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Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Academic Standards Policy

TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW DEFINITIONS CONSEQUENCES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT DUE PROCESS ACADEMIC PLEDGE

Academic Standards Policy for All Students in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

OVERVIEW

All students matriculated at the University of Utah have specific rights and important professional responsibilities and expectations. The purpose of this document and the associated department academic integrity pledge is to inform students of these rights and responsibilities, as well as due process for accusations of violations of policy and procedure. Please refer to University of Utah Policy 6-400: Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities ("Student Code"); Section 1 B 2.c: in http://www.regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-400.html#SECTION%20V  (accessed July 28, 2009).

Academic standards for all students in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry:
1. GPA of 3.0 or higher must be maintained.
2. Laboratory rotations, when applicable, must be satisfactorily completed.
3. Academic dishonesty is not allowed.  Dishonesty or misconduct is defined by the National Academy of Sciences, the University of Utah Student Code, or this policy statement.  Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty are defined below.  Academic integrity in all work associated with your degree program (i.e., didactic coursework, research, representation of the university as a professional scientist) is expected.

Action will be taken in cases of failure to meet academic standards that may include grade reduction, failing grade, probation, or dismissal from the University.  Note that several students have been expelled from the University of Utah in recent years for academic honesty violations.  In other words, this situation is not to be taken lightly.  There are expectations and due process associated with academic integrity and professional conduct as a graduate student.

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DEFINITIONS

National Academy of Sciences Definition of Misconduct in Science: 
Misconduct in science is defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, in proposing, performing, or reporting research.  Misconduct in science does not include errors in the recording, selection, or analysis of data; differences in opinions involving the interpretation of data; or misconduct unrelated to the research process.
Definitions as used in the Student Code: http://www.saff.utah.edu/code.html or see the UU General Catalog:

• "Academic action" means the recording of a final grade (including credit/no credit and pass/fail) in a course, on a comprehensive or qualifying examination, on a culminating project, or on a dissertation or thesis. It also includes a decision by the appropriate department or college committee to place a student on academic probation, or to suspend or dismiss a student from an academic program because the student failed to meet the relevant academic standards of the discipline or program. Academic action does not include academic sanctions imposed for academic dishonesty or for specific violations of professional and ethical standards of the profession or program for which the student is preparing.
• "Academic dishonesty" includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one's work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information, as defined further below. It also includes facilitating academic dishonesty by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty.

1. "Cheating" involves the unauthorized possession or use of information, materials, notes, study aids, or other devices in any academic exercise, or the unauthorized communication with another person during such an exercise. Common examples of cheating include, but are not limited to, copying from another student's examination; submitting work for an in-class exam that has been prepared in advance; violating rules governing the administration of exams; having another person take an exam; altering one's work after the work has been returned and before resubmitting it; violating any rules relating to academic conduct of a course or program.
2. Misrepresenting one's work includes, but is not limited to, representing material prepared by another as one's own work; submitting the same work in more than one course without prior permission of both faculty members.
3. "Plagiarism" means the unacknowledged use or incorporation of any other person's work in, or as a basis for, one's own work offered for academic consideration or credit, or for public presentation. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, representing as one's own, without attribution, any other person's words, phrasing, ideas, sequence of ideas, information or any other mode or content of expression. It does not include honest error.
4. "Fabrication or falsification" includes reporting experiments or measurements or statistical analyses never performed; manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to achieve a desired result; falsifying or misrepresenting background information, credentials or other academically relevant information; and selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of conflicting or unwanted data. It does not include honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data and/or results.

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  • "Academic misconduct" includes academic dishonesty, violations of the professional or ethical standards for the profession or discipline for which the student is preparing or other specific misconduct that demonstrates unfitness for such profession or discipline.
  • "Academic sanction" means a sanction imposed on a student for engaging in academic misconduct. It may include, but is not limited to, requiring a student to retake an exam(s) or rewrite a paper(s), a grade reduction, a failing grade, suspension or dismissal from the program or the University. It may also include notification of the appropriate professional or licensing body of the profession or discipline for which the student is preparing.

