Academic Integrity means conducting yourself honestly in your studies: making sure you reference any ideas which aren’t new in each assessment. This includes your own work if you’ve submitted it previously. It can also include not doing anything dishonest in exams or non-written assessments.
Making sure your work doesn’t breach the policy means you are making sure that you are maintaining the high academic standards expected by the University. If you’re unsure at all you can speak to your department or to Study Skills about improving your academic writing skills, which should also help your grades overall.
What To Do If You Receive An Email
We understand that getting an email saying you’re suspected of breaching the academic integrity policy can be more than a little nerve-wracking. So here’s a brief summary of what to expect next.
Your email will include a copy of the work that is suspected of breaching guidelines. It is worth looking at the AI-1 form, as the marker will have explained what they suspect the issue is. If you can’t understand it, get in touch and we’ll try and help explain what it all means.
You can send a written response back to the tutor, and we’d encourage you to do this. In the email, you could explain what you think has gone wrong, any study support you’ve received or anything else you feel is relevant.
At the initial meeting, your tutor will talk to you about the allegation and you’ll both look through the work together. You can also ask your tutor about the types of support available to you. At the end of the meeting, the tutor will decide if they believe there is evidence of a breach or not. You will also be asked to sign the form and state whether you agree or disagree with the tutor’s decision.
If this is isn’t the first time you’ve had a suspected breach of the policy, the allegation is academic misconduct, or you disagreed with the tutor’s decision, you will be invited to a panel hearing. At the hearing, you will be given the opportunity to explain what you believe has happened and the panel can ask you questions as well. Once you and the panel are happy that they have all the information they need, you will leave the room and they will make a decision. You’ll receive the decision in writing within 10 days.
Making Sense of Unacceptable Practice and Misconduct
Breaching the academic integrity policy is split into two categories by the University; Unacceptable Academic Practice, and Academic Misconduct. Here is a short explanation of the common breaches of the policy:
Unacceptable Academic Practice
Academic Misconduct
What the Academic Integrity Process Looks Like
How Can the Advice Service Help with Academic Integrity?
If you have been accused of breaching the Academic Integrity policy, we can help by:
- Discussing the allegations with you in a way that makes sense
- Helping to read through a draft of your written response
- Attending Academic Integrity meetings with you
- Explaining what will happen at each step
If you feel that an academic integrity investigation hasn’t followed the current procedure, and are unhappy with the outcome, we can also help you to appeal. We’ve provided more guidance on appeals on this page.
