An accusation of academic misconduct, justified or not, can be very stressful. Your Advice Service is here to support any student going through this process.
Your first step is to read the information sent to you by the University. This will usually include:
- The invitation, which will tell you the type and level of offence, when and where the meeting is, and the support available to you.
- Evidence, such as a Turnitin report.
- Regulations referring to academic misconduct.
- A Scale of Outcomes table, which will give you more information about potential outcomes of the offence.
Next, look at your Turnitin report. This should show any similarity to other’s work, and if you have a significant amount highlighted, the ACO may focus on these parts during your meeting. However, a high Turnitin score doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem and low scores aren’t always okay. A Turnitin report is a tool to help alert the marker to any potential issues.
Your Students Union Advice Service can support you before the meeting. To get advice and guidance, complete the Enquiry Form. Please attach copies of your Invite Letter, your Turnitin report if possible and any other evidence files sent to you by the University. An Advice Caseworker may also be able to attend the meeting with you. If this is arranged, you must give the meeting organiser your Advice Caseworker’s contact details at least 24 hours in advance.
You can find more information on academic misconduct from Your Advice Service here and from the University here.