More on Plagiarism:

Copying verbatim from some source without demarking the text is considered to be plagiarism.  If copying word-for-word from a source (textbook, literature, web, thesis, etc.), short phrases should be put in quotes, followed by the source.  Longer phrases (couple of sentences) should be indented, followed by the source.  Copying verbatim of large sections of text from other sources is discouraged. Use of material that constitutes "common knowledge" may not require citation but this must be carefully considered.  It is safer to attribute definitions and technical descriptions to previously published work as formal citations. Wikipedia and many other web-based resources are not peer-reviewed, validated sources of technical or scientific information and should not be cited as primary sources.  All URL sourcing should include the full URL address and date accessed.  When in doubt about plagiarism, please ask the advice of the instructor in charge of the class.

Plagiarism also can occur in seminars.  Sometimes a student will present data or a diagram in a seminar that is not his/her own work, and not reference where the data comes from.  This is also a form of plagiarism. 

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CONSEQUENCES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

The University Code allows some flexibility on consequences.  In particular it states that sanctions may include "but [are] not limited to a grade reduction, failing grade, suspension or dismissal from the program or the University."  

Regarding sanctions that can be imposed by an individual faculty member who observed misconduct in his/her course(s), the University Code states that "sanctions may include requiring the student to rewrite a paper(s), retake an exam(s), a grade reduction or a failing grade. In no event shall the academic sanction imposed by the faculty member be more severe than a failing grade."  More serious sanctions (e.g., "suspension or dismissal from the program or the University") require more levels of due process: "If the faculty member, chair or vice president believes the student's academic dishonesty warrants an academic sanction more severe than a failing grade, he/she may refer the student to the Academic Misconduct Committee for proceedings in accordance with Section D, below, and so notify the student in writing."

Excerpt from University Code: http://www.saff.utah.edu/code.html, Policy 8-10 Rev 3, Date July 14, 1997, Subject: Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities

 C. ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

A student who engages in academic dishonesty (See A.3, above) or who violates the professional and ethical standards for the profession or discipline for which the student is preparing (See A.4, above) may be subject to academic sanctions, as defined in Section V, including but not limited to a grade reduction, failing grade, suspension or dismissal from the program or the University.

1.  Academic Dishonesty.

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  • Any person who observes or discovers academic dishonesty by a student should file a written complaint with the faculty member responsible for the pertinent academic activity.
  • Upon receipt of a complaint or discovery of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall discuss the alleged academic dishonesty with the accused student and give the student an opportunity to respond. Within ten (10) working days thereafter, the faculty member shall give the student written notice of the academic sanction, if any, to be taken and the student's right to appeal the academic sanction to the Academic Misconduct Committee. Such sanctions may include requiring the student to rewrite a paper (s), retake an exam (s), a grade reduction or a failing grade. In no event shall the academic sanction imposed by the faculty member be more severe than a failing grade.
  • If the faculty member imposes a failing grade  on the student, the faculty member shall also  notify, in writing, the chair of the department(4)  and the associate vice president for academic  affairs or vice president for health sciences, as  appropriate, of the academic dishonesty and the  circumstances which the faculty member believes support the imposition of a failing grade.
  • A student may appeal the faculty member's imposition of an academic sanction to the Academic Misconduct Committee in accordance with Section D, below.

D. If the faculty member, chair or vice president believes the student's academic dishonesty warrants an academic sanction more severe than a failing grade, he/she may refer the student to the Academic Misconduct Committee for  proceedings in accordance with Section D, below,  and so notify the student in writing.

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DUE PROCESS (SOURCE:  HTTP://WWW.SAFF.UTAH.EDU/CODE.HTML)

When appropriate, an Academic Appeals Committee (made up of 2 faculty from the college, 1 faculty member outside the college, and 2 students) will be appointed to determine whether "a hearing would aid in the resolution of other issues or serve other desirable purposes."  The Committee may then impose appropriate academic sanctions.  Appeals to the Dean or VP of Academic Affairs or VP of Health Sciences may be made.  "At the conclusion of the appeals process, the chair or dean shall take appropriate action to implement the final decision."

D. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE ACADEMIC APPEALS COMMITTEE AND THE ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT COMMITTEE

1. Written Appeal. The appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee or the complaint referred to the Academic Misconduct Committee shall set forth in writing the reasons for the appeal, shall be addressed to the Committee, and shall be delivered to the chair of the Committee, with a copy to the other party.
2. Response to Appeal. The chair and/or faculty member whose decision is being appealed, or the student in the case of a faculty member's appeal, may deliver a response to the appeal to the chair of the Academic Appeals Committee, with a copy to the other party, no later than five (5) working days prior to the date of the hearing.
3. Makeup of the Committees. The dean of each college shall ensure that an Academic Appeals Committee and an Academic Misconduct Committee are constituted according to college procedures, subject to the following parameters.(5) Two faculty members shall come from the college. The Personnel and Elections Committee of the Academic Senate shall appoint one faculty member from outside the college. The faculty members shall be appointed for staggered three-year terms. The dean, in consultation with the relevant Student Advisory Committee, shall appoint two undergraduate student members and two graduate student members for staggered two-year terms.(6) The members of the Committee that shall hear the case are the three faculty members and the two students from the appealing student's peer group (i.e., undergraduates or graduates). The dean shall designate one of the faculty members to serve as chair of the Committee. The Committee shall establish internal procedures consistent with the Student Code.
4. Conflicts of Interest. Upon written request of one of the parties, the dean may excuse any member of the Committee if the dean determines that the member has a conflict of interest. The dean shall select a replacement from the excused member's group (i.e., student or faculty member).
5. Proceedings Before the Committees. When a timely appeal is filed, the Committee shall meet and consider the appeal. The Committee shall determine whether the appeal presents any disputed factual issues for hearing, and may determine whether a hearing would aid in the resolution of other issues or serve other desirable purposes. If the appeal raises disputed issues of fact relevant to the academic action or the academic sanction, or if the Committee determines that a hearing is otherwise necessary or desirable, the Committee shall notify the parties(7) in writing, of the date of the hearing, the names of the Committee members, and the procedures outlined below at least fifteen (15) working days prior to the hearing.

Hearings shall be conducted according to the following procedures: 

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  • Hearings shall be conducted within a reasonable time after the Committee's receipt of the written appeal.
  • At least five (5) working days prior to the date of the hearing, the parties shall make available to each other and to the Committee a list of their witnesses and a list of the documents to be offered at the hearing. In exceptional circumstances, the Committee may allow a party to call witnesses not listed or submit additional documents at the hearing.
  • The parties have a right to be accompanied by any person as advisor, including legal counsel, who will be permitted to attend, but not directly participate in, the proceedings.
  • Hearings shall be closed to the public.
  • All hearings, except Committee deliberations and voting, shall be recorded and a copy made available to any party upon request.
  • The Committee must have a quorum present to hold a hearing. A quorum consists of three (3) members, including at least one (1) student and the faculty member from outside the college. If there is more than one hearing in a matter, or if the hearing continues over more than one session, the same three members must be present for all sessions.
  • At the hearing, the parties shall have the right to question witnesses, to present evidence and call witnesses in their own behalf, in accordance with the Committee's established internal procedures.
  • The Committee shall not be bound by strict rules of legal evidence or procedure and may consider any evidence it deems relevant.
  • University legal counsel shall serve as a resource to the Committee and may be present at the hearing to provide guidance on substantive law and procedural matters.
  • Committee deliberations and voting shall take place in closed sessions. All findings and decisions of the Committee shall require a majority vote of the Committee members present at the hearing:
  • To overturn the original academic action, the Committee must find that the academic action was arbitrary or capricious.
  • To impose an academic sanction for academic misconduct, the Committee must find by a preponderance of evidence that the student engaged in the alleged academic misconduct. In such event, the Committee may impose any academic sanction it deems appropriate under the entire circumstances of the case, including but not limited to suspension or dismissal from the program or the University.
  • The Committee chair shall prepare a written report of the Committee's decision, including the basis for that decision, and immediately send the report to the parties, the cognizant vice president and the dean of the college if he/she is not already a party to these proceedings.

