Upholding academic integrity is a cornerstone of our educational environment, and the Department of Statistical Science is committed to fostering a community where scholarship, research, and learning are pursued with the highest ethical standards. In accordance with the Graduate School’s judicial code and procedures, we outline below the departmental process for handling incidents of suspected academic misconduct. It is essential to familiarize yourself with these policies and processes to ensure a fair, respectful, and honest academic experience.
Reporting Responsibilities
To uphold the Duke Community Standard and the Standards of Conduct of the Duke Graduate School, all members of the Duke community (including students, staff, and faculty) are expected to take constructive action upon witnessing or becoming aware of academic misconduct. This demonstrates their commitment to maintaining academic integrity.
When aware of a potential violation, community members are obligated to inform either the course instructor, the program director, or the department chair of the suspected misconduct. This can be done directly or anonymously, without the reporter being identified. All reports of suspected misconduct will be handled confidentially unless otherwise required by law, and requests for anonymity will be respected.
Resolution and Appeal Processes
For an incident of suspected academic misconduct, the instructor should notify the program director (DGS or MSS Director) and the student(s) of allegations and sanctions by email within 10 calendar days of discovery. If multiple students are involved, the instructor and program director should work together to determine the method of notification (whether as a group or individually) based on the situation.
It should be noted that instructors issue academic sanctions only. Disciplinary sanctions such as probation, suspension, and dismissal, are issued by the Graduate School1.
If the student accepts responsibility and sanctions, the process ends and the Graduate School1 is notified of the resolution.
If the student does not accept responsibility and/or sanctions, the student submits a letter of appeal within 10 calendar days of receiving notice. The steps for conducting an appeal are as follows:
- Members of the program’s curriculum committee will serve as the adjudicators for the appeal process. If any committee member has a conflict of interest, an alternate member will be chosen by the Department Chair. It should be noted that each member of the committee serves in an objective role and not as an advocate for either the student or the instructor.
- The program director convenes a meeting. The meeting should occur within 30 calendar days of the appeal and will include the hearing committee, the instructor, the students, and the Director. The student and instructor will meet with the committee separately during the meeting to present their cases and answer questions.
- The committee members will vote on the appeal, and the decision will be determined by a simple majority.
- The decision will be recorded by the Director and the student will be notified of the result within five calendar days of the meeting. The Graduate School1 will also be notified of the resolution.
- Further appeals will be directed to the Graduate School1 per the bulletin.
1 In cases where the student’s program is not administered by the Graduate School, the reporting and appeal processes will follow those of the school in which the student’s program is housed.