Summary of HONOR SYSTEM Procedures
Academic integrity is crucial to the educational mission of James Madison University. The
James Madison University honor system seeks to promote a university community in which all
members of the community accept their responsibility for protecting the academic integrity of
the institution. The JMU honor system promotes a university community of truth, trust, and
fairness with the goals of academic and personal achievement and responsibility. Examples of
academic misconduct include but are not limited to:
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Collaborating on a project, assignment, test, or quiz with any other person(s)
without authorization.
Committing an act of plagiarism: using materials for assignments, projects and
papers without properly citing the source of the information.
Copying information from another student during an examination.
Giving false or misleading information regarding an academic matter.
Responsibility of Students
The success of the Honor Code depends upon the willingness of students to comply voluntarily
with the provisions of the code. The Honor Council urges students
1. To read the Honor Code and honor system procedures.
2. To refrain from working with others on homework assignments, take-home tests or
quizzes, papers or other type of out-of-class assignments without specific approval of the
instructor.
3. To learn what constitutes plagiarism. Those who use the words or ideas of another person
must provide the source of the words or ideas in any work they submit for academic
credit.
4. To avoid engaging in conduct that might lead someone to believe they are engaging in
academic misconduct. Students must refrain from talking to other students during an
examination or quiz. They should not allow their eyes to wander during an examination
or quiz.
5. Not to provide false information to a faculty member regarding an academic matter,
including reasons for missing a class or examination.
6. Not to take unfair advantage of other students. Unless they first receive permission from
the instructor, they should not ask another student for help on a project, paper, homework
or other class assignment.
7. Not to submit the same work in more than one class without the permission of the
instructors. Work completed for one class may not be used to satisfy the requirements for
another class.
8. Not to purchase term papers from other students or from commercial term paper
providers.
9. Not to ask another student to sign their name to a class attendance roll.
10. Not to falsify data used to complete a lab assignment or experiment.
11. Know the rules; ignorance is not a defense. Those who violate the Honor Code are
suspect to penalties including suspension and expulsion.
Responsibility of Faculty
The Honor Council strongly encourages faculty to make reference to the Honor Code in their
syllabi and to discuss its application to their specific courses and assignments. Each examination,
paper and other written or electronically submitted assignment shall contain a pledge that the
student submitted the work in compliance with the Honor Code. The pledge shall be signed by
the student unless submitted by electronic means. “On my honor, I have neither given nor
received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment” is an example of a pledge that satisfies
the pledging requirement. The Honor Council urges faculty members:
1. To familiarize themselves with informal and formal honor violation resolution and
procedures.
2. To establish a collaboration policy for each of their courses. The policy should set
guidelines for students working together on all types of take home projects, assignments
and examinations.
3. To discuss what constitutes plagiarism at the beginning of each semester and how the
plagiarism rule applies to the work submitted for academic credit in each course taught
by the faculty member.
4. To take prescribed steps to discourage academic misconduct during examinations.
Alternate seating should be provided when possible. Student identification should be
checked in large sections. Students should be required to submit drafts of research papers
written during the semester.
5. To monitor examinations. Faculty members are not required to monitor exams; however,
monitoring exams constitutes the most effective way to deter cheating during an exam.
6. To refrain from punishing students for academic misconduct without following the
prescribed informal or formal resolution procedures.
7. To volunteer to serve on Honor Council hearing boards, special panels and appeal boards.
Honor System Resolution Procedures and Reporting of Violations
Faculty Resolution Procedures
When a faculty member suspects a student of a possible Honor Code violation, the faculty
member should inform the student(s) involved and try to determine if a violation occurred. The
faculty member is encouraged to consult the Honor Council coordinator for assistance on how to
proceed. The faculty member may refer the matter to the Honor Council coordinator for formal
resolution at any time.
Informal Resolution Procedures
If a student admits a violation or agrees the evidence appears as such, the faculty member and
student may agree upon an appropriate grade penalty. The penalty may range from a grade
reduction on a particular assignment to an “F” in the course. The faculty member must forward
an Informal Resolution Agreement Form to the Honor Council coordinator before imposing the
penalty agreed upon by the faculty member and student. It is imperative that you return this
form to us. Upon receipt of the form, we add the student’s information into our database. This
way, if the student cheats again, it is on record with us, and they will go straight to a formal
hearing. The Honor Council coordinator will then contact the student to confirm the agreement.
