, transcripts, etc.)
• Impersonating a faculty or staff member
• Request for special consideration from faculty members or University officials based upon false information or deception
• Fabrication of a reason (e.g., medical emergency, etc.) for needing an extension on or for missing an assignment, test, or examination
• Claiming falsely to have completed and/or turned in an assignment, test, or examination
• Falsely reporting an academic ethics violation by another student
• Failing to identify oneself honestly in the context of an academic obligation
• Providing false or misleading information to an instructor or any other University official

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty

The following are nonexclusive examples of facilitating academic dishonesty:

• Intentionally or knowingly aiding another student to commit an academic ethics violation
• Allowing another student to copy from one's own assignment, test, or examination
• Making available copies of course materials whose circulation is prohibited (e.g., old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.)
• Completing an assignment or taking a test or examination for another student
• Sharing paper mill/answer bank websites or information with other students

Unfair Competition

The following are nonexclusive examples of unfair competition:

• Intentionally damaging the academic efforts of another student.
• Stealing another student's academic materials (e.g., books, notes, assignments, etc.)
• Denying University resources needed by another student (e.g., hiding library materials, stealing lab equipment, etc.)

Failing to Report Alleged Violation

• Failing to report any known or suspected violation of this Policy

Failing to Follow Applicable Policies, Procedures, Rules

• Failing to follow applicable JHU, divisional/school, program, course, and/or faculty policies, procedures, and/or rules regarding academic ethics

Improper Use of Electronic Devices

• Transmittal or posting of patient/client data or photographs
• Use of electronics in any way to gain an unfair advantage on an assignment/test

Academic Integrity Policy Procedures

Reporting Academic or Professional Ethics Violations

Any member of the faculty, administration, staff, or any student who has reason to suspect or believe a violation of this Policy has occurred is expected to notify the Ethics Board Chair or Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

Faculty-Student Resolution of First-Time Offenses

• If a student is suspected of academic misconduct, the faculty member responsible for the course in which the misconduct allegedly occurred must first contact the office of the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs to determine whether the offense is a first offense, or a second or subsequent offense.  A faculty member may not resolve a second or subsequent offense directly with a student.
• If it is a first offense and the faculty member has spoken with the student and any witnesses and believes that academic misconduct has occurred, the faculty member may choose to resolve the case directly with the student. In this situation, the faculty member and student may reach an agreement on the resolution of the alleged misconduct. Note, neither the faculty member nor the student is obligated to resolve a complaint under this section. If such an agreement is reached, the faculty member must promptly provide the student with a letter outlining the resolution that includes the charges, a summary of the evidence, the findings, and the sanctions agreed upon, and must also simultaneously provide a copy of that letter to the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.
• If, however, the faculty member cannot reach an agreement with the student (e.g., the student denies cheating, does not agree with the proposed sanction, etc.), or the offense is a second or subsequent offense, or, if in the case of a first offense, the sanction imposed would be greater than failure in the course, the faculty member must promptly notify the office of the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs in writing of the alleged violations, evidence, including potential witnesses, and other pertinent details of the case. In such instances, the case will proceed to an Ethics Board hearing as outlined below.
• In instances where the student fails to respond or engage in the process the faculty member should notify the office of the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs for direct referral to the Ethics Board.

Ethics Board Hearing

• In the case of a first offense that is not resolved between the faculty member and the student or a second or subsequent offense, the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs will convene a meeting of the Ethics Board in consultation with the chair of the Ethics Board.
• In advance of the Ethics Board hearing, the student will receive written notification of the hearing date, time, and location.

Ethics Board Selection and Ethics Panel Hearings

The Ethics Board consists of a chair, appointed annually by the Dean or her or his designee; two full-time faculty who teach primarily in one of the following programs—MSN Entry into Nursing Practice, DNP, or PhD, elected by the Faculty Assembly; Program Directors from each academic program; and students representing each academic degree.

