Professional and Ethical Codes of Conduct

Participants in the Leadership and Instructional Practice program are expected to uphold the highest standards of professional, academic and personal conduct.  

Standard 1: Personal and Academic Integrity

A participant in the LEAD program is expected to:

• Provide complete and accurate information in the application process.
• Refrain from acts involving dishonesty, cheating, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.
• Refrain from any act of plagiarism, which includes any misrepresentation of academic ownership, including (but not limited to) falsifying citations, presenting another’s work  as one’s own, or using data without permission.
• Represent all data accurately and without misrepresentation. 

Standard 2: Professionalism

A participant in the LEAD program is expected to:

• Uphold the legal standards of his/her profession.
• Demonstrate appropriate self-control (such as anger control, impulse control, response to feedback) in interpersonal relationships with faculty, peers, and other associates.
• Respect the fundamental rights, dignity, and worth of all people.

Standard 3: Confidentiality

A participant in the LEAD program is expected to:

• Respect the rights of others  with respect to privacy and confidentiality.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding class discussion topics.
• Maintain the confidentiality of subjects.
• Follow all stipulations of the IRB regarding research with human subjects.

Doctoral participants who demonstrate behaviors that can reasonably be predictive of poor future professional functioning such as extensive lateness, excessive  absenteeism, or poor compliance with supervisory requirements may be evaluated by the faculty for possible action as listed below. Doctoral participants who experience employment termination due to alleged misconduct may be evaluated by the faculty for possible action as listed below. Doctoral participants who are in violation of the code of professional conduct/ethics for their stated profession may be evaluated by the faculty for possible action as listed below. 

A participant’s failure to uphold these standards of professional, academic and personal conduct may result in a faculty recommendation for one or more of the following actions:

• a formal reprimand
• personal counseling
• temporary leave of absence from the program 
• additional course work
• additional supervision
• formal probation
• encouragement to withdraw from the program
• formal dismissal from the program

Academic Integrity and Honor Code

Doctoral participants are expected to demonstrate the ability to think clearly for themselves and to display honesty in all academic matters.

Examples of violations of academic dishonesty include: 

• Falsifying official documents
• Faking data or results
• Plagiarizing, this includes copying others’ published work, and/or failing to give credit properly to other authors and creators. 

Examples of plagiarism include: 

• Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgment
• Buying a paper from a research service or term paper mill
• Turning in another student’s work with or without the student’s knowledge
• Copying a paper from a source without proper acknowledgment 
• Presenting another’s work as one’s own
• Paraphrasing materials from a source text without proper documentation
• Misusing copyrighted materials and/or violating licensing agreements
• Using media from any source, including the Internet, with the intent to mislead, deceive, or defraud

UTC Honor Code Pledge

I pledge that I will neither give nor receive unauthorized aid or any test or assignment. I understand that plagiarism constitutes a serious instance of  unauthorized aid. I further pledge that I will exert every effort to ensure that the Honor Code is upheld by others and that I will actively support the establishment and continuance of a campus-wide climate of honor and integrity. 

All doctoral participants become subject to the rules and regulations of the Honor Code upon registration. Violations of the Honor Code or any other academic integrity offense may result in disciplinary probation, a failing grade, delayed graduation, or dismissal from the University. Full details of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga honor system policies may be found in the UTC Student Handbook (link: Student Handbook).