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LUU’s Guide to the cheating, plagiarism, fabricated or fraudulent coursework and academic malpractice procedure
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This page explains the University’s procedure if you are accused of cheating, plagiarism, fabricated coursework or academic malpractice. These are all different offences but are dealt with in a similar way. We also have a leaflet that explains some tips for avoiding plagiarism.
The formal cheating, plagiarism and fabricated/fraudulent coursework procedure is explained in the Taught Students Guide www.leeds.ac.uk/qmeu/tsg and on the Office of Academic Appeals and Regulations website www.leeds.ac.uk/AAandR/cpff.htm.
Where the University believes there may be a case of cheating, plagiarism, fabricated/fraudulent coursework or academic malpractice, the department (and possibly the University) will investigate the case and where a student is found guilty, a penalty will be imposed. We strongly recommend that you refer to the Taught Student Guide to make sure you understand the rules and regulations and avoid being accused of any of these offences.
There are a number of stages to the procedure. This allows you several opportunities to explain your situation. Each case is treated individually. If you want advice on how best to structure your response to an allegation, contact the Student Advice Centre for an appointment. If it is found that you have cheated, plagiarised, presented fabricated/fraudulent coursework or committed academic malpractice in a University assessment then there are a number of penalties that can be imposed against you, the most severe of these is that you could be forced to permanently withdraw from the University.
If you attempt to gain unfair advantage during an exam, or break any of the University’s Exam conduct rules this is classed as cheating. To make sure that you are not accused of cheating it is vital that you do not:
The University takes cheating very seriously as they consider it as a type of ‘academic fraud’ and an attempt to deceive the examiners into giving you higher marks than you may have achieved otherwise. If you are found guilty of cheating the penalties are very severe and can be that you are forced to withdraw from the University.
Most written work will need to include sections or ideas from other people’s work. This is standard academic practice. However, it is important that where you do this the examiner is ledt in no doubt about which words or ideas are your own and which came from someone else. This is done by clearly referencing other people’s ideas, text, or diagrams in an assignment. Failing to reference correctly, even by accident, will be treated as plagiarism. The University views plagiarism as ‘presenting someone else’s work as your own. Work means any intellectual output, and typically includes text, data, images, sound or performance’. (www.leeds.ac.uk/AAandR/cpff.htm). The idea of ‘intention’ is not included in the definition. This means that if you have used someone else’s work and not properly referenced that person/source, even without deliberately intending to, you will still be likely to be found guilty of plagiarism.
Every course or departmental handbook has guidelines for the appropriate way to attribute or reference the work of others. It is important that you read and understand these. If you have any queries about the appropriate way to reference other people’s work ask your personal tutor or module leader for advice.
As a general guide, be aware that in all the following circumstances you must include a correct reference:
You should check your department’s specific requirements in the above areas to make sure you understand what is expected of you. Following your department’s regulations should ensure you are not accused of plagiarism.
The University has a mini-site with information about how to avoid plagiarism at http://www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/plagiarism/
This is where someone attempts to gain credit for work that does not exist or that has been made up. It usually refers to results of practical work or experiments. It is similar in concept to plagiarism as it is attempt to take credit for work that is not your own, for example by creating false results or observations.
The University’s definition is ‘when a candidate attempts to mislead or deceive the examiners concerning the work submitted’. It is expected that this will be used to cover all types of attempts of academic fraud or deception that are not covered by the other three offences listed above. The types of acts that would fall into this definition range from stealing another student’s work to collusion with other students. There is a list of the types of offences that could be classed as malpractice on www.leeds.ac.uk/AAandR/cpff_annex2.htm.
If you have been accused of cheating then the early stages of the procedure are different from how the case is investigated if you have been accused of plagiarism, presenting fabricated/fraudulent coursework or malpractice.
1. Examinations Officer’s report
If you are suspected of cheating and the University Examinations Officer thinks there is a case to be investigated, after speaking with the relevant school and within the next 7 days, the University Examinations Officer will prepare the relevant documentation and evidence.
This will include:
The report is sent to:
Dr Brooks, Head of Academic Appeals and Regulation, the Head of your parent department and teaching department, and, if relevant you, the student.
2. Your response
You will be asked to respond to the allegation within 14 days of the date of the covering letter that is sent with the documentation above. You will need to confirm whether you are admitting to or denying the allegation and write a statement of defence if you are contesting the allegation or a statement of mitigation if you are admitting the allegation. We recommend that you come and talk to an adviser in the Student Advice Centre for support in constructing your response. This response should be addressed to Dr Brooks, Head of Academic Appeals and Regulation (address below). This is then sent to the University’s Investigating Officer. From this point the procedure is the same as for Plagiarism, Fabricated/Fradulent Coursework and Malpractice cases that have been referred to the University – see ‘What happens after the initial stages?’ below.
