Reporting a Violation

Reporting a Violation

  • Keep notes about the incident while it is fresh in your mind.
  • Keep all relevant documents.
  • Call the Dean of Students Office, or talk with your Department Head, if you have questions about the reporting process.

  • Let the student know you suspect a violation of the Code has occurred.
  • Notification of the alleged violation must be sent to the student within 15 business days of the date of discovering the incident.  See the Code for exceptions.
  • Reasonable attempts should be made to meet with the student to discuss the incident. If the student is an online student this meeting, and subsequent meetings, may be "virtual" or by phone. However, if the student is unresponsive, you can move forward with the reporting procedures.  Attempts to meet with the student should be documented.
  • Using the sample message below, send a message to the student’s UA email account.

Dear (Student):

After grading your (test/paper) I suspect a violation of the University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity may have occurred.  I would like to meet with you to discuss my concerns.  Please schedule a meeting during my office hours some time this week.

  • Present the evidence and share why you suspect a violation.
  • Attempt to keep the names of others affected confidential.
  • Remain calm and approach the meeting with an open mind.
  • Listen and ask questions. Allow the student to respond.
  • The meeting should be private; however, the student is allowed to have an “advisor.” The advisor can consult with the student, but is not allowed to speak during this initial meeting.
  • The instructor can invite a witness (often a colleague) to the meeting; however, the role of this individual should be clearly defined and the student must grant permission to have this additional person at the meeting.

  • Make a decision based on the evidence.
  • Consider mitigating circumstances and the student's response to the allegations.
  • The standard used to determine if a violation should be reported to the Dean of Students Office is a “preponderance of evidence” (i.e., more likely than not a violation occurred).

If you determine a violation did not occur, send the student an email message such as the one below.  No further action is needed.

Dear (Student):
Thank you for meeting with me to discuss the alleged academic integrity violation I suspected in my (class name) course.
After reviewing the evidence and my notes from our meeting, I find a violation of the University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity did not occur.
For future reference, the University's Code of Academic Integrity can be found on the Dean of Students website at https://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policies/code-academic-integrity

Thank you.

If you determine by a preponderance of evidence that a violation did occur, complete Steps 5 and 6.

  • After the Record of Faculty/Student Conference form is complete, the Dean of Students Office will distribute a notification to the student, and your Academic Dean.
  • Be sure to keep a copy of the document and the evidence for your records.
  • All communication should be sent to the student’s University's email address (do not use non-university email accounts)
  • If the alleged violation occurs near the end of the semester, and the outcome of the case will impact the student’s overall grade for the course, the grade of an “I” or incomplete should be assigned until the case is closed.