1. Appeal to Dean of the College. Any party may appeal, in writing, the Committee's decision to the dean of the college within ten (10) working days of notification of the Committee's decision. The dean shall consider the appeal and notify the parties, in writing, of his/her decision and the basis for that decision within ten (10) working days of receipt of the appeal. In colleges without departments, any party may appeal the Committee's decision to the cognizant vice president in accordance with the following paragraph.
2. Appeal to Cognizant Vice President. Within ten (10) working days of notification of the dean's decision (or in the case of colleges without departments, the Committee's decision), any party may appeal, in writing, such decision to the vice president for academic affairs or the vice president for health sciences, as appropriate. The vice president shall consider the appeal and may solicit whatever counsel and advice the vice president deems appropriate to arrive at a final decision, including convening an ad hoc committee composed of students and faculty members from outside the college or department. This committee will review the process given to the student to determine if there were substantial defects in the process which denied the student basic fairness and due process. After considering the appeal, the vice president shall notify the parties, in writing, of her/his decision and the basis for that decision within twenty (20) working days of the receipt of the appeal. The decision of the vice president is final.
3. Implementation of Decision. At the conclusion of the appeals process, the chair or dean shall take appropriate action to implement the final decision.
   This document serves to inform all graduate students in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry of their rights and responsibilities in their academic conduct.

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Academic Standards, Integrity and Professional Conduct Pledge for All Students in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

I acknowledge that I have received a copy of the Academic Standards Policy for Students in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and that it is my responsibility to read and understand this statement and to follow the rules described for academic conduct.  I also acknowledge and agree that it is my responsibility to ask questions about anything I do not understand.

I pledge to follow the Honor Code below and to obey all rules for (1) taking exams and performing homework assignments as specified by the course instructor; (2) taking the Department's written comprehensive exam as specified by the Department's comprehensive exam coordinator; (3) undertaking the duties of a Teaching Assistant for any specified course; (4) taking the Department's preliminary exam (research proposal defense) as specified by the chair of my preliminary exam committee; and (5) writing and defending my M.S. thesis and/or Ph.D. dissertation.  I understand that when asked to follow the Honor Code on exams, homework, other assignments, comprehensive exam, preliminary exam, and writing and defending my M.S. thesis and/or Ph.D. dissertation, I must follow the rules below:

1. In my classwork, I will work entirely alone on homework assignments and examinations, and will NOT plagiarize text from any other person's work. I will NOT share information about any aspect of the exam with other students, other faculty members, or other scientists. I will direct all questions concerning the exam or homework/assignment to the course instructor or teaching assistant.  All work I submit for my grading shall be a product of my own creation, analysis, formulation and thinking, and all work otherwise assisted by others shall be so designated clearly in writing.
2. As a teaching assistant I will only divulge information necessary for the student's understanding of a specific question on the exam (as opposed to information that directly provides the answer). In order to maintain fairness, I will provide any such information to other students as well. If I am in doubt about such questions, I will consult the course instructor for clarification.
3. For my comprehensive exam, I will work entirely alone on the assigned questions and will NOT plagiarize text from any other person's work. I will NOT share information about my comprehensive exam questions with other students at ANYTIME while enrolled as a graduate student in the Department. I will direct all questions concerning the exam to the Department's comprehensive exam coordinator. All work I submit for my grading shall be a product of my own creation, analysis, formulation and thinking, and all work otherwise assisted by others shall be so designated clearly in writing.
4. For my preliminary exam, I will write the proposal entirely on my own and will NOT plagiarize text from any other person's work. I will direct all questions concerning the exam to the chair of my preliminary exam committee. All work I submit for my grading shall be a product of my own creation, analysis, formulation and thinking, and all work otherwise assisted by others shall be so designated clearly in writing.
5. I understand that all student work for coursework assignments and dissertation research must conform with University and department plagiarism policies.
6. I understand that plagiarism is grounds for dismissal from the department, program, and university.
7. In addition, I realize that professional conduct and integrity also extend to all of my research work, my representation of scientific data and results, my interpretation of results, and my professional descriptions of data and results as they are published in the peer-review literature.  This process has been described in National Academy of Science definitions and descriptors that I have read and understood.
8. In writing and defending my M.S. thesis and/or Ph.D. dissertation I will NOT fabricate or falsify my data, misrepresent my work, or plagiarize text from any other person's work. 
9. I understand that it is my responsibility to obtain clarification from the Department's director of graduate studies or other cognizant faculty member if there are questions concerning the requirements of the Honor Code, and my rights and responsibilities as a student enrolled at the University of Utah.

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