Academic Conduct Process

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Academic Conduct Process

Allegations of poor academic practice and academic misconduct are managed through the Academic Misconduct Process. There are three types of meeting 

  • A Preliminary Meeting (you are invited to attend these) 
  • An Academic Concern Meeting (you are invited to attend these) 
  • An Academic Misconduct Panel (you are invited to respond in writing to these initially, but you can request a meeting to review the panel decision if you wish) 

Preliminary Meetings

Preliminary Meetings are held if your course staff have concerns about whether you have produced your work yourself. Possible outcomes are: 

  1. your course staff are satisfied that you have produced your work yourself
  2. referral to an Academic Concern Meeting or an Academic Conduct Panel. 

Academic Concern Meetings

Academic Concern Meetings are held where there are concerns about your academic skills (such as referencing, accurate paraphrasing etc). Possible outcomes are: 

  1. no case to answer
  2. a Notice to Improve where you must engage with academic integrity or library skills training
  3. referral to Academic Conduct Panel.  

Academic Conduct Panels

Academic Conduct Panels are held where there is evidence indicating academic misconduct.

Possible outcomes are: 

  1. no case to answer
  2. One of five sanctions, see the table below for details. 

What to do if you are the subject of an allegation

 Academic integrity is about fairness and honesty. You are expected to make a valid attempt at your assessment using your own skills, and you should be completely honest about when you have used the work of others or when you have used artificial intelligence to help you produce your work. For Preliminary Meetings you should simply attend the meeting and fully participate in the discussion with your course staff. Be open and honest and answer any questions that are asked as fully as you can. Remember that the purpose of a Preliminary Meeting is to enable the course team to work out if there is a problem or not; these meetings are held because the course staff are unsure about something and they need your input to help them. 

Academic Concern meetings are a discussion opportunity for you and your tutor. You will review your work together, and your tutor will give you feedback on what you need to do to improve. If you do not attend this meeting, your work may be referred to an Academic Conduct panel for a sanction. 

Academic Conduct Panels make decisions based on documentary evidence. You will be able to review the evidence ahead of the meeting and you will be asked to submit your response. It is vital that your response is open, honest, and contains all relevant details. 

Meeting Outcomes 

If the panel of a Concern meeting or Conduct Panel decides to dismiss an allegation, then no action will be taken. If the allegation is upheld, the panel will also reach a decision regarding the most appropriate outcome. The following points will be considered when determining the most appropriate outcome or sanction: 

  • any evidence that you intended to gain an unfair advantage by your actions 
  • your previous experience of academic study in a UK higher education institution, or for a UK higher education award 
  • the extent of the misconduct in relation to the assessment in question, i.e., whether this relates to a small section or a whole assessment 
  • any mitigating circumstances, which you must present with evidence (where appropriate) 
  • any prior upheld allegations of a breach to the Code of Academic Conduct 
  • whether you have understood the allegation and accepted responsibility for any breach of the Code of Academic Conduct. 

If you have attended an Academic Concern meeting and been given a Notice to Improve already, any subsequent allegations will go straight to an Academic Conduct Panel. 

Sanction 

Outcome 

Impact 

Notice to improve 

You must complete the online Academic Integrity Training module. 

Original mark awarded stands. 

The work will be marked, and the mark awarded will stand. 

Any future proven allegations will incur a more serious sanction. 

Formal warning 

Warning letter kept on file. 

Original mark awarded stands. 

The work will be marked, and the mark awarded will stand. 

Any future proven allegations of academic misconduct will incur a more serious sanction. 

Reassessment in the task(s) concerned 

You have lost an assessment attempt in the task(s) concerned 

If it was a first attempt in the task, a reassessment will be offered, and the result will be capped at the minimum pass mark. 

If it was a reassessment task, and results in you failing the module, you might be given the option to repeat in the next academic year. 

Any repeat modules will be subject to a fee and are capped at the minimum pass mark. 

If you are not entitled to repeat, you may fail the module which will result in your being required to leave the course. 

Reassessment in all tasks in the module concerned 

You have lost an assessment attempt in all the tasks in the module irrespective of the fact that the misconduct was only in one task. 

If it was your first attempt at the module, you will be offered a reassessment attempt for all the tasks in the module. Results of the reassessment are capped at the minimum pass mark. 

If this was a reassessment task, you will have failed the module. 

If your course permits, you may be eligible to repeat the module in the next academic year. 

Any repeat modules will be subject to a fee and are capped at the minimum pass mark. 

If you are not entitled to repeat, you may fail the module which will result in your being required to leave the course 

Reassessment in all assessment tasks in the module concerned and a capped mark applied to all other modules in the level 

You have lost an assessment attempt in all the tasks in the module irrespective of the face that the misconduct was only in one task. All marks at the level are capped at the minimum pass mark. 

If it was your first attempt at the module, you will be offered a reassessment attempt for all the tasks in the module. Results of the reassessment are capped at the minimum pass mark. 
If this was a reassessment task, you will have failed the module. 
If your course permits, you may be eligible to repeat the module in the next academic year. 
Any repeat modules will be subject to a fee and are capped at the minimum pass mark. 
If you are not entitled to repeat, you may fail the module which will result in your being required to leave the course. 
All other modules will be capped at the minimum pass mark. You must still complete work for any outstanding assessments in these other modules. 
Your overall award classification will be lower as a result of this capping 

Fail in the module(s) concerned with no option for reassessment, repeat, replacement or substitution. A capped mark is applied to all other modules in the level. 

You have lost any further assessment attempts. 

You will be excluded from your course with immediate effect. 

You will not be eligible for an award at the level you were on. 

You may be eligible for an intermediate award, but this will depend on the number of credits you have been awarded prior to the academic misconduct sanction. 

 You will be notified of the outcome of any Academic Concern Meeting or Academic Conduct Panel in writing within 5 working days of the meeting or panel taking place.  

You can ask for a review of an Academic Conduct Panel outcome. If you wish to have a review, you will be invited to attend the review meeting (which is usually held online) You should come along fully prepared with all the information you wish to discuss and any questions that you want to ask. After a review you will again receive written notification of the outcome within 5 working days. At this stage if you remain dissatisfied you have a right to appeal.