Academic Misconduct
Going through the Academic Misconduct process can be very stressful. However, just because it is stressful does not mean that the University can or will ignore any suspected Academic Misconduct case. One thing to remember is that it is a process - so it is a mechanism by which the University looks at academic work, which includes essays, assignments, exams and other relevant academic written work - and considers whether it has followed the academic requirements or not.
What can often be confusing for students is realising that Academic Misconduct can be unintentional as well as intentional, and arise in many different ways. Just because something is unintentional however does not mean that the University can or will dismiss it. What the University does is use the process to investigate - to understand what may have gone wrong, why, and what could be done better to make sure it does not happen again. The process can be just as much about learning what to do better in the future, as it is about investigating what went wrong in the past.
The University always follow the same process for Academic Misconduct whenever there is a concern about academic work. They always investigate to establish what happened to cause this. Do not assume you are the only person that this has happened to - it is much more common than people realise.
Any student going through the process may have to wait some time to hear more information – this could be weeks, rather than days. You will be sent full details of the concerns by the Conduct office, including all the ‘evidence’ they have of potential misconduct.
What is Academic Misconduct?
Typical types of Academic Misconduct can be:
- Plagiarism, which can arise when a student copies text and does not reference it or does not reference in the way that the University expects,
- Paraphrasing by poorly rewriting text you believe is appropriate for an answer but are not able to write it in a way that is different enough from the original.
- Collusion – where two or more students have worked together to produce answers. This can sometimes be unintentional but as a student you are marked on your own individual knowledge.
- Contract cheating – where you have paid someone or an organisation for the answers to academic work (this does not mean getting tutoring which is a type of academic teaching).
The expectation is that although you use materials for research, you write answers in your own words, not copying from the material that you have found or been given. This can be a genuine error, but it still needs to be investigated and, even with genuine mistakes, there may still be a penalty for the student. Often the Turnitin report will highlight large areas of text and state where the most common source of that text is. If a big block of text is highlighted, this means that the whole block of text is a concern.
Just to give you some examples, it can happen that a student has copied text word for word (or so closely that it cannot be distinguishable from the original text) but not used quote marks to clearly show it has been copied from a source, or referenced it, but not in the way that the University expects.
It may be that too much of the text is not the original work of the student which is also a concern., eg, 60% similarity in Turnitin Students get marked on their knowledge and understanding and it is impossible for the University to mark someone's knowledge and understanding if they cannot express this using as much of their own words as possible.
Evidence could include:
- A copy of an Incident Report Form
- A Turnitin report, showing all the details of the similarity concerns.
- Emails that relate to the Academic Misconduct issue.
- Statements from relevant people
- Message groups/boards with communications that you have made
The Conduct Office will then ask you to write a statement explaining everything from your point of view. It is difficult to write any statement accurately until you know exactly what the allegation actually is and what the evidence is that the University is asking you to explain, so you will need to wait for that information from the Conduct Office before you write any statement.
Once you know what the actual allegation is, and have been given evidence of it, then you can write a statement explaining your perspective of what has happened. We can look at it and give you advice on the clarity of the statement and suggest any evidence, if necessary, to back up what you explain.
The expectation in providing a statement to the Academic Misconduct committee is that you would explain how you found your sources, how you wrote the essay or exam, and what you have now realised about the situation. If you had any Mitigating Circumstances – anything that was impacting you at the time – you should mention them but you will need to provide evidence of this.
The Advice Hub has no access to information about your case because we are part of the Student Union, not the University. Therefore, we can give general advice, but if you need more specific advice you will need to forward us anything you have been sent about the allegation from the University, when you receive it.
You may be invited to attend an Academic Misconduct meeting and if so, someone from the Advice Hub can attend the meeting with you, although that would simply be as moral support - you are the one who would be expected to speak on your own behalf. If you are advised that only a statement is needed from you, but you would prefer to have a meeting (you would still have to provide a written statement) then you can request this. You should always provide a statement however – this is your chance to put across your perspective of the situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was on my own when I wrote the exam. How can I be accused of plagiarism?
Plagiarism is where you have used the words of others – often published sources – but not properly credited them (referenced), or used too much of the words of others. You can do that when writing an exam on your own as it comes from copying text that someone else has written and not realising that you need to reference or appropriately credit this.
My professor told me I didn’t need to reference. Why do I have an academic misconduct allegation?
