CUHK disciplinary guidelines and procedures

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Section 1
What is plagiarism

Section 2
Proper use of source material

Section 3
Citation styles

Section 4
Plagiarism and copyright violation

Section 5
CUHK regulations on honesty in academic work

Section 6
CUHK disciplinary guidelines and procedures

Section 7
Guide for teachers and departments

Section 8
Recommended material to be included in course outlines

Section 9
Electronic submission of assignments via VeriGuide

Section 10
Declaration to be included in assignment Questions and Comments

Appendix A
Detailed guidelines on proper use of source material

Appendix B
Proper use of online resources

Section 6
CUHK disciplinary guidelines and procedures

Procedures for Handling Cases of Plagiarism (Academic Dishonesty) or Cheating in Examinations

New Procedures with effect from 2008-09

As decided by the Senate Committee on Student Discipline at its Second Meeting (2007-08) held on 7 April 2008, the following procedures for handling discipline cases of undergraduate students is adopted with effect from 2008-09:

(a)	all academic-related discipline cases of undergraduate students, including cases of plagiarism/cheating in examinations shall be handled by the faculties/colleges/offices/centres that offer the courses concerned instead of the students' major programmes/faculties;

(b)	students suspected of plagiarism/cheating in examinations shall be given the opportunity to meet with members of the disciplinary committee concerned, irrespective of whether the course teachers concerned have already done so;


(c)	in making recommendations for plagiarism cases, disciplinary committees shall take into account factors such as the amount of work being plagiarized, and whether the cases pertain to students plagiarize or allow others to copy their own work. For students who allow others to copy their work, disciplinary committees may consider only giving demerit(s) instead of giving a zero mark to that component of the course.

(d)	Any student who submits a piece of work, or a part of a piece of work, for more than one purpose (e.g., to satisfy the requirements in two different courses) without declaration to this effect shall be regarded as having committed academic dishonesty.

I. Undergraduates

Cases to be handled by each faculty/college/office/centre

1. Teachers shall report all cases of suspected plagiarism or cheating immediately to the disciplinary committee of the faculty/college/office/centre concerned, e.g. teachers of ERG and IAS courses shall report respectively to the Engineering Faculty and Office of Academic Links. The disciplinary committee concerned will look into the case, and meet with the student. If the charge is established, the penalty guidelines are as follows:

(a)	For a first offence, a minimum penalty of (i) one demerit; and (ii) a mark of zero for that component of the course,

(b)	For a second or further offence, and for a first offence that is serious as decided by the disciplinary committee concerned, a minimum penalty of (i) two demerits; and (ii) a mark of zero for that component of the course.

(c)	For cases where a student committed two or more offences of plagiarism/cheating in examination in the same term and at almost the same time, the following lower penalty can be recommended by the disciplinary committee concerned, after careful consideration of all factors including inter alia the amount of work plagiarized, the attitude of the student and whether the student is aware of the mistake before committing the same offence a second time: For such offences altogether, a minimum penalty of (i) two demerits; and (ii) a mark of zero for the component(s) of the course(s) concerned. In recommending such penalty, full justifications must be provided by the disciplinary committee concerned.

(d)	The submission of the same or closely related material for the same or different courses may lead to the penalty of a zero mark for all assignments concerned, as decided by the disciplinary committee.

(e)	In case of plagiarism where a student allowed others to copy his/her work, the disciplinary committee concerned can consider giving demerit(s) without affecting the mark of the student in the course concerned instead of giving a zero mark to that component of the course.

Under (a) to (d), the disciplinary committee concerned can consider a penalty of giving a mark of zero for the entire course, or more demerits, for plagiarism cases that are deemed more serious by taking into account factors such as the amount of work being plagiarized.

2. The disciplinary committee concerned shall also decide whether the demerit(s) will remain in the University's record permanently; or the demerits will be reviewed before the time of graduation of the student concerned; or the demerits will be removed from the University's record by the time of graduation of the student concerned if no further offence is committed.

3. If zero marks are earned for that component of the course, the grade for the course may end up as a failure.

4. The disciplinary committee concerned shall notify the student of its decision. In the case where the disciplinary committee comes up with a decision that is substantially different from the initial findings of the faculty/department/college to which the student concerned belongs, the disciplinary committee shall first convey its decision to the faculty/department/college concerned before the student concerned is formally notified of the decision.

5. Appeals in writing with full justifications may be lodged to the Senate Committee on Student Discipline through the disciplinary committee that deals with the case in the first instance, against the decision/recommendation made by the disciplinary committee, within seven working days after the student has received the notification. Late appeals will not be considered. The case is closed if no appeal is received after the specified period.

6. The disciplinary committee concerned shall report the case, together with its decision, to the Senate Committee on Student Discipline by completing Form A issued by the Senate Committee, irrespective of whether the student concerned is found guilty or not, a copy of which shall be sent to the student’s major programme and faculty for record and necessary follow up actions.

Cases to be handled by the Senate Committee on Student Discipline

7. Cases that are exceptionally serious, or where extenuating circumstances are put forward for a lower penalty, shall be referred to the Senate Committee on Student Discipline for decision, to ensure consistency across the University.

(a)

If, after serious consideration, the disciplinary committee concerned recommends a heavier penalty as follows according to Regulation 19.2 (for students admitted to the 3-year curriculum) / Regulation 15.2 (for students admitted to the 4-year curriculum) of the General Regulations Governing Full-time Undergraduate Studies, then the case will be referred to the Senate Committee on Student Discipline for further consideration:
(i) Suspension from the University for a specified period of time; or
(ii) Termination of studies at the University.

(b)	If the disciplinary committee concerned after reviewing the case recommends a penalty lower than those specified in these guidelines, the case shall also be referred to the Senate Committee on Student Discipline for decision.

8. The student shall be notified in writing of the decision, and appeals in writing with full justifications may be lodged to the Senate Committee on Student Discipline, within seven working days after the student has received the notification. The appeal shall be handled in accordance with the "Procedures for Handling Student Disciplinary Cases" of the Senate Committee on Student Discipline. Late appeals shall not be considered.

Documentation

9. After each case is closed, the disciplinary committee concerned or the Senate Committee on Student Discipline (as the case may be) shall inform the faculty/department/college concerned of the details of the case for record and follow-up, and report the case, together with its decision, to the Senate Committee on Student Discipline by completing Form A issued by the Senate Committee, irrespective of whether the student concerned is found guilty or not. As recommended by the Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning, such case records on plagiarism shall be included in the self-evaluation documents of programmes for regular internal programme reviews.

II. Postgraduates

10. The procedures in respect of postgraduate students are the same as those of undergraduate students described above, except that the Graduate School Disciplinary Committee shall be the responsible disciplinary committee. The procedures will also apply to plagiarism found in theses, which may be failed as a result, in the case of which the student concerned has to re-submit the thesis.

11. Under circumstances where students concurrently registered for two postgraduate programmes, the number of offences and number of demerits accumulated are person specific rather than programme specific. In other words, if a student committed plagiarism in a course of Programme A and in another course of Programme B, s/he will be considered as having committed a total of two counts of plagiarism. Under normal circumstances, s/he shall have accumulated a total of three demerits, and s/he may risk termination of studies for both programmes s/he registered. Under the circumstance where a student committed two or more offences of plagiarism/cheating in examination in the same term and at almost the same time, Paragraph 1(c) shall apply.

Revised in August 2012