For each matter, an Ethics Hearing Panel will be formed. The Ethics Hearing Panel consists of the faculty chairperson of the Ethics Board, the faculty members on the Ethics Board elected by the Faculty Assembly, the program director for the student’s program, and two student members. The Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs or designee attends all hearings as a non-voting member of the Ethics Board.

Each student appearing before an Ethics Hearing Panel will have a hearing assistant unless explicitly asking that no hearing assistant be named. The hearing assistant for a student may be their academic advisor or other faculty member either chosen by the student or recommended by the Ethics Board. If desired, the faculty member, staff member, or student who reports the case may also have a hearing assistant of their choice or recommended by the Ethics Board. The assistant may meet with the respective parties to assist in preparation of evidence, testimony, and questions for the hearing. The designated assistants may attend and provide consultation in the hearing while the student or faculty member is present.

Students may request witnesses be present at the hearing. The student must furnish the Ethics Hearing Chair with the names of the witnesses in sufficient time to request the presence of the witnesses. It is within the Hearing Panel’s discretion to limit the number of witnesses appearing at the hearing to a reasonable number.

Faculty, staff, or students bringing forth the case are expected to compile evidence and to present their account of the violation during an Ethics hearing. All supporting materials for the hearing must be placed on file in the Office of the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. Supporting materials may be submitted directly to the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs or indirectly through the assistant or the chairperson.

The Ethics Board will endeavor to convene within 10 working days of receiving the request for a hearing. Legal representation is not permitted at Ethics Board hearings.

In general, hearings will proceed as follows, although the Ethics Hearing Panel has discretion to alter the order or manner in which it hears or receives evidence, and to impose time limits on any stage of the process:

• Introductions
• Opening statement from the reporter, if applicable
• Questioning of the reporter by the panel, if applicable
• Closing statement from the reporter, if applicable
• Opening statement from the student
• Questioning of the student by the panel
• Questioning of the witnesses, if any, by the panel
• Closing statement from student

The reporter, student, or witness is only present in the room with the Ethics Hearing Panel during the time that they are being questioned or responding. At the conclusion of the hearing, all parties are dismissed and the deliberations of the Ethics Hearing Panel will be held in private.

The student is presumed innocent until the Ethics Hearing Panel has made a determination by a preponderance of the evidence that a violation has occurred. A "preponderance of the evidence" standard is an evidentiary standard that means "more likely than not." This standard is met if the proposition is more likely to be true than not true. The goal of the Ethics Panel is to reach consensus on the allegation and outcome. If this is not possible, a decision will be made by majority vote.

The Chair of the Ethics Board and the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs shall, as soon after the hearing as is practicable and reasonable, prepare minutes of the hearing including:

1. Date, place, and time of the hearing,
2. The names of all persons present at the hearing,
3. A short statement of the charge against the student,
4. A summary of the findings of fact and conclusions made by the Ethics Board,
5. A statement of the decision of the Ethics Board,
6. The sanction(s) recommended by the Ethics Board, if applicable

The alleged violator and the initiating party will be informed in writing by the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs of the decision on whether a Policy was violated following the decision of the Ethics Hearing Panel.

Any student found not in violation of all charges of the Academic Integrity Policy will be permitted to make-up missed assignments or clinical time during the time of the hearing and appeal process.

After the hearing, the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs assists the chair in implementing the Ethics Board’s decision. This will include notifying the student and appropriate faculty or School personnel (e.g., Registrar, faculty advisor, course faculty, Executive Vice Dean, appropriate program director).

Sanctions

If a student is determined to be in violation of this Policy, the following factors may be considered in the sanctioning of the process:

• The specific academic misconduct at issue;
• The student’s academic misconduct history; and
• Other appropriate factors

This section lists some of the sanctions that may be imposed upon students for violations of this policy. The School of Nursing reserves the right, in its discretion, to impose more stringent or different sanctions than those listed below depending on the facts and circumstances of a particular case. Sanctions for academic misconduct under policy are generally cumulative in nature.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of possible sanctions and what these sanctions typically mean. The specific conditions imposed under each sanction (i.e. the terms of a suspension, etc.) will depend on the specific facts and circumstances of each case.

