ACADEMICMALPRACTICE

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Contents

What is the Academic Malpractice Procedure?

What if you are suspected of Academic Malpractice?

What happens next?

Writing a statement

Potential Penalties

What are Mitigating Circumstances?

Can I appeal the decision of the Malpractice panel?

What can the Advice Service do to help?

Important Links

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The information in this guide only provides general guidance on academic support and University policy. The leaflet should not be regarded or relied upon as a complete or authoritative statement of University policy or procedures. The University of Manchester Students’ Union advice service will not accept any liability for any claims or inconvenience as a result of the use of information in this guide.

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What is the Academic Malpractice Procedure?The University of Manchester University considers all accusations of academic malpractice seriously and investigates all cases under a formal procedure.

It is one of the most serious formal procedures that the University has and in some particularly serious cases can lead to a student being excluded from their course.

Students are usually asked to attend meetings or hearings with their School, Faculty or University Student Disciplinary Panel when the University suspects that some form of Academic Malpractice has occurred.

The usual process for getting to this stage involves some suspicion of malpractice such as plagiarism when a Tutor is marking an assessment or as a result of putting it through the ‘Turnitin’ programme*

*Turnitin is an electronic programme that scans in assignments and then searches a huge variety of sources to detect plagiarism.

What is Academic Malpractice?

In brief, malpractice can involve the following categories:

• Plagiarism

• Collusionincoursework(workingwithsomeoneelse)

• Fabricationand/orfalsificationofresults

• Cheatinginexams

• Impersonation

• Breachinganonymityrequirementsasprescribedbyyourcourse.

If you are called to a meeting or hearing because the University believes academic malpractice has occurred, you may feel that it was unintentional. Unfortunately, even if it was a mistake you may still receive a penalty. Please also be aware that if you are found to have committed academic malpractice and you are on a professional course (e.g. Nursing or Medicine) you may also face a Health and Conduct Committee and potentially a Fitness to Practise Panel.

What if you are suspected of Academic Malpractice?Usually when you are suspected of malpractice you will receive an email from your School advising that malpractice is alleged. The result for the essay where malpractice is suspected will usually be withheld. Following this initial email you should receive another one inviting you to a hearing, along with a copy of the turnitin report, for plagiarism cases.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union advice service strongly recommends that students look at Academic Malpractice: Guidance on the Handling of Cases if the case is concerning academic malpractice. A link to this guidance can be found at the end of this guide. In addition to this, contact an Advisor as soon as possible as they will be able to talk you through the process. An advisor can also accompany you to the meeting or hearing if you feel that you would like support.

Purpose of the hearing

Each case of academic malpractice is different, and investigating panels are expected to use their judgement in deciding the seriousness of an offence and deciding on whether there are any

mitigating circumstances that might affect the severity of the penalty. Panels must attempt to ensure consistency of treatment between cases, making a judgment about what is a balanced penalty and ensuring that the penalty chosen does not have consequences for academic progression which are disproportionate.

Factors that investigating panels’ take into account when determining the penalty and its proportionality include the following;

• Thestudent’slevelofstudy;themore advanced and experienced the student, the more serious the offence

• Theproportionofthepieceofworkthatwassubjecttomalpractice:the higher the proportion, the more serious the offence

• Thecreditratingofthepieceofwork:the higher the rating, the more serious the offence

• Thestudent’s.previoushistory:asecond offence, occurring after a student has already received a warningorapenaltyforacademicmalpractice, is more serious than a firstoffence

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What if you are suspected of Academic Malpractice? {cont}Ihavebeeninvitedtoahearingtodiscussmalpractice,whatdoIdo?

Attend the meeting unless you have a very good reason not to e.g. you are in hospital and can provide medical evidence to confirm this. In this instance, it may be possible to rearrange the date of the meeting, contact an advisor if you feel that you have to reschedule.

If you are abroad, the University can arrange a teleconference meeting (e.g. Skype) with you.

If you do not attend, the meeting will be heard in your absence and a decision will be made on your case without you being able to fully explain your side of events.

It may be possible for an advisor from the Advice Service to attend the hearing with you. As soon as you receive the letter inviting you to the meeting, arrange an appointment with the Advice Service bringing the invite letter and any evidence the University has provided with you. If there isn’t any evidence included, ask your School or Faculty for it and if any issues arise speak to an advisor as soon as possible.

You can be invited to a hearing at School, Faculty or University level, depending on the seriousness of the case, extent of the malpractice, how the malpractice occurred, level of study and if you have attended pervious hearings for malpracitce.

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What happens next?School level

It is likely that you will be invited to a School level hearing if you are on a undergraduate programme at level 1 or 2 and it is your first offence. If you are on a postgraduate taught element of your programme and it is your first offence, then the case will be considered at School level.

At the meeting there will be a panel made up of 2 Academic staff members; normally at least a representative of the Head of School and a member of staff with good programme/subject knowledge in the area of suspected malpractice, there will also be a School Administrative Officer to note minutes and outcomes.

