Academic Misconduct

Student academic misconduct procedures are specified in Chapter UWS 14 and the UWM implementation provisions (Faculty Document 1686). A combined set of these UW System and UWM procedures is below.

Academic Misconduct Overview

Academic misconduct is an act in which a student:

  • seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation
  • uses unauthorized materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise
  • forges or falsifies academic documents or records
  • intentionally impedes or damages the academic work of others
  • engages in conduct aimed at making false representation of a student’s academic performance
  • assists other students in any of these acts

Prohibited conduct includes but is not limited to:

  • cheating on an examination and/or assignment
  • collaborating with others in work to be presented
  • contrary to the stated rules of the course
  • submitting a paper or assignment as one’s own work when a part or all of the paper or assignment is the work of another
  • utilizing Artificial Intelligence technology such as ChatGPT on an assignment without authorization or citation
  • submitting a paper or assignment that contains ideas or research of others without appropriately identifying the sources of those ideas
  • stealing examinations or course materials
  • submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course;
  • tampering with the laboratory experiment or computer program of another student
  • knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above including
    • including assistance in an arrangement whereby any work
    • classroom performance
    • examination or other activity is submitted or performed by a person other than the student under whose name the work is submitted or performed

Academic Misconduct Procedures

All cases of suspected academic misconduct follow the Chapter UWS 14 process outlined in this flowchart.  

  1. If the instructor suspects that the student has engaged in academic misconduct, they reach out to the appropriate Investigating Officer(IO) and the DOS to discuss the case and learn if the student has any misconduct history  
  2. The instructor offers the student a conference to discuss the allegations  
    1. Students do not have to come to the conference, but must receive the offer
  3. If the instructor still feels that the misconduct occurred, or if the student does not engage in the conference, they will then choose an appropriate sanction (IOs and DOS office can support with sanction choice)  
  4. When the instructor selects Group B sanctions, they will then need to notify the student of the violation by sending a letter that includes the student’s appeal rights 
    1. DOS Staff will proofread any letters before they are sent to students 
    2. If group A is selected the student does not need to receive the letter, but the instructor should notify the DOS of the incident so it can be recorded 
  5. Once the letter is sent, the DOS staff will track the student appeal date and communicate with staff if a hearing is requested 

An instructor who considers the misconduct to be serious enough to warrant probation, suspension or expulsion makes such a recommendation to the appropriate Investigating Officer (IO) who is an appointee of the dean in the student’s school or college. If after discussions with the student the IO agrees with the instructor’s recommendation, a hearing is scheduled before the academic misconduct hearing committee corresponding to the students status (undergraduate or graduate). Relative to such hearings students have a right to a written notice of the alleged offense and sanction sought, to question adverse witnesses, to be heard and present evidence, to be represented and obtain a record of the hearing at student expense and to a written decision and a copy of all applicable procedures. Students who are suspended or expelled by a hearing committee may appeal to the Chancellor.

Suspensions and expulsions bar enrollment at any campus in the UW System. Students may petition for readmission after half of the suspension period, in the case of suspensions, or one year in the case of expulsions.

Records of all disciplinary actions are maintained by the Dean of Students Office.

For information regarding the Instructor Academic Misconduct Process please click here.

For Graduate students suspected of academic misconduct, please review the Graduate school process here.