Academic integrity

The University recognises that there is a difference between academic misconduct and poor academic practice. Poor academic practice involves minor breaches of discipline-specific citation and/or referencing conventions that give no discernible academic advantage. Where poor academic practice is identified, your work will be marked according to the relevant grade criteria, and you will be directed to the resources available to help you improve your working methods and academic writing to avoid potential academic misconduct.

Type 1 offences

The following are usually considered as ‘Type 1’ Academic Misconduct offences:

Plagiarism (including copying, self-plagiarism and collusion)

Plagiarism is the act of presenting the work of another person (or people) and/or content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools as your own without proper acknowledgement. This includes copying the work of another student or other students.

The University expects students to take responsibility for the security of their work (i.e. with written work, to ensure that other students do not get access to electronic or hard copy of the work). Failure to keep work secure may allow others to cheat, and could result in an allegation of academic misconduct for students whose work have been copied, particularly if the origin of the work is in doubt.

Self-plagiarism

The act of presenting part or all of your work that has been previously submitted to meet the requirements of a different assessment which you have gained academic credit for, except where the nature of the assessment makes this permissible and this is explicitly stated in the assessment brief.

Collusion

The act, by two or more students, of presenting a piece of work jointly without acknowledging the collaboration. This could include permitting or assisting another to present work that has been copied or paraphrased from your own work.

The University also defines collusion as the act of one student presenting a piece of work as their own independent work when the work was undertaken by a group. With group work, where individual members submit parts of the total assignment, each member of a group must take responsibility for checking the legitimacy of the work submitted in his/her name. If even part of the work is found to contain academic misconduct, penalties will normally be imposed on all group members equally.

Unacceptable use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

The act of presenting content generated by artificial intelligence tools (such as text, media, tables etc – list not exhaustive), as one’s own without proper acknowledgement, except where the nature of the assessment makes this permissible and is explicitly stated in the assessment brief. 

Academic Misconduct in Time Constrained Assessments 

Any action by a student that has the potential to give them an unfair advantage, or to aid another to gain such an advantage, where this occurs in assessments such as in-class tests, presentations, vivas and performances (this list is not exhaustive).

Type 2 offences

The following are usually considered as ‘Type 2’ Academic Misconduct offences:

Academic Misconduct in an examination venue

The University defines academic misconduct in an examination venue as including:

• Taking notes or any unauthorised materials into an examination venue. This includes having notes available in toilets or other areas that may be visited during the examination. If students refuse to comply with instructions if they request to leave the examination venue during the examination (e.g. a toilet visit), this may be considered evidence of attempted academic misconduct.
• Obtaining an advanced copy of a question paper.
• Unauthorised communication during an examination (including via telephone or other electronic media).
• Removing an examination answer book from the examination venue.
• Copying from another candidate.
• Allowing oneself to be impersonated.
• Impersonating another candidate.

Fabricating or falsifying data or using without permission another person's work

The act of fabricating or falsifying data to include presenting work that has not taken place. This includes laboratory reports or projects based on experimental or field work. It may also include falsifying attendance sheets for placements where this is part of the assessment requirements.

Purchasing or commissioning

The act of attempting to purchase or purchasing work for an assessment including, for example from the internet, or attempting to commission, or commissioning someone else to complete an assessment on your behalf.

The University recognises that students who are new to UK Higher Education may need some time to learn how to acknowledge sources properly. Therefore, it operates an ‘academic induction period' during which the focus of the University's response to signs of plagiarism and/or collusion is to educate students in regard to appropriate academic practice and academic integrity rather than to penalise unacceptable academic practice.

The academic induction period applies to all full-time and part-time students and is defined as:

• the first academic year of a student's registration with the University on an undergraduate course at Level 3 or 4 only.
• the first teaching block on a postgraduate course

The academic induction period does not apply to:

• direct entrants at Levels 5 and 6
• any form of reassessment

The academic induction period covers first and concurrent occurrences of plagiarism and/or collusion. It does not apply to other forms of academic misconduct.

