Follow this guide when your assessment or exam is being investigated for an assessment offence, like plagiarism or collusion.
The information is a summary of the University information explained in QA53. We recommend using this guide to understand the basics and then follow this link to QA53 for the important finer details.
This guide is split into two parts: 1. What to expect from an assessment offence investigation and 2. How to appeal the outcome of an assessment offence investigation.
You can ask us for advice at any time by emailing suadvice@bath.ac.uk.
Part 1. What to expect from an assessment offence investigation
After receiving the email outlining the allegation, you have 14 days (including weekends) to reply to your Director of Studies (DoS). You might be asked to do one or more of the following:
- To reply in writing with more information (usually by email)
- To meet your Director of Studies (see Step 2)
- To meet your Director of Studies and another member of staff for a viva (see Step 3).
Any information you provide at this stage might be used later in the investigation. You can contact an SU Advisor now for independent advice on how to respond and what to expect from the investigation.
Your DoS will be trying to collect all the evidence to determine if you committed the alleged offence. During your meeting, they are likely to ask about your understanding of a subject, the learning that took place and the context of the alleged offence. Any information you provide at this stage may be used later in the investigation. SU Advisors don’t usually attend this meeting, but you should tell them if you are feeling anxious about attending alone or if there are adjustments you would like to be considered (e.g. you need additional time to process information).
Prepare for the decision from your Director of Studies. After considering all the available evidence, your DoS will decide if:
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Decision
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Next steps
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An offence is unlikely to have occurred (there is no prima facie case)
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The DoS will write to you and confirm the case is closed. You don’t need to do anything else and nothing will appear on your student record.
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An offence is likely to have occurred (there is a prima facie case)
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The DoS will consult another senior members of staff, usually The Head of Department (HoD). The HoD decides if an offence has taken place and how serious it appears to be.
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*Prima facie means ‘based on first impressions’ rather than conclusive evidence.
If your DoS and Head of Department decide an offence is likely to have occurred, they will decide whether your offence is minor (Group 1) moderate (Group 2) or more serious (Group 3). If this is the second time you’ve been investigated for academic misconduct, the outcome will usually be more serious (a Group 3 offence). The table below explains the next steps:
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Decision
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Next steps
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Minor or moderate offence (Group 1 or 2)
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The Head of Department (HoD) and Director of Studies (DoS) will continue the investigation using all the available evidence and may speak to other relevant staff in your Department.
If the HoD and DoS decide the case is proven, they will apply one or more of the following penalties:
- You must undertake mandatory training related to academic integrity
- To issue you with a strong verbal warning
- You must resubmit the work as if it’s your first attempt (your final grade will be counted)
- To reduce the mark for your existing work
- A minimum pass mark for the unit will be assigned (in moderate/Group 2 cases only)
The HoD will write to you to confirm your penalty and explain how you can ask for the outcome to be reviewed. A note of the outcome will be recorded in your student file.
You can ask an SU Advisor what the penalties may mean for your situation and for impartial advice on what you might achieve by asking for the decision to be reviewed (see Part 2: How to ask for the outcome of an assessment offence investigation to be reviewed).
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More serious offence
(usually Group 3 and second offences)
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The Head of Department and DoS will refer the case to the Chair of the Board of Studies, who will set up a Board of Inquiry.
Go to Step 4: How to prepare for a Board of Inquiry.
You can ask an SU Advisor for advice to feel more confident preparing for the Board of Inquiry and they may be able to attend with you. Now is a good time to speak to the University Wellbeing Team if you want to explore tools for feeling less anxious and more in control of your situation.
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You may be invited to a viva (a spoken conversation) with 7 days’ notice (including weekends). This conversation is a chance to demonstrate the work is your own; it is not marked and does not count towards your grades. Usually, the viva will be with two people, the member of staff responsible for marking the exam and your Director of Studies. An SU Advisor can give you independent advice on how to prepare for the viva and support you to request any adjustments (e.g. additional time to process information). An Advisor can also attend the viva with you; they can’t answer questions on your behalf but can support you to ask for a break and debrief after the meeting if there’s anything concerning you. Use this link to Appendix 4 in QA53 to read more about what to expect from a viva.
After considering all the available evidence, the viva panel will decide if:
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Decision
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Next steps
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You are the author of your work
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No further action will be taken and your mark will be unaffected.
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There is still some doubt who authored the work
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A Board of Inquiry will be arranged to continue the investigation. Go to Step 4.
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You have admitted to committing an assessment offence
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A Board of Inquiry will be arranged to decide on a penalty. Go to Step 4.
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The Chair of the Board of Studies will invite you to Board meeting with at least 7 days’ notice (including weekends). The Chair should send you any written evidence and papers relating to your case that you may wish to respond to. You can share this evidence in confidence with an SU Advisor and work together to prepare your responses.
You need to make two important decisions:
- Do you want to provide a written submission or attend the Board in person? Our advice is to always attend in person if you can, although this isn’t compulsory. If you are prepared to attend in person, an SU Advisor can help you before the Board to prepare a short introductory statement and decide if you want to submit any other information. If you are certain you don’t want to attend in person, you need to submit a written submission to the Chair of the Board at least 3 days before the Board meeting. An SU Advisor can help you structure your written submission and provide impartial advice on the content.