The interview will usually start with the Chair introducing the Panel and explaining the purpose of the meeting, with the evidence provided. The Chair will ask if the student would like to make a statement about how they feel the malpractice has or has not occurred.

The panel will then ask any relevant questions that they may have about the work in question. The student is usually asked to leave and wait outside the meeting while the panel discusses whether malpractice has occurred and which (if any) penalty/sanctions might be appropriate.

The student is then normally asked to return and is informed of the outcome.

However, some Schools will inform you of the outcome in writing within 5 working days of the hearing.

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What happens next? {cont}Facultylevel

You will be asked to attend a Faculty level hearing if:

You are an undergraduate student at level 1 or 2 and this is a subsequent offence.

You are an undergraduate student at level 3 and it is your first offence.

You are a postgraduate student on a taught course and it is a subsequent offence.

You are a postgraduate student and academic malpractice is suspected in your dissertation.

At the meeting there will be a panel made up of 2 Academic staff members; normally at least a nominee of the Dean of the faculty and a member of academic staff with good programme/subject knowledge in the area of suspected malpractice, there will also be a faculty Administrative Officer to note minutes and outcomes. There may be a representative from your School setting out the case against you.

The interview usually starts with the Chair introducing the Panel and explaining the purpose of the meeting, with the evidence provided. If there is a representative from your School, the Chair will ask that person to set out the case against you. The panel can then question the School representative. The Chair will ask if the student would then like to make a statement about how they feel the malpractice has or has not occurred.

The panel will then ask any relevant questions that they may have about the work in question.

The student and the School representative are asked to leave and wait outside the meeting while the panel discusses whether malpractice has occurred and which penalty/sanctions might be appropriate. The student is then normally asked to return and is informed of the outcome.

However, the panel can write to you within 5 working days of the hearing with a decision on what penalty to award.

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University level

Only the most serious cases will be heard at University level, for example:

Postgraduate research students suspected of plagiarism whether this is first or subsequent offence.

Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students that are suspected of plagiarism for a third time, or more.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students suspected of a particularly serious offence.

All students suspected of cheating in an exam will be invited to a University level hearing.

University level involves a hearing with University Student Discipline Panel (USDP) or smaller Summary Discipline Panel (SDP) having been discussed with the Faculty Officer investigating the case. Written notification will be sent to the student about the hearing and will include details of the allegation, names of the panel and any evidence that has been made available to the Panel. If it is decided that the case will be heard by the USDP then it will comprise of:

A Professor (in the Chair) drawn from a panel appointed for the purpose by the Senate;

At least 4 academic staff drawn from a list established for the purpose by USDP.

a registered student nominated by the Students’ Union.

A student can object to a panel member being present but must do so within 5 working days prior to the hearing.

If it is decided that the case will be heard by a SDP, the panel will usually consist of at least three people. Prior to a University hearing, a student will have the opportunity to submit a written statement to the panel within 3 working days of the hearing.

Students will have the opportunity to present their case in a similar fashion to the Faculty meetings, however, if you are found guilty of malpractice; the panel have the ability to impose much greater sanctions. We recommend that you contact the advice service as soon as possible if you have been called to a disciplinary panel.

Research students

Allegations of academic malpractice against research students will normally be dealt with under the Code of Practice for Dealing with Complaints of Misconduct in Research. Speak to an advisor for information on this.

What happens next? {cont}

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All students suspected of malpractice have the opportunity to submit a statement prior to their hearing.

We recommend that students write a statement prior to the hearing so that they present information as clearly as possible and don’t forget to mention key points. Your statement should aim to:

• Explainhowyoubelievethemalpracticehasorhasnotoccurred.

*If you have intentionally cheated or plagiarised then we fully support that honesty is the best policy.

• Explainanymitigatingcircumstances that may have led to you making genuine mistakes or intentionally cheating and include evidence.

You should aim to answer as many of the relevant questions from the list below as possible within your statement as this will help to make your position clear.

• Whatdoyouunderstandplagiarismtobe?

• WhatdoesyourCourseHandbook/StudentHandbooksayaboutplagiarism – have you read it, if not whynot?

• Didyoucompletetheplagiarismtraining at the start of the year?

ifnotwhynot.

• Ifyouareexpectedtoensureconfidentialitybymakingcertaindata and information anonymous, thenwhatguidanceareyougivenabouthowtodothis?

• Isanyinformationprovidedinlectures/seminarsaboutavoidingplagiarism?

• Whathaveyoudonesincefindingoutaboutthismeeting/hearing–whohaveyoutalkedto,askedforhelp/explanations?

• Howdidyouputthepieceofworktogether?

• Didyougetanywritten/oralguidelines in putting it together?

• Whatsourcematerialdidyouuse–wheredidyougetitfrom?

• Howdidyouusethesourcematerial?

• Didyouphotocopyfrombooks–didyou highlight text?

• Howdidyoutransferthese‘notes’toyour actual assignment?

• Didyouparaphrasethesourcematerial?

