Graduate Honor System

The Graduate Honor Code establishes a standard of academic integrity and requires that all graduate students exercise honesty and ethical behavior in all their academic pursuits at Virginia Tech. 

Learn more about the Graduate Honor System and the Honor Code:

• Become a panelist by participating in a 1-hr training session
• Understand the basics of the GHS 
• Review the Graduate Honor System Constitution 
• Request a GHS presentation (orientation; interactive discussion, or panelist training)
• Report a potential violation you have observed
• Understand the review process

Contacts

Chair:

Rose McGroarty (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25), ghs@vt.edu
Rose is a doctoral student in geosciences. As Chair of the GHS, she ensures that justice, fairness, and due process are exercised in all operations of the Graduate Honor System. With the help of the GHS advisor, Rose recruits and trains graduate student and faculty panelists and associate chairs, and orients graduate students to the values and obligations described in the Honor Code. Rose presides at all Review Panel hearings and coordinates the activities of the Graduate Honor System. She also represents the Graduate Honor System at Commission on Graduate and Professional Studies and Policies (CGPSP) meetings.

Associate Chair(s):

Associate chairs gather evidence and conduct interviews with the referrer and the referred student(s). They prepare a brief report summarizing the interviews and evidence, and present the case to a Preliminary Review Panel. Associate chairs may also attend and present the evidence to Review Panels and support the outreach  and training activities of the chair.

• Molly Ryan (2024-25), doctoral student in rhetoric and writing
  

Advisor: 

Monika Gibson
As advisor, Monika provides confidential and neutral counsel to faculty and students regarding cases and GHS procedures. She attends all preliminary review and review panel meetings in a non-voting capacity to ensure that all GHS procedures are properly followed. The advisor assists with the training of the Chair, Associate Chair(s), Facilitators, and new panel members. She advises the Chair and Associate Chair(s) in the preparation of cases and provides staff for the administration of the Graduate Honor System.

Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown
Graduate School (0325) 
231-9564

Resources

• Case Processing Flowchart
• Avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other questionable writing practices: A guide to ethical writing
• Avoiding Plagiarism: A guide for students at Virginia Tech
  
• Educational Essay Prompts:
  • The Lab (interactive movie on research misconduct)
  • Avoiding Cheating -- success tips 
  • Everybody Lies, and That’s Not Always a Bad Thing
  • Do E-Signatures Change How People Think of Documents?
  • The Unraveling of Michael LaCour
  • Lady Bird’s Cheating Problem
  • But is That Ethical? Ask This App
  • Will ChatGPT Change the Way You Teach?
  • Impact of Academic Integrity on Workplace Ethical Behavior
  • Developing Originality