Academic misconduct is where a student gains, or seeks, attempts or intends to gain, advantage in relation to assessment, either for him/herself or for another person, by unfair or improper means.
An act of academic misconduct is committed regardless of whether or not you intended to commit the act.
The University treats academic misconduct cases very seriously and imposes strict penalties on any student found guilty of committing an assessment offence. Therefore, it is vital that you familiarise yourself with the regulations as soon as you begin your studies.
Part 3 Section 10 of our academic regulations, sets out the procedures relating to academic misconduct and penalties relating to academic misconduct.
If you are not sure about any rules regarding academic writing, citation or exam conduct, guidance is available from many sources, including Blackboard, Learning Resource Centres and from your module leaders/personal tutor. You may also find additional advice and guidance on the University’s referencing your work webpage.
Examples of academic misconduct offences
This list of offences is not exhaustive but includes:
Collusion
Collusion could be working in collaboration with another student on an individual assessment, making your own work available to someone else or accessing someone else’s work without their knowledge.
Dishonest Practice
Dishonest practice may include falsifying information, seeking to obtain access to confidential information, or offering a bribe or inducement to any staff. This is not an exhaustive list.
Exam Offences
Exam Offences mean breaching regulations during an exam, whether the exam is in-person or held remotely. In regard to online timed assessments, it is an Academic Offence to communicate with other students for the whole duration that the online timed assessment is available. This is the full time allocated for the assessment and not when you have completed your assessment individually. This includes group chats on Whatsapp and working together in remote locations. Please note assessments, unless stated otherwise from your module leader, are to be completed individually. It is an Academic Offence to work with another student or provide them with your assessment, even if you have already submitted the work.
Generative AI
Using Generative AI systems (such as ChatGPT, Bing Char or DALL-E) to produce content that is then submitted as an original piece of work to be assessed is an Academic Offence. Please see further and more detailed guidance below on the acceptable use of Generative AI.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism means submitting work that contains unacknowledged material – this could be words, thoughts, judgements, ideas, structures or images.
Plagiarism Commissioning
Plagiarism Commissioning means submitting work that has been written in whole or in part by another individual, for example, a family member, friend or essay mill. Purchasing work and presenting it as your own is academic misconduct. Essay mill websites are not trustworthy and have been known to financially blackmail students. Please see the following video originally published on BBC Three Youtube Channel – Inside the essay writing industry - Credit: BBC Three.
Self-plagiarism
Self-plagiarism means re-submitting your own work that has already been submitted to another module, course or institution, without citing you have used it previously. Whilst it may seem like it is reasonable to reuse extracts from previous submissions, either from the University of Westminster or elsewhere, this is an Academic Offence. If you wish to refer to previous work you must reference this. Please seek guidance from your Module Leader or Personal Tutor if you are wishing to build on previous assessments.
Academic misconduct FAQs
Where a member of academic staff believes that you may have committed an academic misconduct offence, all relevant evidence will be sent to the Academic Standards Team.
A member of the Academic Standards Team will send you a notification email. You will then need to log in to your student record on e:Vision to view details of the allegation. To access your case, go into the "My Self-Service" area of your student record and select "Academic Misconduct Cases", and this will inform you of the allegation and the penalty to be applied. You will also be able to view a copy of the evidence received.
Important: You must log in to your Student Record via e:Vision to view the notification and all subsequent correspondence (including any updates to the case) on the Misconduct Case Area. You will be notified of any updates to the case by email.
If you have any questions about the Academic Misconduct case area on e:Vision please check the Student User GuideGo to e:Vision.
Do not ignore the notification. You must read the details of the alleged offence in your misconduct case and respond accordingly. Please review all notes and documents in the "Information and Evidence" section carefully and decide what action you want to take based on the options indicated in the notes of your case and outlined in Section 10 of the academic regulations.
If you have any queries about the notification, after having read the information and evidence, get in touch with the Academic Standards Team or the Students' Union Advice Team as soon as possible.
The time it takes to resolve your case will depend on a number of factors, including the type and complexity of the case, and whether or not you contest the allegation. Particular times of year are also much busier than others (for example assessment periods), and cases may take longer to resolve at these times.