You may not need to put a list of references at the end of the exam or essay if the professor or academic has advised you not to do this. However, if you are using the words of others within your answer, you still need to use quotation marks and properly cite (credit) the owner of those words at the place that you use them within the text.
Please also be aware that only limited numbers of quotes should be used – the examiner is looking for you to answer in your own words – the quotes are simply for you to back up, or to give strength to your answer.
There is no other way for me to explain my answers. I do not believe I plagiarised.
While there may be specific terms or phrases that are common ways to describe something, you are expected to write as much as possible of your answers in your own words. Consider whether you could have written something differently. Just because you believe you did not plagiarise does not mean the University will agree with you.
I am studying a Maths-based degree. I cannot write the numbers differently. How can I have an Academic Misconduct case?
The University is aware that numbers-based degrees mean that it can be more difficult to write answers that are different or more clearly in your own words. This is considered when investigating and reviewing any case.
I am very anxious – is there any way to know what might be the penalty?
We cannot make guesses about the penalty, as it is the disciplinary committee who make this decision. However, in general, if a student has made a mistake and incorrectly referenced, or not written an answer using their own words, a common penalty is that there will be no mark given for that paper and the student must do a reassessment. It is also possible the reassessment mark will be capped.
Waiting to find out the details of what I am accused of is having an impact on my mental health. Is there anything I can do to speed the process up?
No, there is nothing you can do. Once the process begins, it is in the hands of the student conduct office, and they must be fair to all students waiting, and not prioritise individual cases. It is very hard to know something has gone wrong, but have no details yet, or to have the details but to be waiting for a decision on your case. Remember that many students go through this process. If you need help to manage your anxiety and stress, then you can seek help from the Counselling Service.
I feel very ashamed and embarrassed that I have made such a mistake. I do not want the University and my teachers to view me as someone who cheats.
The University understands that many students have a misconduct allegation because they have unintentionally made a mistake, or not properly understood the rules of academic writing. If you explain honestly and clearly how you approached the paper, and take responsibility for any mistakes, and explain how you will learn and improve, the University appreciates this. There will likely still be a penalty, but it will be accepted that there was no intention to act wrongly.
Where can I get help to understand the rules of academic writing to avoid this happening again?
Information Services (the library), the Academic Writing Centre, and the University Plagiarism Guidance can help.
In my undergraduate studies the rules of plagiarism were never explained, and this is the first time I have encountered the issue.
The University expects all students, especially postgraduate students, to be familiar with academic writing and the rules about misconduct including plagiarism and collusion. However, if these rules are new to you, then this can be explained to the disciplinary committee in your statement, as background to why the mistakes have occurred. It may not make a difference to any penalty, but it will help the committee understand.
I am accused of contract cheating after using content from an answer I saw online. I do not know how to explain this in my statement.
It is always best to be as honest and transparent as possible. Even in cases where students have deliberately done something wrong, it is still possible to express regret and determination to improve. Making attempts to hide or deny wrongdoing will probably only make matters worse.
Contract cheating is where you knowingly agree to someone else (a person or a company) giving you an answer or writing a paper for you. If you have done this, then you can admit to this and explain any circumstances which led you to do this. The disciplinary committee appreciate honesty.
There is a helpful university guide about Contract Cheating at this link.
This guide makes clear the seriousness of the issue.
I have been invited to a disciplinary meeting, but I am scared I will not understand what is said or be able to explain myself?
If you wish, a member of staff from the Advice Hub can accompany you at the meeting (but we cannot speak for you). If you do not understand, we are there to help. All meetings are held online, so you do not have to be on campus or even in the UK.
In our experience the academics in these meetings understand that the student is possibly very anxious. They will speak slowly if necessary and give you time so that you understand their questions. If you have prepared a detailed written statement, you can refer to this during the meeting. Remember that the disciplinary committee meet with many students for whom English is not their first language, so they know this can be difficult.
Important things to remember if you have a Misconduct Allegation
- You are not alone – this happens to many students
- The investigation process can take a long time (many weeks) depending on volume of cases
- When writing your statement be honest, open and take responsibility for any mistakes made. The disciplinary committee want to understand what happened.
- Learn as much as you can about how to avoid academic misconduct because a second offence will have a more severe penalty.
I have more questions – who can I ask?
You can ask us your questions by emailing advice.hub@hw.ac.uk