Writing a statement

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Writing a statement {cont}• Didyoure-writeitinyourownwords?

• Didyougetinformationfromtheinternet?

• Didyoucopyandpastetextfromtheinternettoaworddocument,did you print the page?

• Thenwhatdidyoudowiththetext–wasitinsertedintotheassignment,did you treat it as notes?

• Whatdoyouunderstandaboutreferencing/bibliographies?

• Whatreferencingsystemsareyourequiredtouseinyourdepartment?(E.g.Harvardreferencing)ThisisnormallystatedinyourCourse/StudentHandbook.

• Didyouapproachthisassessmentanydifferentlytohowyouwouldnormally?

• Mentionanymitigatingcircumstances that you have and provideevidence.Youshouldprovide as much information as is pertinent to the case at the meeting/hearing.

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What are Mitigating Circumstances?The University defines mitigating circumstances to be ‘unforeseeableorunpreventable’ circumstances that could have asignificantadverseeffect on the academic performance of a student.’ Possible circumstances include;

• Seriousillheath(notalreadycoveredbyspecial,pre-arrangedexaminationprovision)

• Personalaccidentorinjury

• Deathorseriousillnessoffamilymembersorclosefriends

• Majorhouseholdproblemse.g.fire

• Acutepersonal,financialoremotionaltrauma,e.g.acuteanxietyordepression,familybreakdown,breakdownofclosepersonalrelationship

• Majorandunplannedchangestoemployment circumstances or patternsofemployment(EXCEPTFullTimeStudents)

• Impactofnaturaldisaster,civildisruptionorothermajorhazard.

If you had mitigating circumstances at the time the malpractice occurred, then you should mention this in your statement and inform the panel at your hearing. It is important that you explain how your mitigating circumstances impacted on you and effected your studies, in particular the essay or exam where the malpractice took place. Please note that even with mitigating circumstances, the panel may still give you a penalty.

The Advice Service also has a useful guide explaining mitigating circumstances, for more information, please refer to this guide.

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Potential PenaltiesAll potential outcomes are listed in the regulations, but may include:

• Areprimandorwarningaboutfuturebehaviour

• Theexaminingauthoritybeinformedandthepieceofworkbemarked(ifnotalready)andforthismarktobereducedbyaspecifiedamount.

• Azeromarkawardedforanindividual piece of assessment (reassessmentopportunityavailable)

• Azeromarkawardedforanindividualpieceofassessment(noreassessmentopportunityavailable)

Inmoreseriouscases(FacultyorSDC)thefollowingmayoccur:

• Azeromarkawardedforacourseunitwithlossofcredit

• Theexaminingauthorityberequiredtoawardalowerclassofdegreeorawardofalesserqualification

• BepermanentlyexcludedfromtheUniversity

If you are not happy with the penalty applied, you will have the opportunity to appeal once you have received the formal notification of the outcome letter. You have 15 working days to appeal providing that your case fulfills one of the grounds for appeal. However, when reviewing an appeal, the University could impose a greater sanction than that granted in your hearing. Talk to an Advisor before you appeal.

There is no automatic right of reassessment if a student is failed on the basis of malpractice.

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NB; If you are a student on a professional course such as nursing, social work etc. there may be an impact on your perceived fitness to practice if you are found to have intentionally plagiarised other source material as your own work and you may be asked to attend a Health and Conduct Committee and potentially a Fitness to Practice Meeting.

Can I appeal the decision of the Malpractice panel?

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Yes you must do so in writing to within 15 working days of the date on the decision letter. The letter should clarify who to appeal to, if not an advisor can discuss this with you.

You can appeal under the following grounds:

(a) procedural irregularity (an error made in application of regs/procedure);

(b) availability of new evidence which could not reasonably have been expected to be presented to the original hearing;

(c) the disproportionate nature of the penalty

What can the Advice Service do to help?The Advice Service understands that being invited to a malpractice hearing can seem very daunting. If you are called to such a hearing, we recommend that you contact the Advice Service as soon as possible.

The Advice Service can assist you in a range of ways:

•�� �explain�the�Academic�Malpractice�process to you.

•�� �review�any�draft�statement�that�you�prepare and offer suggestions.

•�� �give�you�an�idea�of�the�type�of�questions the panel are likely to ask.

•�� �accompany�you�to�the�malpractice�hearing to provide support and representation.

•�� �advise�on�the�potential�penalties�that�could be awarded.

•�� �assist�you�in�appealing�any�unfair�penalty imposed.

If you would like to speak to an Advisor please arrange an appointment with the Advice Service.

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Malpractice guidance for studentshttp://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=2870

Malpractice guidance for handling cases http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=639

RegulationXVIIConductandDisciplineofStudentshttp://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=6530

Facultyofficescontactdetailshttp://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/formal-procedures/contacts/ DirectorofTeachingandLearningSupportappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk

Important links

WEAREHEREMonday - Friday 10am until 4pm

Located on the Ground Floor of the Students’ Union building