Academic Misconduct

Resources

 

Types of academic misconduct

According to the official policy on the University website, there are several types of academic misconduct:

  • Plagiarism – suggesting someone else’s work is yours. This could include not citing properly, not using quotation marks around a direct quote, or not putting things into your own words.
  • Multiple submission – submitting a piece of work you have submitted before, without proper citation or prior authorisation. This includes submitting sections of work you have submitted before.
  • Falsification – making up, changing, or leaving out data, particularly to support a hypothesis.
  • False citation – when you say that an author said something that they didn't say, e.g. you quoted something and said it was from Source A but it was actually from Source B.
  • Aiding and abetting – helping someone to commit academic misconduct. This could include ‘helping’ someone in an exam, writing an essay for someone else, or getting someone to take an exam in someone else’s place.
  • Coercion – putting pressure on a student or member of staff to get an unfair advantage.
  • Contract cheating – getting someone else to do an assignment for you (paid or unpaid).
  • Unauthorised use of Artificial Intelligence – using AI without prior permission, and claiming the work of an AI model as your own.

In exams or class tests, there are other forms of academic misconduct:

  • Taking things or information into the exam venue that you are not allowed to bring.
  • Telling staff wrong information about an exam.
  • Taking exam scripts, papers, or stationery out of the venue without permission.
  • Leaving the exam venue without permission.
  • Getting hold of exam questions before an exam, whether you are sitting that exam or not.
  • Not following exam rules, which would give you an unfair advantage.

Process for Undergraduates and Taught Postgraduates

1) Is it worth investigating?

The Academic Misconduct Officer (AMO) for your School will decide if your work should be investigated for academic misconduct, and at what level. If they think your work needs to be looked at, they will pursue it in one of 3 ways:

  • They can decide to deal with it themselves
  • They can decide your case should be dealt with by a School Board
  • They can decide your case should be dealt with by a University Board

You can find out more about how to approach School and University Boards in our guide. You can also find out about how to write a statement for School and University Boards in our guidance.

2) Which level should it go to?

AMO

If this is your first instance of academic misconduct, or the first of that type (i.e. you were accused of plagiarism last semester, this time it’s false citation), then your case will most likely be dealt with either by the AMO, or a meeting of the School Board.

School Board

If this is your first instance of academic misconduct, or the first of that type (i.e. you plagiarised last semester, this time it’s false citation), then your case will most likely be dealt with either by a written warning from the AMO, or a meeting of the School Board.

You will get 5 working days’ notice of the Board hearing.

Deals with:

  • First offences
  • Repeated offences (previously dealt with by a written warning)

University Board

If you have had two or more cases of academic misconduct before, your new case will go to the University Board level.

You will get 5 working days’ notice of the Board hearing.

Deals with:

  • All cases of suspected contract cheating
  • Particularly worrying first instance of academic misconduct including unauthorised use of AI
  • New cases after you’ve had a previous offence (upheld) at School or University level

3) Sanctions

The AMO, and School and University Boards have the power to give certain sanctions if they feel that academic misconduct has occurred. Please note that in cases where there have been relevant personal difficulties or extenuating circumstances, the Board may decide to give you a lighter sanction, but they cannot decide that academic misconduct has not occurred.

Possible sanctions for each level of action are detailed below:

AMO

  • Written warning in MMS and need to retake the Good Academic Practice Module within 5 working days of your outcome letter.

School Board

After the meeting of the School Board, you will get your outcome letter within 5 working days of the hearing. In all cases, you will be instructed to retake the Good Academic Practice Module within 5 working days of your outcome letter.

Sanctions:

  • Written warning
  • Assessment capped at 7
  • Zero for the assessment

University Board

After the meeting of the University Boards, you will get your outcome letter within 5 working days of the hearing. In all cases, you will be instructed to retake the Good Academic Practice Module within 5 working days of your outcome letter.

Sanctions (only one will apply):

Assessment:

  • Written warning
  • Capped at 7
  • Zero for assessment

Module:

  • Module capped at 7
  • Zero for the module with
    • Right to retake for credit only
    • Right to retake another module to make up credits
    • No right to take another module
  • May apply these sanctions to another module if they cannot be applied to the module the case is about

Degree:

  • Terminate studies

 

Process for current Postgraduate Research students 

1) Is it worth investigating?

The AMO for your School will decide if your work should be investigated for academic misconduct, and at what level. If they think your work needs to be looked at, they will pursue it in one of two ways:

  • They can decide to deal with it themselves
  • They can decide your case should be dealt with by a University Board

2) Which level should it go to?

In cases of very minor misconduct, your case may be dealt with by the AMO directly.

Most of the time, cases are dealt with by University Boards of Adjudication, or if relevant, your case may be reviewed using the Research Misconduct Policy.

You can find out more about how to approach University Boards in our guide. You can also find out about how to write a statement for School and University Boards in our guidance.

