Academic Malpractice by University of Manchester Students' Union

ACADEMIC MALPRACTICE

Contents 3

What is the Academic Malpractice Procedure?

What if you are suspected of Academic Malpractice?

What happens next?

Writing a statement

What are Mitigating Circumstances?

Potential Penalties

Can I appeal the decision of the Malpractice panel?

Important Links

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 Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union advice service will not accept any liability for any claims or inconvenience as a result of the use of information in this guide.

What is the Academic Malpractice Procedure? What is Academic Malpractice?

The University of Manchester University considers all accusations of academic malpractice seriously and investigates all cases under a formal procedure.

In brief, malpractice can involve the following categories: • Plagiarism

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.

• C ollusion in coursework (working with someone else) • F abrication and/or falsification of results • Cheating in exams

Students are usually asked to attend meetings or hearings with their School or Faculty (or University Student Disciplinary Panel where there is suspicion that a student has cheated in their exams) when the University suspects that some form of Academic Malpractice has occurred.

• Impersonation • B reaching anonymity requirements as prescribed by your course. 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 Fitness to Practise Panel.

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 if you are suspected of Academic Malpractice? • T he student’s level of study; the more advanced and experienced the student, the more serious the offence

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 plagiarism or the Conduct and Discipline of Students if concerning cheating in exams. Both links are at the end of the booklet and detail the process and possible sanctions. In addition to this, contact an Advisor as they will be able to talk you through the process, and can also accompany you to the meeting or hearing if you feel that you would like support.

• The proportion of the piece of work that was subject to malpractice: the higher the proportion, the more serious the offence • The credit rating of the piece of work: the higher the rating, the more serious the offence • The student’s previous history: a second offence, occurring after a student has already received a warning or a penalty for academic malpractice, is more serious than a first offence

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.

I have been invited to a hearing to discuss malpractice, what do I do? 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.

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

If you do not attend, the meeting will

What if you are suspected of Academic Malpractice? {cont} I have been invited to a hearing to discuss malpractice, what do I do?

It may be possible for an advisor from the SU Advice Service to attend with you. As soon as you receive the letter inviting you to the meeting, come to an appointment with us bringing the invite letter and any evidence the University has provided with you. If there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any evidence included, ask your School or Faculty for it and if any issues arise speak to an advisor as soon as possible.

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 likely go ahead without you and a decision will be made on your case without you being able to fully explain your side of events.

What happens next? School level

Faculty level

At the meeting there will be a panel made up of 2 Academic staff members; normally 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.

At the meeting there will be a panel made up of 2 Academic staff members; normally 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.

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 (see ‘writing a statement’ below) about how they feel the malpractice has or has not occurred.

The interview usually starts 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 (see ‘writing a statement’ below) 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 penalty/ sanctions might be appropriate. The student is then normally asked to return and is informed of the outcome. Penalty can be delayed if further investigation or evidence is required.

The student is then normally asked to return and is informed of the outcome. Penalty can be delayed if further investigation or evidence is required.

What happens next? {cont} University level

Research students

University level involves a hearing with the Student Discipline Committee of Senate (SDC) having been discussed with the Faculty Officer investigating the case. The SDC will comprise of;

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. Please arrange an appointment with an Advisor to discuss this process.

A Professor (in the Chair) drawn from a panel appointed for the purpose by the Senate; A Head of School, or a Warden; Two elected members of the Senate Two members of the academic staff One student representative Students will have the opportunity to present their case in a similar fashion to the previous meetings, however, if you are found guilty of malpractice; the SDC 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 SDC.

Writing a statement • I f you are expected to ensure confidentiality by making certain data and information anonymous, then what guidance are you given about how to do this?

We recommend that students write down what they want to say at the hearing in a statement beforehand so that they present information as clearly as possible and don’t forget to mention key points. Your statement should aim to:

• I s any information provided in lectures/seminars about avoiding plagiarism?

• E xplain how you believe the malpractice has or has not occurred.

• W hat have you done since finding out about this meeting/hearing – who have you talked to, asked for help/explanations?