Formal Warning

The student is notified in writing that their actions constitute a violation of this policy, and may be subject to other actions (e.g., re-taking an exam or failure in a course).

Academic

These sanctions may include but are not limited to grade adjustments, including failure, on any work or course, or re-submission of an assignment. This may include or may not include permanent student record notation. If the sanctions include a notation on the student’s transcript, “Grade due to Academic Misconduct” will be noted on the student’s official School of Nursing transcript.

Corrective or Educational Measures

The student may be required to engage in other corrective or educational activities.

Probation

The student is notified that further violations of this policy within the stated period of time will result in the student being considered for immediate suspension or other appropriate disciplinary action. If at the end of the specified time period no further violations have occurred, the student is removed from probationary status.

Suspension

The student is notified that they are separated from the University for a specified period of time. The student must leave campus and vacate campus residence halls, if applicable, within the time prescribed and is prohibited from University property and events. The conferring of an academic degree may be deferred for the duration of the suspension. The student must receive written permission from the University prior to re-enrollment or re-application. Academic work completed at another institution while on suspension will not be recognized for credit transfer.

Expulsion

Expulsion means the permanent removal of the student from the University. Expulsion includes a forfeiture of all rights and degrees not actually conferred at the time of the expulsion, permanent notation of the expulsion on the student’s University records and academic transcript, withdrawal from all courses according to divisional policies, and the forfeiture of tuition and fees. Any student expelled from the University is prohibited from future reapplication to the University.

Appeals Process

Except in the case of a resolution for first time offenses with a faculty member, the student may appeal a panel’s finding of responsibility and/or sanction(s). The student must file any appeal within five (5) days of the date of the notice of outcome on one or more of the following grounds:

• Procedural error that could have materially affected the determination of responsibility or sanction(s);
• New information that was not available at the time of the hearing and that could reasonably have affected the determination of responsibility or sanction(s); and
• Excessiveness of the sanction(s)

Any appeal must be filed in writing with the Dean of the School of Nursing or designee. An appeal will involve a review of the file; the appeal does not involve another hearing. On review of the appeal, the Dean of the School of Nursing or designee may:

• Enter a revised determination of responsibility and/or revise sanction(s); or
• Remand the matter to the panel to reconsider the determination of responsibility and/or sanction(s), or
• Convene a new panel to consider the case; or
• Uphold the panel’s decision

The Dean of the School of Nursing or designee will simultaneously send the appeal determination, with the reasons therefore, to the chair, as appropriate, and to the student. The decision of Dean of the School of Nursing or designee is final. No further appeals are permitted.

Records

A case file concerning a student will be retained by the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs for the duration of the student’s enrollment at JHU and seven (7) years from date that the student graduates or otherwise leaves the University.

The Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs will provide an overview of the process and procedures of the Ethics Board.

Procedural Rights

In connection with the resolution of alleged policy violations, a student shall:

• Be notified in writing of the allegations in advance of any meeting or hearing;
• Be notified in writing of the charges, and the date, time, and location of the hearing, and identity of the hearing administrator or panel members in advance of the hearing;
• Have the opportunity to review in advance of any meeting or hearing any information to be considered by any faculty member, administrator, or panel in accordance with the University policy on Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended ("FERPA") and applicable laws and regulations;
• Be notified in writing of the outcome of any hearing, namely the findings, determination of responsibility, and any sanctions; and
• Be notified in writing of the outcome of any appeal.

A student may raise the potential conflict of any University personnel participating in the resolution process. All such conflicts must be sent in writing to the Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at least two days prior to the hearing date. A student may also decline to participate in the resolution process. The University may however continue the process without the student's participation.

Communications under this policy will primarily be conducted with students through their official University email address, and students are expected check their official University email on a regular basis.