3) Sanctions

Please note that your viva will still take place when academic misconduct is suspected, unless there is enough notice to postpone it while an investigation happens.

The AMO/University Board have the power to give certain sanctions if they feel that academic misconduct has occurred. Please note that in cases where there have been relevant personal difficulties or extenuating circumstances, the Board may decide to give you a lighter sanction, but they cannot decide that academic misconduct has not occurred.

Possible sanctions for each level of action are detailed below:

Before thesis submitted

Minor concerns (AMO and University Board)

  • You will be given a written warning in MMS and you will be required to do some corrective work

Serious concerns (University Board)

  • You will be given a written warning in MMS and you will be required to do some corrective work
  • You will be given a written warning a MMS and only allowed to complete a lower award
  • Studies terminated
After thesis submitted (University Board)

Minor issues (like plagiarism in a literature review)

  • You will need to re-write the parts of your thesis that had the issues within 3 months  and retake the Good Academic Practice and Research Integrity modules before graduation 

Some issues but still an original piece of work

  • You will need to revise your whole thesis within 6 months and pay a resubmission fee. Academic misconduct will go on your record, and you will need to retake the Good Academic Practice and Research Integrity modules before graduation

Serious issues, not original enough for a PhD

  • You will need to make edits to your thesis and pay a resubmission fee. You will only be allowed to graduate with an MPhil (not a PhD). Academic misconduct will go on your record, and you will be instructed to retake the Good Academic Practice and Research Integrity modules, You will not be allowed to take additional degrees at St Andrews.

Extremely serious, very little original work

  • Your thesis will be rejected, you will not be able to graduate with a degree. no degree, misconduct goes on record, can’t take additional degrees at St Andrews

Process for former Postgraduate Research students

1) Is it worth investigating?

The Dean will instruct an investigating officer  to review your case and report back with their findings. The Dean will use these findings to decide if they need to pursue academic misconduct proceedings. If they decide to pursue proceedings, your case will be dealt with by a University Board. You will be given at least 3 different dates and times for your hearing, and you can choose the one which works for you.

You can find out more about how to approach School and University Boards in our guide. You can also find out about how to write a statement for School and University Boards in our guidance.

2) Sanctions

The University Board have the power to give certain sanctions if they feel that academic misconduct has occurred. Please note that in cases where there have been relevant personal difficulties or extenuating circumstances, the Board may decide to give you a lighter sanction, but they cannot decide that academic misconduct has not occurred.

Possible sanctions for each level of action are detailed below:

Relatively minor due to poor practice

  • You will be given 3 months to correct the errors. If the corrections are approved, you will be able to keep your degree. Research misconduct procedures may be brought in.

Some originality remains

  • You will be given 12 months to correct the errors. If the corrections are approved,  you may be able to keep your degree, or it could be taken back and a lower degree may be given instead. Academic misconduct goes on your record.

No corrections will fix the issues

  • Degree is taken off you

Appeals

You can appeal academic misconduct decisions for the following specific reasons only:

  • If you wish to appeal a sanction (such as your grade being capped), you can appeal on the basis of extenuating personal circumstances. This means that when you did the exam/assignment being investigated for academic misconduct, there were difficulties in your personal life which meant that you approached the piece of work in the way you did. These circumstances might be something like severe health or mental health difficulties, issues with your family, things like that, and these circumstances must be something the University did not know about and that you could not have informed them of before the Board. The key point is that appealing on these grounds could only change your sanction (ideally decreasing). It cannot overturn the decision that there was academic misconduct in the piece of work.
  • If you want to appeal the decision that there was academic misconduct in your work, this is more difficult. You would have to appeal on the grounds that there was "defective or irregular procedure that has materially affected the academic decision of the relevant Board of Adjudication." This means that the Board meeting did not follow procedures and this led to the Board deciding that there was academic misconduct, or that rules were not followed by your School at the time of your piece of work. This could be things like the Board not giving you enough notice of the hearing, or your School not following procedures for feedback on previous assignments to learn from before this piece of work.

Your outcome letter will tell you what steps you should take to pursue an appeal, so read your letter carefully.

If either of the reasons above apply to you and you want to appeal, you should email the AVP Dean of Learning & Teaching ([email protected]) within 5 working days of receiving your outcome letter, explaining on which grounds you are appealing and why, with evidence. The AVP Dean will decide if an appeal is appropriate or not. If the AVP decides that an appeal can be heard, they will escalate your case to the next level (as a Stage 1 review):

  • If the AMO gave you your sanction, your case will be escalated to a School Board
  • If your case was heard at a School Board, it will be escalated to a University Board
  • If a University Board gave you your sanction, your case will be considered as a Stage 2 appeal by the Court & Senate Office.

If your Stage 1 review outcome is disappointing and you feel that appropriate reasons exist for making an appeal (the reasons outlined above), then you can pursue a Stage 2 Academic Appeal via the Court and Senate Office.

Please see the Academic Appeals Policy section for more information on how to submit a Stage 2 Appeal.