Honor Code

The Department of Bioengineering at Illinois has a zero tolerance policy regarding any form of academic misconduct. Group interactions and exchange are encouraged but ultimately, each student must submit individual homework assignments, projects, and exams (unless specifically told to submit as a group). We follow the University policy on academic misconduct (Student Code, Article 1, Part 4) and clarify the terms using the following definitions.

What are the definitions of academic misconduct?

  • Cheating: 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, using unauthorized materials during an exam, altering one's work after the work has been returned and before resubmitting it.
  • Plagiarism: The intentional unacknowledged use of any other person's work used for academic consideration or for public presentation. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, representing work as one's own, without recognition to any other individual’s words, phrasing, ideas, or any other mode or content of expression.
  • Fabrication: The reporting of experiments, measurements, or statistical analyses never performed; manipulating or altering data to achieve a desired result; falsifying or misrepresenting background information; selective reporting, including the deliberate omission of conflicting or unwanted data. It does not include honest error or honest misinterpretations of data or results.

What are the sanctions?

  • A student who engages in academic misconduct as defined above may be subject to academic sanctions including but not limited to a grade reduction, failing grade, probation, suspension or dismissal from the program or the University, or revocation of the student’s degree or certificate.
  • If a student encounters academic misconduct by another student, he/she should alert a faculty member within ten days of the date of discovery of the alleged violation.
  • If a faculty member discovers or receives a complaint of misconduct relating to an academic activity for which the faculty member is responsible, he/she should take action under the university code and impose an appropriate sanction for the academic misconduct.
  • Upon receipt of a complaint or discovery of academic misconduct, the faculty member shall make reasonable efforts to discuss the alleged academic misconduct with the accused student no later than ten business days after receipt of the complaint, and give the student an opportunity to respond. Within ten days thereafter, the faculty member shall give the student written notice of the academic sanction, if any, and copy to the department head and chief advisor for BIOE (or the home department).
    • Such sanctions may include requiring the student to rewrite a paper(s) or retake an exam(s), a grade reduction, a failing grade for the exercise, or a failing grade for the course. In no event shall the academic sanction imposed by the faculty member be more severe than a failing grade for the course.
  • A student who believes that the academic sanction given by the faculty member is inappropriate should discuss the academic sanction with the faculty member and attempt to resolve the disagreement. If the student and faculty member are unable to resolve the disagreement, the student may appeal the academic sanction to the department head within fifteen days of receiving written notice of the academic sanction.

Where is there additional information?