1. Departmental letter
You will be sent a letter from your department asking you to attend a meeting concerning an allegation of plagiarism, fraudulent/fabricated coursework or malpractice. The letter will tell you which procedure is being followed and will include:
You are entitled to take a supporter with you to the meeting who can be a friend, family member or colleague so long as they are not directly linked to the case. The Student Advice Centre can help you prepare for what to expect. It is unlikely we will be able to be your supporter at the department meeting, but we can try to provide support in extreme cases where an alternative supporter can’t be found and the case is complex. We will always try to prepare you for what to expect and to help you present your case via an appointment with us before the date of the meeting.
Before you attend the meeting it is important to decide whether or not you accept the allegation. If you have included other people’s work in an assessment without referencing it adequately you will need to remember how this happened and explain why you did this. If you have presented results that were not achieved using the method you said that you used you will also need to explain how and why you did this. If there were any special circumstances that may have caused you to act out of character or fail to use your normal approach to completing work it is important that you discuss this with the Student Advice Centre so we can advise you on the best way of explaining this at the departmental meeting. You may find it helpful to write up a summary of your response to the allegation to take with you to the departmental meeting.
2. Departmental meeting
The Head of department or a senior member of staff acting on their behalf will normally chair the meeting. Your personal tutor, module leader and other members of the department that have been involved in the module may also be present at the meeting. There may also be a member of staff present to take minutes. This meeting is your chance to discuss the work on which the allegation(s) is/are based, and to put forward your version of events. If there are any special circumstances that are relevant to the situation it is important to make this clear at the meeting.
There are three things that can happen after this meeting:
If you fail to attend this meeting without good cause the department can assume that this is an admission of guilt. They can then award a penalty and/or forward the case to the University (see section ‘What happens after the initial stages?’ below).
3. Department's Decision
If the department have decided they can deal with your case themselves, they will write and inform you of this, as well as they penalty they have decided upon, within 7 days of the meeting. If they have decidedd to refer your case to the University, they will inform youof this within 14 days of the meeting. You will also be sent a copy of the minutes/record of the departmental meeting. If it has been decided to send your case forward to the University Investigating Officer for consideration, your department send the evidence that has been considered at the departmental meeting together with the minutes of the meeting to Dr Brooks, Head of Academic Appeals and Regulation. This report will be in writing, and it may include a recommendation for the penalty that they believe it would be most reasonable to impose. If you deny the allegation you will not be entitled to see this recommended penalty. If you have fully admitted to the allegation you may be told what penalty the meeting has recommended.
4. Your Response
Once you have received a letter informing you your case is being forwarded to the University you have 14 days (from the date on the letter) to submit a statement to put across your side of the situation. This should be addressed to Dr Brooks (see below).
The Student Advice Centre can help you prepare your response, but you must get intouch with us as soon as you hear from your department so we have plenty of time to help you. If you are admitting to all of the allegation or part of it, we recommend that you include in your statement:
If you are denying the allegation you should explain, in detail, how you prepared the piece of work and, if possible how you think the allegation has arisen. It is a good idea to submit any evidence that you have of your original working such as draft versions, notes from reading etc.
If an objective third party, such as a doctor or counsellor, is aware of any personal circumstances which may have caused the situation or contributed to it then it is important to get supporting letters from them and include them with your statement. Where possible you should discuss the letter with your counsellor or doctor to make sure that they are aware that they have your permission to release specific details that may provide evidence of how your circumstances have affected your case.
If you contest the allegation then you are expected to attend a hearing in front of the Committee on Applications to present your case. The Committee on Applications is a panel of senior academics from faculties across the University. If you have admitted the allegation then you do not have to attend the Committee. However, if you choose not to do so you will lose the right to appeal against the penalty that is awarded in all cases except if you are excluded from the University. We recommend that you attend the hearing if at all possible.
The rest of the procedure is the same for all four types of allegation. This section applies where the case is not concluded at the departmental stage and is forwarded to the University for consideration.
University Investigating Officer - Prima Facie Case Decision
After you submit your response to the allegation, the case is then sent to the University’s Investigating Officer, who will decide whether youhave a case to be heard by the Committee on Applications (more information on what this means below). The Investigating Officer is a senior academic who is appointed by the Senate and will be someone from another department who will not know you. The Investigating Officer will consider your case and see whether there is a ‘prima facie’ case. This means whether or not they agree that cheating, plagiarism or the presentation of fabricated/fraudulent coursework or malpractice may have occurred. If they decide that there is a case to answer you will receive a letter from the Office of Academic Appeals and Regulation explaining that you will be required to answer the allegation at the Committee on Applications. The letter will tell you that your case will be heard by a committee who will give you the opportunity to put your side across. It can take a number of weeks to get to this stage.
The Committee on Applications
The Committee on Applications is made up of senior academics of the University. Your case will usually be heard by 5-12 members of the Committee. No member of staff who has a conflict of interest with your case or who is from your department will be on the committee. You are entitled to take a supporter with you to the Committee - this can be anyone who is not directly involved in the case. At the start of the Committee meeting you can make an oral statement or read from a written statement. If you decide to read from a pre-written statement you need to submit 15 copies of this to the Committee in advance. The Committee members may then ask you questions to help them understand more about the case or to clarify any of the details. If we are acting as your supporter we will be happy to attend with you and to help you to prepare a statement and anticipate the questions that you might be asked. We will encourage you to speak for yourself and present your own case. The Committee it is a very important event and all concerned take it very seriously.
