Honor Code

The Caltech Honor Code states that "no member of the Caltech community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the community." This Code is not meant to be an explicit guideline under which the term "unfair advantage" is open to interpretation. Rather, it is an implicit statement of each Caltech member's duty to uphold and honor the unconditional trust given to them by every other member to act responsibly and maintain Caltech's academic, scientific, and social integrity. Please use the following information and links to see the role of the Honor Code in Caltech classes and labs as well as how to report suspected graduate and undergraduate violations.

Scope of the Honor Code

Because our Honor Code is uniquely implicit, it applies broadly across different campus groups and different aspects of campus life:

• The Honor Code is indiscriminate. It applies to faculty, administrators, students, and staff alike.
• The Honor Code is universal. It applies not only to academics and research but to conduct as well.

The Honor Code in the Classroom

Students here enjoy a wide range of academic freedoms as a result of the Honor Code's statement of implicit trust. The following describes typical academic practices at Caltech:

For Sets and Projects:

All courses are required to have an explicit collaboration policy regarding assignments. This policy must be made available to the students by either posting it online or handing out paper copies during class (it is usually appended to the class syllabus). There is currently a project underway to centralize all of Caltech's collaboration policies on one website, so electronic policy templates will become available in the near future.

For Quizzes and Exams:

Take-Home Tests: All take-home exams must include a cover page that clearly states the following:

• The time limit


• The due date


• The collaboration policy


• The resources allowed

While instructors are responsible for making the above information available, it is the student's responsibility to seek clarification if any confusion arises.

In-Class Tests: Campus policy requires that all exams be unproctored. While the majority of exams here are take-home, you may hold an exam in a classroom as long as no instructors or TAs are watching during the exam period.

For Lab Classes:

Students are generally given free access to lab equipment via their student ID or keys.

 

Violations of the Honor Code

Undergraduate Violations

If you suspect that one of your undergraduate students has committed an Honor Code violation, please IMMEDIATELY REPORT YOUR CONCERNS to one of the following bodies:

• For academic violations (cheating, overcollaboration, plagiarism, forgery, etc.), please contact the Board of Control (BoC) Chair and Secretary.
• For nonacademic violations (harassment, vandalism, etc.), please contact Associate Dean Barbara Green, Co-Chair of the Conduct Review Committee (CRC).
• For ambiguous violations, please contact the Routing Committee via Dean John Hall.

Graduate Violations

If you suspect that one of your graduate students or TA's has committed an Honor Code violation, please IMMEDIATELY REPORT YOUR CONCERNS to the Graduate Review Board (GRB) Chair.

Please report any concern you have even if it is unclear whether an Honor Code violation occurred. The BoC, CRC, and GRB are the authoritative committees for academic undergraduate violations, non-academic undergraduate violations, and graduate violations, respectively. It is our job to determine if a violation occurred, not yours. This policy is in place to ensure that consistent conviction decisions are made across campus.

 

Related Links

If you want more information about the Honor Code or about the procedures and proceedings of the BoC, CRC, or GRB, please refer to the documents and sites below:

• Undergraduate Board of Control (BoC)

• Graduate Review Board (GRB)

• For the Honor System as it relates to Faculty and Instructors

• Suggested Collaboration Policy Form for Faculty to Distribute to Students (PDF)

Questions?

If you have questions about the content of this page, please email Jean Sun, former Chair of the Board of Control.