FAQ
The Honor Code is Harvard College’s statement of academic integrity. Commitment to the Honor Code will be demonstrated through an Affirmation of Integrity, that students will be periodically asked to review and sign.
The goal of our Honor Code is to strengthen the dedication to academic integrity in the College. The creation of an honor code has been several years in the making, and largely student-led. Together with Harvard faculty and staff, our students have come together to ask searching questions about our values as an academic community and to reflect on how those values could be better affirmed. In the Spring of 2014, the FAS Faculty and Undergraduate Council voted to implement an Honor Code for Harvard College.
All students at Harvard College will be asked to affirm their acceptance of and adherence to the Honor Code. Freshmen will be asked to write a brief statement about the Honor Code and its role in the Harvard Community, and all students will be asked to affirm their adherence to the Honor Code at registration, and upon the completion of significant assignments and final exams. In addition to extensive programming for freshmen during Opening Days, Houses and departments will be hosting conversations and events designed to foster discussion of academic integrity. Finally, Student Academic Integrity Fellows will act as integrity ambassadors in the Houses and across campus.
Students who are sitting scheduled final exams will sign an affirmation as part of the attendance process. Faculty should also include an affirmation on any in-class or take-home final exam, or final project. You can find sample affirmation text here. But faculty are also encouraged to include an affirmation on any significant assignment in their class (midterm exam, research papers, presentations), or at occasional intervals such as on problem sets or lab reports, in order to reinforce the scholarly standards of your field, and to remind your students of the importance of doing their academic work with integrity.
Students who would like to discuss the uses and purpose of the affirmation are encouraged to be in touch with the Honor Council through the Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct (OAISC). Students are required to sign the affirmation to register for classes, but may wish to discuss the affirmation before signing.
Students who choose not to sign the affirmation on final exams or culminating projects will still complete the exam or assignment. However, the course staff will notify the Honor Council at (617) 384-7239 or honorcouncil@fas.harvard.edu of any student who did not sign so that they may follow up directly with the student.
While faculty may have different ways of stating their goals, every course syllabus should include a strong statement about the academic integrity standards for that field, a clear collaboration policy, and information on how you plan to handle extension requests and late submissions. The Honor Code offers some straightforward language; you may find additional suggestions here. The clearer your expectations, the less likely you will be to see possible violations as a result of confusion.
The Honor Council is made up of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff. You can see the full membership here.
The Honor Council will hear all possible violations of the Honor Code and academic integrity policies, including suspected plagiarism, inappropriate collaboration, and improper use of sources. Teams of the Honor Council will review cases that are brought to their attention by faculty. SAIFs will act as peer supporters for individual students meeting with the Honor Council to address a potential academic integrity violation. Specific information on the Honor Council process is available here.
Contact OAISC at (617) 384-7239 or honorcouncil@fas.harvard.edu. Or, use the online reporting form found here. The staff will discuss the situation with you and will explain the process of reporting a situation.
Please contact Brett Flehinger, Associate Dean for Academic Integrity and Student Conduct, at bflehing@fas.harvard.edu or a member of the OAISC Staff at honorcouncil@fas.harvard.edu
Although you are not required to report a situation, it is highly encouraged that you do. Please contact OAISC at (617) 384-7239 or honorcouncil@fas.harvard.edu. The staff will discuss the situation with you and will explain your options and the process of reporting a situation.
Instructional support staff have access to all the information here, and have been sent the same implementation guidelines that you have received. Additional training is being offered at the Bok Center’s Fall Teaching Conference as well as through individual departments with the Departmental Teaching Fellows. There are sections of the Harvard Writing Project and HarvardWrites that are specifically for Teaching Fellows. As faculty, you can help your instructional support staff by actively including them in any classroom discussions or assignments regarding academic integrity, and by encouraging them to bring any suspected violations to you, for forwarding to the Honor Council.