The final decision
Once the Committee have finished asking their questions they will then decide if you are guilty or innocent of the alleged offence. If you are innocent then there will be no further action. If you are found guilty of the offence the Committee will then consider how deliberate the act of cheating, plagiarism, fabrication or malpractice appears to have been and whether you were consciously trying to gain credit from your actions. The Committee will consider the penalty recommendation made by the department, however the Committee does not need to follow this and has the power to decide on any course of action that it thinks appropriate. The Committee will write to inform you of the result within 7 working days of the meeting.
Cheating
Cheating is taken very seriously. There are usually two types of penalty that will apply:
Plagiarism and Fabricated/Fraudulent Coursework
For details of the University guidelines for penalties see http://www.leeds.ac.uk/AAandR/cpff.htm . The guide provides a table showing the quantity of coursework affected, the penalty applied, and mark and resit implications.
If the penalty states that there is a ‘requirement to pass’ this means that even if the piece of work is only worth a small part of a non-compulsory module, you will not be allowed to progress with or complete the course unless you have retaken and passed a replacement assignment. You will usually be given a new title to complete - it is not enough just to go back to the original piece(s) of work and insert the correct referencing.
If the penalty that you are awarded means that a 0 is recorded for the whole year or semester the committee will decide which assessments, if any, you will be allowed to resit and what marks will be allowed to count towards your classification.
For more information on resit arrangements, please see LUU’s Guide to Resits.
Malpractice
There are a range of penalties available for this offence. Guidelines for calculating penalties can be found on http://www.leeds.ac.uk/AAandR/cpff_annex2.htm . The guide breaks down offences into 4 groups. Each group is defined and a recommended penalty for each group is offered.
If you are unhappy with either the decision to find you guilty and/or the penalty awarded at School level you can appeal. You must do this within 14 days of the date of the letter telling you the decision. This appeal should be in the form of a letter addressed to the Committee on Applications, and sent to Dr Brooks at the Office of Academic Appeals and Regulation. You will not be asked to appear before the Committee. This is your last appeal within the University and you do not have the right to pursue any appeal to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor. This only applies to cases which are not referred to University level. If you are considering this we recommend that you seek advice from the Student Advice Centre to help you make this decision and write the appeal if necessary.
If you are unhappy with either the decision to find you guilty and/or the penalty that has been applied to you following a case that was heard by the Committee on Applications, you can appeal to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor. You must do this within 28 days of receiving the letter telling you the decision. All appeals should be sent to the Office of Academic Appeals and Regulations. If you are considering an appeal or want help writing an appeal you should contact the Student Advice Centre
The decisions that can be made at appeal (whether to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor or the Committee in the case of cases settled at School level) are:
If you are still unhappy with the decision and/or penalty after a Pro-Vice Chancellor’s appeal you can appeal to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (the OIA). If you would like advice or support on appealing to the OIA you should make an appointment with an adviser at the Student Advice Centre.
Can I attend the degree ceremony?
You cannot graduate or qualify whilst your case is pending. You may therefore miss graduating with your year group. If appropriate, you will be able to attend a later graduation ceremony once your case has been heard and you have completed the requirements of the committee.
Where can I get advice about the procedure?
If you would like advice about how the procedure works, you can contact Dr Brooks, Head of Academic Appeals and Regulation. He can advise you on the procedures but will not comment specifically on the content of your case.
If you would like to obtain specific advice on your case, call in to the Student Advice Centre on the first floor of the Union Building as soon as possible to make an appointment to see someone who will discuss your case with you. You can also make an appointment by telephoning 0113 380 1300 or emailing advice@luu.leeds.ac.uk.
What advice and help can I expect to receive from The Student Advice Centre?
We are able to assist with the following:
LUU Student Advice Centre,
First floor of the Union Building,
Tel: (0113) 380 1300
advice@luu.leeds.ac.uk
Office of Academic Appeals and Regulation,
Head of Office: Dr C A G Brooks,
Room 11.68
E C Stoner Building
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT
Tel: (0113) 343 3990
e.m.dickinson@adm.leeds.ac.uk
www.leeds.ac.uk/AAandR
University Counselling Service,
44 Clarendon Road,
Leeds,
0113 233 4107
stucouns@adm.leeds.ac.uk
//www.leeds.ac.uk/uscs/
Leeds Student Medical Practice,
4 Blenheim Court,
Blenheim Walk
Leeds
LS2 9AE
Tel: (0113) 295 4488
www.leeds.ac.uk/lsmp/
Nightline.
Listening Line: (0113) 380 1381
Information Line: (0113) 380 1380
nightline@luu.leeds.ac.uk
www.leedsnightline.org.uk/
Please be aware that we are only able to advise current or prospective students of Leeds University.
These pages are for guidance only and are not a substitute for the formal procedures and statutes of the University. The information was checked and correct at the time of writing.
If you have any comments or queries about this page please email advice@luu.leeds.ac.uk.
© LUU Student Advice Centre October 2006.
