Academic Conduct

Academic Conduct 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 Conduct 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 AC-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  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 conduct 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 Conduct Process Looks Like