I have been notified that I am suspected of academic misconduct and my case will be reviewed by Academic Administration, what should I expect?

If you have been invited to a Formal Discussion or an Academic Misconduct Panel hearing, please consult these pages.  
 
If the letter you have received states that you are suspected of academic misconduct and your case will be reviewed by the Academic Administration team, there is no requirement to attend a meeting.  
 
A review by the Academic Administration team is arranged to consider cases that do not involve academic judgement. The letter will contain an allegation or a reason why you are suspected of academic misconduct and a list of the evidence that will be sent to you alongside the letter (known as the dossier of evidence). You are encouraged to read the letter and review the dossier of evidence.  
 
You will be provided with five University working days to submit a written statement or any evidence that you wish to be considered, including any evidence that you wish to be considered for Special Circumstances.  
 
After the deadline has passed, two staff members from the Academic Administration team will decide whether the evidence shows that, on the balance of probabilities, academic misconduct has occurred. The reviewers will not be informed about any previous findings of poor academic practice or academic misconduct against you until after they have made their decision and, if relevant, are determining the penalty. 
 
You will then receive an outcome letter, which outlines the reasons for the decision. The potential outcomes that could be applied are: 

• That academic misconduct has not occurred. No further action is taken.
  • marking of the work in question is resumed and processed in the normal way. 
• That it is more likely than not that academic misconduct has occurred and there is no evidence of Special Circumstances.
  • a penalty will be issued. For programmes that are accredited by a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) the relevant Student and Academic Administration team staff are notified for consideration, if necessary, under the Fitness to Practise process. 
• That it is more likely than not that academic misconduct has occurred and there is evidence of Special Circumstances.
  • The relevant Board of Examiners will be instructed to void the assessment and to allow a new attempt as if for the first time (or second time if the voided attempt was a resit). You would also be referred to the Support to Study process, if necessary. 
• That the academic misconduct is deemed to be particularly complex, of the highest severity or is a third offence.
  • The case will be referred for consideration by an Academic Misconduct Panel. 
• There may be instances following the Formal Discussion when the AIOs determine that the matter may be more appropriately or additionally dealt with as non-academic misconduct or through the Fitness to Practise process. 
  • If so, the matter will be referred to the relevant Authorised Person. 

You have the right to appeal this decision provided you do so within 10 working days of the date you were notified of the outcome.  
 
For more information on the academic misconduct process, visit our academic misconduct page.