Prior to referring a case to the office, it is important to understand the standard by which we determine if a student is found responsible for violating the academic standards that George Mason has developed as a measure of academic honesty.
“Clear and Convincing standard of proof is applied to determine if a student has violated the George Mason Academic Standards. This standard is greater than preponderance of the evidence – which requires that the facts more likely than not prove the issue for which they are asserted; but less than beyond a reasonable doubt – which leaves no room for a reasonable person to doubt.”
Virginia State Council of Higher Education, https://www.schev.edu/financial-aid/in-state-residency/guidelines-for-in-state-residency-tuition
Submit a Referral
All information in this referral is subject to FERPA and should not be shared with anyone who does not have an educational need to know. For more info about this, please visit the FERPA Information page.
PLEASE NOTE ALL REFERRALS AND STATEMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE PORTAL. WE DO NOT ACCEPT REFERRALS VIA EMAIL.
Referral Documentation
Individuals who wish to refer a student for a violation of the Academic Standards must submit the following documents.
- Completed Referral Form (the referral form is completed in the referral portal)
- Copy of the Course Syllabus
- All relevant materials that support the allegation that a student is in violation of the Academic Standards. This can include but is not limited to: Safe Assign Reports; Electronic monitoring reports that detect coding similarities (These must be submitted in PDF or HTML format); Documents that you refer to in the referral (i.e. exam questions/answers and assignments for all students mentioned in the referral); Previous writing samples to compare to the referred writing submission; video clips (please include timestamps of when the alleged violation occurs in the video)
If a document referenced in your referral form is missing, our staff will contact you to ask if you plan to include it but will not ask about information you fail to reference or provide. Students are entitled to access to any materials being considered in their case. Please note a failure to include all the required material may result in your case being dismissed against the student.
If you are a student trying to submit a referral, please contact the Academic Standards Office for guidance on how to proceed.