Evidence of mitigating circumstances shall not normally be considered under any stage of the academic misconduct investigation procedures.
Where a penalty is imposed under the academic misconduct regulations, this will override any decision to accept a claim of mitigating circumstances in respect of the assessmen.
A viva meeting may be held to verify the authenticity of the student’s work.
A viva is a meeting between you and a panel of academic staff, at least one of whom will be a subject specialist. The relevant piece of your assessment will be discussed with you. The academics may ask questions about how you researched and prepared your work. They may ask you to explain particular statements or terms which you have used in your assignment. It is your opportunity to answer questions in person. A record of the meeting will be taken.
Part 3 Section 10 of our academic regulations sets out the procedures for conducting a viva.
Yes, you have the right to be accompanied by a friend, who may be a member of staff of the University of Westminster or a UoW student (including a member of the Students' Union Advice Team)
The role of the friend is to provide moral support during a meeting or hearing. They may make representations on behalf of the student. The friend cannot be a witness to the case under consideration. Please also note: legal representation is not permitted at any meeting or hearing convened under these procedures.
A member of the Student Union’s Advice Team are available to offer advice and guidance on a number of matters including allegations of academic misconduct. For information about their service and how to contact them please visit the UWSU website. You may also arrange for a member of the Student Union Advice Team to accompany you at the meeting.
You may also:
- submit a written statement as evidence to support your case
- call witnesses or friends to attend in person
Please note: Any names of witnesses or friends that you invite and any written statements must be submitted to your misconduct case on e:Vision, or emailed to the Academic Standards Team ([email protected]) at least four days before the scheduled meeting or hearing.
Your module result will be held whilst this investigation is open.
The penalty detailed in your letter is the proposed penalty for the allegation, this penalty is not yet confirmed or applied until a response is received from you by the deadline specified, or the deadline has elapsed.
After the meeting has taken place, you will receive the outcome of your case via your student record on e:Vision and you will be emailed to log in to your case within 10 working days. Your result will be updated on My Student Record accordingly.
If you experience any difficulties with the Academic Misconduct Cases area of your record, please check the Student User Guide which may answer your question. If you are still having difficulties, then please contact [email protected].
Queries regarding referral opportunities and how this affects your progression should be sent to your Campus Registry after you have received the outcome letter. Only the Registry would be able to confirm and process any referral opportunities, as the referral period is timetabled in accordance with the academic year and the Assessment Boards. If you need to contact the Registry for advice, please visit the Student Centre who can refer the enquiry on your behalf.
You can also refer to Section 17 (for Undergraduates) or Section 18 (for Postgraduates) of the academic regulations to check the referral eligibility across your level of study.
Following the meeting or hearing, the outcome of your case will be updated on your academic misconduct case within 10 working days on e:Vision. Your results will be updated on ‘My Student Record’ in accordance with the academic regulations.
Queries regarding results and how this affects your progression should be sent to your Campus Registry after you have received the outcome letter. Only the Registry would be able to confirm and process any referral opportunities, as the referral period is timetabled in accordance with the academic year and the Assessment Boards.
If you need to contact the Registry for advice, please visit the Student Centre who can refer the enquiry on your behalf.
You can also refer to Section 17 (for Undergraduates) or Section 18 (for Postgraduates) of the academic regulations to check the referral eligibility across your level of study.
If you attended an Academic Misconduct Meeting or Academic Misconduct Panel Hearing you may be able to appeal against the outcome if one of the following applies:
- that new evidence has become available which has a direct bearing on the case which was not, and which could not reasonably have been made available at the time the case was considered; or
- that there has been a material irregularity in the conduct of the academic misconduct process
In any of these cases, the opportunity to appeal your misconduct case will become available on e:VisionLog in to e:Vision once the case has been closed, and can be done by clicking the "appeal" button in the offence details of your case. Your appeal, together with any new evidence, must be submitted within 10 working days of receiving the outcome of the allegation.
The Deputy Registrar (Quality and Standards) will consider your appeal and any new evidence in the light of your case to date. If the Deputy Registrar (Quality and Standards) believes that your case should be reconsidered, your case will be referred back to an Academic Misconduct Meeting or the Academic Misconduct Panel Hearing, as appropriate, to be considered afresh.