*If you have intentionally cheated or plagiarised then we fully support that honesty is the best policy. • E xplain any mitigating circumstances that may have led to you making genuine mistakes or intentionally cheating and include evidence.

• H ow did you put the piece of work together? • D id you get any written/oral guidelines in putting it together?

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.

• W hat source material did you use – where did you get it from?

• W hat do you understand plagiarism to be?

• D id you photocopy from books – did you highlight text?

• W hat does your Course Handbook / Student Handbook say about plagiarism – have you read it, if not why not?

• H ow did you transfer these ‘notes’ to your actual assignment?

• How did you use the source material?

• D id you paraphrase the source material?

Writing a statement {cont} • D id you approach this assessment any differently to how you would normally?

• Did you re-write it in your own words? • D id you get information from the internet?

• M ention any mitigating circumstances that you have and provide evidence. You should provide as much information as is pertinent to the case at the meeting/hearing.

• D id you copy and paste text from the internet to a word document, did you print the page? • T hen what did you do with the text – was it inserted into the assignment, did you treat it as notes? • W hat do you understand about referencing / bibliographies?

See the following page for more information on what mitigating circumstances are.

• W hat referencing systems are you required to use in your department? (E.g. Harvard referencing ) This is normally stated in your Course/ Student Handbook.

What are Mitigating Circumstances? The University defines mitigating circumstances to be ‘unforeseeable or unpreventable’ circumstances that could have a significant adverse effect on the academic performance of a student.’ Possible circumstances include; • S erious ill heath (not already covered by special, pre-arranged examination provision) • Personal accident or injury • D eath or serious illness of family members or close friends • Major household problems e.g. fire • A cute personal, financial or emotional trauma, e.g. acute anxiety or depression, family breakdown, breakdown of close personal relationship • M ajor and unplanned changes to employment circumstances or patterns of employment (EXCEPT Full Time Students) • I mpact of natural disaster, civil disruption or other major hazard

The University are not likely to consider colds or known conditions such as hay fever (unless the effects are unusually severe); normal exam stress or anxiety (unless corroborated by medical evidence as a chronic condition and undergoing treatment); moving house; change of job; holidays; weddings; normal job pressure; minor financial difficulties; oversleeping; work commitments (full-time students); study related circumstances (equipment failure including computing/printer difficulties); failure to have taken back up copies for work stolen or corrupted; bunching of deadlines/examinations; missing books; poor time management; misreading the examination timetable; taking the wrong examination. Please talk to an Advisor if you are not sure whether you have appropriate mitigating circumstances and we can help to define them for you.

Potential Penalties when reviewing an appeal, the University could impose a greater sanction than that granted in your hearing. Talk to an Advisor about whether this would be the right course of action.

All potential outcomes are listed in the regulations, but may include: • A reprimand or warning about future behaviour • T he examining authority be informed and the piece of work be marked (if not already) and for this mark to be reduced by a specified amount.

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

• A zero mark awarded for an individual piece of assessment (reassessment opportunity available) • A zero mark awarded for an individual piece of assessment (no reassessment opportunity available) In more serious cases (Faculty or SDC) the following may occur: • A zero mark awarded for a course unit with loss of credit • T he examining authority be required to award a lower class of degree or award of a lesser qualification

This information only gives a very general overview of a process that can seem very daunting, especially for a student called to a hearing. If you are called to an Academic Malpractice meeting, we would recommend that you get in touch with an Advisor at the Students’ Union advice service as soon as possible. We will endeavour to support you through the process, talk to you about any concerns you have, help write your statement and give you an idea of the type of questions that the panel may ask and which of the potential outcomes you could be faced with. 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 Fitness to Practice Meeting.

• B e permanently excluded from the University If the student is not happy with the penalty applied, they will be given the opportunity to appeal the decision when they have received their formal notification of the outcome, however,

Can I appeal the decision of the Malpractice panel? 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 An advisor will be happy to help with thisletter if the need arises.

Important links Malpractice guidance for students http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=2870 Malpractice guidance for handling cases http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=639 Regulation XVII Conduct and Discipline of Students http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=6530 Faculty offices contact details http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/ formal-procedures/contacts/ Director of Teaching and Learning Support appealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk