Scholarly Misconduct
Scholarly misconduct in the work of faculty is considered a serious offense by the College. Scholarly misconduct is defined as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices which seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the academic community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research. This policy is intended to clarify the College’s definition of scholarly misconduct and provide the college community with information on how allegations of scholarly misconduct will be handled.
Scope
All financial and administrative policies involving community members across campus, including volunteers are within the scope of this policy. If there is a variance between departmental expectations and the common approach described through college policy, the college will look to the campus community, including volunteers to support the spirit and the objectives of college policy. Unless specifically mentioned in a college policy, the college’s Board of Trustees are governed by their Bylaws.
Policy
Scholarly misconduct in the work of faculty is considered a serious offense by the College. Scholarly misconduct is defined as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices which seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the academic community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research. Scholarly misconduct does not extend to honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgments about scientific data or other research materials.
Procedures
Informal Inquiry
Apparent cases of scholarly misconduct should be brought to the attention of the Dean of the College. The Dean will conduct an inquiry into the allegations, in consultation with the Executive Committee of the appropriate division.
Formal Investigation
In every instance in which the Dean finds support for the allegations of scholarly misconduct, the Dean shall request that the Faculty Executive Committee appoint a three-member committee to hear the allegations. The accused faculty member shall be given reasonable notice in writing of the allegations. The faculty member shall be apprised of the evidence against them prior to the hearing, shall be afforded full opportunity to be heard, and to present such evidence on their own behalf as they may elect. A verbatim record of the hearing will be made and a typewritten copy made available without cost to the faculty member upon request. If the faculty member elects, they may be represented by legal counsel at the hearing, but counsel will not be permitted to object to the introduction of evidence.
Report of Results
If the hearing committee finds the faculty member guilty of scholarly misconduct, the results of the hearing will be reported to the President of the College and to any federal or other granting agencies involved in funding the faculty member's research. The President will decide upon and implement such institutional sanctions as they deem appropriate, following consultation with the Dean of the College, the Faculty Executive Committee, the hearing committee, and the affected faculty member.