What is an Academic Offence?
- Plagiarism – presenting work written by others as though it is your own, by copying or failing to use proper referencing;
- Collusion – working too closely with other students, so that the work cannot be said to have been produced by an individual;
- False authorship – submitting work which you have not produced yourself, either because it has been created by AI tools or because it has been written by another person.
- Falsifying data – presenting research which is false
- Ethical issues – presenting research obtained without the required ethical approval, or breaching confidentiality.
Should you attend the meeting?
You should always have an opportunity to meet with an adjudicator as part of an academic offence investigation. This meeting is a chance to properly understand the concerns that have been raised, explain what you did or didn’t do, and explain other relevant factors, such as misunderstandings, personal issues or pressure from others.
It is much easier to do this effectively in a meeting than in a written statement, and also means that the adjudicator can ask follow-up questions. Remember, even if you do not attend a meeting, or submit a statement, a decision will still be made and communicated to you in writing.
Who will be in the meeting?
Most meetings are handled by an Academic Offence Adjudicator from your department, and these may also be attended by a member of staff taking notes. Sometimes another member of staff may attend, to ask any technical questions that need to be answered.
More serious cases, or suspected offences involving exams, may be referred to either a Faculty Adjudicator or an Academic Offence Committee, when the decision will be made by a panel of three staff members.
You always have the right to be accompanied and supported by a member of the University such as an SU Advice adviser, a member of staff or another student.
Possible Outcomes
Decisions about whether an academic offence has occurred are made on the balance of probabilities and are based on the available evidence – i.e., given the information available, is it more likely than not that there has been an offence?
Possible outcomes include:
- Dismissal – no academic offence has occurred.
- Formal warning – your work is marked as usual but an offence is recorded and will be taken into account if it happens again.
- Resubmission with amendments – you are permitted to make a limited number of specified changes before resubmitting the work for marking. In some cases, the available mark may be capped at a pass.
- Zero mark for the assignment – reassessment may or may not be permitted, depending on the seriousness of the offence.
- Zero mark for the module concerned – other modules are unaffected.
- Withdrawal from the University – in the most serious cases student may be required to leave the University, with or without credit for the studies they have completed.
If you disagree with the outcome and have grounds to do so, you can appeal either the decision that you have committed an academic offence, or the penalty imposed.
How SU Advice can support you
Not sure if changing course is the right move? SU Advice can help by:
Explain the procedures and possible outcomes.
Review and explain the evidence provided by your department
Help you prepare for your meeting by telling you what questions to expect and identifying evidence you may have that could help you
Accompany you to the meeting for support.
Guide you through the appeals process if needed.
If you are asked to attend an academic offence meeting, please contact SU Advice as soon as possible, so we can arrange an appointment beforehand.
Just email suadvice@essex.ac.uk with the notification letter and any evidence that you have received from your department attached.