The procedures for investigating suspected cases of academic misconduct are set out in the Academic Regulations AR6 and AR7. 

View the AR6 and AR7 regulations

Penalty A

• Element of assessment awarded a mark of zero (Z).
• Reassessment by retake is permitted if required.

Penalty B

• Module and element of assessment awarded a mark of zero (Z).
• Reassessment by retake is permitted, if this is allowed by the standard assessment regulations.
• If the reassessment is being undertaken in retake mode, the penalty only requires reassessment in the piece of work in which the academic misconduct took place. However, where other elements are failed, these too should be set as retake as per assessment regulations.
• Where any subsequent reassessment is judged to be of the required pass standard, the overall module result will be capped at the minimum pass mark.
• Additional learning support to be provided.

Penalty C

• Module and element of assessment awarded a mark of zero (Z).
• Reassessment by retake will not be permitted.
• An opportunity to repeat/replace the module is permitted, if this is allowed by the standard assessment regulations.
• Where any subsequent reassessment is judged to be of the required pass standard, the overall module result will be capped at the minimum pass mark.

Penalty D

• Module and element of assessment awarded a mark of zero (Z).
• A PAB will terminate the registration and award based on credit achieved at that point.

Type 1 penalties for academic misconduct

• Where penalty B offence is admitted: Penalty A (Note, penalty A is only applied where a penalty B offence is admitted to prior to a formal hearing.)
• First offence: Penalty B
• Second offence: Penalty C
• Third offence: Penalty D

Type 2 penalties for academic misconduct

• First offence: Penalty C
• Second offence: Penalty D
• Third offence: N/A

Mixed offences penalties for academic misconduct

Note, mixed offences penalties are applied when a repeat offence is made in a different category to the first offence.

• First offence: N/A
• Second offence: Penalty D
• Third offence: Penalty D

Allegation arising before submission of the thesis for final examination

Plagiarism or collusion

• Module level: 7/8
• 1st offence: Opportunity to revise the work. Additional learning support will be provided. Progression delayed until improved work is developed and submitted.
• 2nd, repeat or concurrent offence: Termination of registration

Other types of academic misconduct

• Module level: 7/8
• 1st offence: Opportunity to revise the work. Additional learning support will be provided. Progression delayed until improved work is developed and submitted.
• 2nd, repeat or concurrent offence: Termination of registration

Allegation arising after submission of the thesis for final examination

Plagiarism or collusion

• Module level: 7/8
• 1st offence: Termination of registration. In cases of poor academic practice, this will be addressed as part of the examination process.
• 2nd, repeat or concurrent offence: Termination of registration

Other types of academic misconduct

• Module level: 7/8
• 1st offence: Termination of registration
• 2nd, repeat or concurrent offence: Termination of registration

If you are studying on a taught course, you can use the procedures set out in Academic Appeals section below to request a review of an outcome in relation to Academic Misconduct either following the Academic Misconduct Panel or following the final decision of the Programme Assessment Board if there is evidence that the procedure was not followed.

If you are studying on a research degree, you can use the procedures set out in Academic Appeals section below to request a review of an outcome in relation to Academic Misconduct either following the Academic Misconduct Panel or following the final decision of URDC if there is evidence that the procedure was not followed.

You cannot appeal against the penalty imposed by a Programme Assessment Board or the University Research Degrees Committee.

• AR6: Academic Integrity – Taught Courses 2026/27 (PDF)
• AR7: Academic Integrity – Research Degrees 2026/27 (PDF)

• AR6: Academic Integrity – Taught Courses 2025/26 (PDF)
• AR7: Academic Integrity – Research Degrees 2025/26 (PDF)

• AR6: Academic Integrity – Taught Courses 2024/25 (PDF)
• AR7: Academic Integrity – Research Degrees 2024/25 (PDF)