We recommend you ask for help from the Students' Union Advice Team if you want to appeal the outcome of an Academic Misconduct investigation.
See Part 3 Section 10 of our academic regulations for full details on how and when you may appeal.
Category 1 offence (Academic Misconduct Meeting) frequently asked questions
Once you receive the Category 1 Notification email, you must log in to your Student Record via e:VisionLogin to e:Vision and go into the "My Self Service" area. Please select "Academic Misconduct Cases." Click on the hyperlink to view the case details, read the information and evidence carefully and decide which of the following options you wish to respond to the allegation with:
Option 1. Admit the allegation and accept the penalty – the penalty above will be applied without further right to appeal
Option 2. Admit the allegation and not accept the penalty – a meeting will be arranged
Option 3. Deny the allegation – a meeting will be arranged
Should you select either Option 2 or 3, then this matter will be referred to an Academic Misconduct Meeting under Regulation 10.50. At the meeting, you will be able to present your case in person where you can provide any evidence or written statement to support your reason(s) for denying the allegation or disputing the penalty. You will be given 10 working days to respond to the notification.
If you are unable to participate in the remote meeting, please let us know as soon as possible. In this situation you can instead provide a written statement explaining why you dispute the penalty/allegation and submit any evidence you have.
Failure to respond with any of the above three options will result in the penalty being applied with no further right of appeal (in accordance with the notification you have already received).
Please note you are given a 10-working day deadline to confirm your option response, as stated in your notification.
The meeting will take place with an academic staff member nominated by the College and a member of the Academic Standards Team. The meeting should last no longer than 20 minutes depending on the complexity of the case. At the meeting you will be given the chance respond to the allegation, present any evidence of your own that you may consider as supportive to your case defence and explain your reasons for denying the allegation or requesting a lesser penalty.
The proposed penalty may or may not be reconsidered, depending on the evidence provided, therefore attending an Academic Misconduct Meeting is your opportunity to present any information to support your case and explain how you have come to be in this situation.
If you cannot attend a meeting at the proposed date and time, you will be offered one more alternative meeting time. However, if you do not reply to the second meeting invitation within 5 working days, or decline all dates without good reason, the penalty will be applied and the case will be considered closed. If you do not attend a confirmed meeting, the meeting will proceed in your absence and your case will be reviewed in your absence.
Category 2 offence (Academic Misconduct Hearing) frequently asked questions
Once you receive the Category 2 Notification (sent via email and accessed by logging into your student record on e:VisionGo to your student record on e:Vision), the Academic Standards Team will work on organising your hearing date and arranging a full independent panel to review your case as soon as possible.
You will be notified once the date, time and location of the hearing have been confirmed. To view the hearing details, please log in to your student record via e:Vision and select Academic Misconduct Case.
Please ensure you check your Westminster email account regularly for updates on your case.
If you are unable to participate in the remote hearing, please let us know as soon as possible. In this situation you can instead provide a written statement explaining your response to the allegation and submit any evidence you have.
If you do not respond to the hearing invite or supply a written statement by the deadline provided to you by Academic Standards the hearing will take place and decision will be made on your case.
The Panel will consist of a minimum of three members. This includes:
Head of College, or nominee from a different College to you (Chair)
at least one independent academic staff member, who has not at any time taught you
a Student Union representative
The Academic Standards Manager will act as Secretary to the Panel.
The Module Leader will also be invited to attend.
When you receive confirmation of hearing notification via e:Vision informing you of the date, time and location of the hearing, you must confirm your attendance by logging into your student record via e:Vision and going to the "My Self-Service" area. Select "Academic Misconduct Cases" and click the hyperlink to view your full case details and to respond to the hearing invitation. You will have an opportunity to submit evidence to your case file in advance of the hearing, please do so by the deadline provided in your letter.
If you fail to attend, the hearing will proceed in your absence and your case will be reviewed by the Panel members in accordance with regulation: 10.63.
You have the right to attend this academic misconduct panel hearing, during which you will be asked about the piece of work in question in relation to the allegation and will be given the chance to respond.