Formal Resolution Procedures
If a faculty member and student fail to resolve the matter through informal resolution procedures,
the faculty member should refer the matter to the Honor Council for formal resolution.
Formal Investigation
As part of the formal resolution process, the Honor Council coordinator and investigators will
conduct a preliminary investigation to determine whether there is reason to believe a violation of
the Honor Code has taken place. If the Honor Council coordinator and investigators determine
there is sufficient reason to believe an Honor Code violation has taken place, the student receives
notification that he/she has been charged with an Honor Code violation.
Honor Code Hearings
Students charged with an Honor Code violation receive a hearing before an Honor Council
hearing panel or special panel. A student charged with an Honor Code violation has the
opportunity to plead responsible or not responsible. The Honor Council hearing board or special
panel has responsibility for determining the responsibility of the student and for determining the
appropriate penalty for the Honor Code violation.
Students charged with an Honor Code violation have the right to a hearing that provides the
student procedural fairness. Student rights include the right to remain silent during hearing
proceedings, to cross-examine all witnesses, to present witnesses to testify for the defense and to
submit an appeal. Students should consult the Honor Code for a complete list of student rights.
Penalties
One of the following penalties will be assessed for a student’s first honor violation:
1. Reduced or failing grade on the most applicable area of student evaluation in the course
(e.g., an assignment, an examination, class participation, etc.);
2. Reduced or failing grade in the course.
3. “F” in the course and suspension for the fall or spring semester following the final
disposition of the matter. A student may not receive credit for work taken at another
institution during this period of suspension. A hearing body may impose suspension for a
student’s first violation if it finds that the student intentionally tried to obtain an academic
advantage for him/herself or another student;
4. “F” in the course and expulsion from the university; a hearing body may impose
expulsion for a student’s first or second violation if it finds (i) the student intentionally
tried to obtain an advantage for him/herself or another student, and (ii) the violation
involved aggravated circumstances (e.g., violation of another university policy in
conjunction with the honor violation).
The maximum penalty that may be assessed under Part D (i.e., the penalty designated by the
faculty or staff member is agreed to by the student) is “F” in the course. If an “F” in the course is
assessed for an honor violation, the student will not be permitted to retake that course on a
“repeat/forgiveness” basis.
If a student commits more that one honor violation, the following minimum penalties will apply:
the minimum penalty for a second violation will be “F” in the course and suspension for a
semester; the minimum penalty for a third violation will be “F” in the course and expulsion.
***The option to require the student to attend the Values Workshop facilitated in conjunction
with the Office of Judicial Affairs is available for both formal and informal resolutions. This
penalty can only be assigned in addition to another appropriate penalty unless the violation
occurs in a situation where it is not particular to the course the student is taking (e.g., the student
is selling papers but is not in the class for which the papers are being sold). This penalty is
assigned based on the judgment of the professor if it is an informal violation or of the hearing
board for a formal violation that the student will benefit from the class. If the Values Workshop
does not seem appropriate for the student then it should not be assigned. This penalty can only be
given one time.
Each student assigned this penalty must attend the Values Workshop by the end of the semester
after the violation is resolved (e.g., if the penalty is assigned during the spring semester, the
student must attend the workshop by the end of the next fall semester).
This penalty may not be assigned to graduating seniors.
If this penalty is assigned to a student who has also been assigned the penalty of suspension, the
student will be required to attend the Values Workshop upon re-enrollment during the first
semester back at JMU.
Each student assigned this penalty is responsible for contacting the Office of Judicial Affairs to
sign up for a workshop. Any cost associated with the Values Workshop shall be the
responsibility of the student. A student who has signed up for the workshop must attend or give
at least 24 hours notice to cancel. Failure to comply by these guidelines will result in the student
being found responsible for a judicial violation.
Please consult www.jmu.edu/honor for a complete description of honor system procedures.