Academic Integrity

Revised Spring 2023

As a leading institution of advanced Jewish learning and scholarship, JTS expects community members across schools and programs to meet high moral and academic standards. JTS faculty, instructors, scholars, staff, and students commit to meeting these standards in their work.

These standards include adhering to principles of academic integrity and maintaining ethical authorship practices in all contexts.

For students, ethical authorship and academic integrity include:

  • Producing original work for each class
  • Accurately citing all sources in written work
  • Maintaining the boundaries of allowable collaboration for group assignments, as defined by the instructor in each class
  • Being truthful in all communications with instructors, advisors, deans, and staff
  • Adhering to each instructor’s guidelines for acceptable resources and tools that can or cannot be used to assist in completing coursework

Instructors can foster a climate conducive to academic integrity by:

  • Creating new course assignments and exams for each class they teach
  • Emphasizing the learning process by giving students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning over time
  • Designing assignments that are meaningful for student learning and that are rooted in evidence-based practices regarding effective pedagogy
  • Providing clear guidelines regarding the proper citation of sources and the boundaries of allowable collaboration on group assignments
  • Being accessible to students to answer questions about assignments

Conduct that Violates Academic Integrity

Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Cheating on examinations or tests: giving or receiving assistance to complete an individual examination or test. This includes a prohibition on viewing or utilizing another examination paper, obtaining or reviewing previous examination questions and/or answers, or using any source or tool not explicitly permitted by the instructor; or having access, without the instructor’s approval, to examination questions prior to the administration of the examination.
  2. Plagiarism: the submission or presentation of ideas or work in any form without appropriate acknowledgment of the source(s) used to inform said work.
      a.) If in doubt regarding rules governing attribution and citation, consult with the instructor. Failure to inform oneself about plagiarism and citational practices will not constitute an exemption from this standard.
  3. Submission of the same work for more than one course without the explicit permission of all instructors involved.
  4. Falsification or misrepresentation of data or facts in any course work. Students are responsible for the factual accuracy of all content submitted.
  5. Exceeding the limits of allowable collaboration in course work as specified by the instructor.
  6. Violating an instructor’s policies related to allowable sources and tools that may be used to complete coursework.
  7. Altering, defacing, or concealing library materials.
  8. Participating in the academic dishonesty of another student by offering any assistance, materials, or advice that encourages such behavior.
  9. Falsification or misrepresentation of grades, honors, or any other aspect of one’s academic or professional achievements.
  10. Misrepresentation of one’s state of health or other personal situation to gain deferment of examinations, deadlines, or other accommodations.
  11. Forgery of another person’s signature on any document or form.
  12. Misrepresenting any work that was generated in whole or in part by an outside person, source, or technology, including generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools, as a student’s own.

Incidents of academic dishonesty undermine learning and scholarship. Students should be aware that the consequences of academic dishonesty, even on a first offense, can be very serious. These consequences range from academic warning or probation to suspension or expulsion, depending on the circumstances of the violation. Any sanctions for violating academic integrity will affect the student’s standing at JTS as well as at any other institutions in which they may be enrolled, including Columbia and/or Barnard.

Ignorance of JTS’s policy concerning academic dishonesty shall not be a defense in any subsequent disciplinary proceedings. JTS holds each member of the community responsible for understanding these principles and for abiding by them.

Disciplinary Procedures

An administrator, teacher, or student(s) who suspects a student of academic dishonesty should contact the dean of the student’s school to report the alleged incident.

  1. The dean will meet with the person(s) who brought the allegation for an advisory conversation.
  2. If the dean determines that there is sufficient concern to warrant a formal investigatory process, the dean will convene a three-person Academic Integrity Review Panel. The Academic Integrity Review Panel shall consist of:
    1. The dean
    2. One member of the Faculty Executive Committee
    3. One additional instructor who is otherwise not involved in the allegation
  3. The Academic Integrity Review Panel will arrange a meeting with both the accused student(s) and the course’s instructor. In this meeting, both parties will have the opportunity to address the allegations.
  4. Following the meeting, the Academic Integrity Review Panel will meet privately to assess the validity and severity of the alleged violation.
    1. The Panel uses the standard of proof named the “preponderance of the evidence” standard. This standard allows for the determination of violation if, at the conclusion of the investigation, the information suggests it is more likely than not that a breach of academic integrity has occurred.
  5. If the Panel determines that a student’s conduct has violated academic integrity, the Panel will determine appropriate sanctions, with the dean retaining the right to make final determinations regarding findings and sanctions.
  6. The dean of the student’s school will notify the student in writing of the Panel’s decision and any resulting sanctions.

Students have the right to appeal the Panel’s sanctions. The grounds for appeal are: 1) there was a significant procedural error that substantially affected the fairness of the process; 2) there is new information that was not provided or available at the time of the hearing that may change the determined sanctions; 3) the sanctions imposed are excessive given the information provided during the investigation and hearing process. Disagreement with the findings or sanctions is not, by itself, grounds for appeal.

Appeals can be brought in accordance with the following procedure:

  1. The student(s) will first contact the Dean of Academic Affairs in writing and state the nature of their appeal of the Review Panel’s sanctions
  2. The student(s) will provide any relevant materials and answer any questions regarding the investigation at the request of the Dean of Academic Affairs
  3. The Dean of Academic Affairs will review all materials provided by the student(s) and information provided by the Review Panel regarding their assessment of the violation.
  4. The Dean of Academic Affairs will accept or reject the student’s appeal and will formally notify the student in writing of their decision.
  5. Should the student wish to appeal the Dean of Academic Affairs’ decision, the student may make a final appeal in writing addressed to the Provost. The Provost shall have the final authority regarding sanctions.

If the alleged incident occurs in a class taught by the dean of the student’s school, then the dean will contact the Provost to identify a replacement arbiter. The Provost will appoint a dean from another school to conduct the investigation and convene the Review Panel.

If the alleged incident occurs in a class taught by the Dean of Academic Affairs or the Provost and a student wishes to pursue a second appeal of the Review Panel’s decision, the student may escalate their final appeal to the Chancellor. The Chancellor shall have final authority to accept or reject the appeal and will notify the student in writing of their decision.

Syllabus Statement

Academic Integrity

JTS expects students to meet high moral and academic standards. These standards include adhering to principles of academic integrity and maintaining ethical authorship practices in all learning contexts. Questions regarding citational practices and formats, the boundaries of allowed collaboration, guidelines for the use of any research and/or support tools (including generative AI tools), and any other questions related to the integrous completion of coursework should be directed to the instructor. Ignorance of rules and norms governing academic integrity does not constitute an exception from policies regarding student conduct.

More information on academic integrity at JTS, including procedures related to the violation of academic integrity, can be found on the JTS website: https://www.jtsa.edu/academic-integrity/