- Do you want to attend alone or be joined or represented by a friend or SU Advisor? People typically choose to have a friend or SU Advisor join them if this helps them feel more confident. SU Advisors don’t usually speak on your behalf, but can read out your statement, help you to ask for clarification about a point made or to ask for a break during the meeting. They can also meet you immediately before and after the Board meeting to offer advice and answer your questions. If you want someone to join or represent you at the Board meeting, you must confirm their contact details with the Chair of the Board 3 days before the meeting. You need to ask an SU Advisor as soon as possible to check they are available. Once an SU Advisor has confirmed they can join you, they will usually arrange a 30minute meeting to help you prepare.
The purpose of the Board of Inquiry (BoI) is to make three decisions:
- Has an offence occurred?
- How serious should the penalty for assessment offence be?
- Does the case need to be investigated further, either as a Disciplinary or a Fitness to Practice investigation?
BoI meetings usually take place online, although you can request for this to be in person. The meeting usually takes around 60minutes, during which you will usually be asked to leave while the Board confirm their decision. When students ask for an SU Advisor to join them, they usually meet the Advisor for 15minutes immediately before and after the Board.
The Board is made of 5-8 staff who all have equal voting rights and haven’t been involved in earlier stages of the investigation. This is usually:
- One senior staff member to Chair the meeting (usually the Dean or a Pro Vice Chancellor)
- Two staff from the Board of Studies
- Two academic staff from the Department
For cases in the School of Management or involving a partner college, an additional:
- Three staff from outside the School or partner college.
What happens during the Board?
The Chair of the Board of Inquiry usually starts by explaining what will happen in the meeting and how you will receive the outcome. You (or your representative) will be invited to present a written or oral statement before the Board members ask you questions. You can also ask questions or for a short break during the Board. If you have an SU Advisor with you, you can meet them during a break if you want to discuss something in confidence. The Board may invite witnesses to give evidence during the meeting (e.g. academic staff) and you should have the opportunity to respond to this evidence. Usually, the DoS attends with a member of staff from the Department to answer technical questions about the assessment or exam first. You (and your SU Advisor) can be present throughout the hearing until the Board need to meet in private to make their decision.
Using all the evidence available, the Board will make three decisions:
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Board’s decision
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Details
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1) Whether to impose a penalty for a Group 2 or 3 offence
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These may include one or more of the following penalties (in order from least to most serious):
- You must undertake mandatory training related to academic integrity
- To give you a strong verbal warning
- You must resubmit the work as if it’s your first attempt (your final grade will be counted)
- To reduce the mark for your existing work
- To assign a minimum pass mark for the unit
- To cap your mark between 0-34% (for first assessments) & require supplementary assessment receives failure
- To assign a mark of 0 or ‘fail’ with no credit for the unit/s (which may require retaking the units or the year)
And if you are in your final year:
- To downgrade your degree classification or grant a lower award
- To terminate your programme with no award.
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2) Whether to refer your case to be investigated as a Disciplinary or
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If the Board believe Regulation 7 or 8 have been breached, they will refer your case to the Secretary to Senate (and Director of Academic Registry in more serious cases) to decide if there is a prima facie case for disciplinary action.
The Secretary to Senate will decide if:
- There is no case for a disciplinary and you can continue your studies as normal.
- There is a case for a disciplinary and this should be heard either by the Vice Chancellor or the Disciplinary Committee.
You can ask an SU Advisor for advice on the impact of these decisions on your situation and for help preparing for a Disciplinary Committee.
If your case goes to a Disciplinary Hearing and you are found to have breached Regulation 8 in relation to assessment offences, the penalties may include:
- A decision not to grant your degree award
- A recommendation you should be expelled from the University.
We strongly recommend you seek advice and support from an SU Advisor if your case is referred to a Disciplinary Committee.
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2) Whether to refer your case to a Fitness to Practise Panel
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If you are studying a degree which requires you to pass a professional standard to practice (e.g. Social Work or Pharmacy) your case may be referred to a Fitness to Practise review.
Your case cannot be recommended to both a Disciplinary and Fitness to Practise investigation.
We strongly recommend you seek advice and support from an SU Advisor if your case is referred to the Fitness to Practice review.
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3) To close the case due to insufficient evidence
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This is the end of the case.
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The Chair of the Board of Inquiry will usually inform you of the outcome shortly after the meeting and confirm this in writing within 7 days (including weekends). The outcome will be recorded on your student file and shared with the Director of Academic Registry and your Board of Studies. The Board report will summarise all the evidence used in the investigation to reach the final decision and list recommendations for further actions. You can ask an SU Advisor what the penalties mean for your situation and for impartial advice on what you might achieve by asking for the decision to be reviewed.
This is the end of Part 1.
Part 2. How to appeal the outcome of an assessment offence investigation
Follow these steps when you’ve received the outcome of a Departmental or Board of Inquiry investigation and you want the decision to be reviewed. You need to follow one of two different processes, depending on what you experienced in Part 1.
OPTION A: For minor/moderate offences (Group 1 or 2) where the decision is made by the Department (Director of Studies and Head of Department).
You have 14 days (including weekends) after receiving your outcome to request for the decision to be reviewed. You can write to another member of the Board of Studies if you feel the Chair is not independent. You must choose one or more of the following reasons for requesting the review:
- The proceedings of the investigation were not carried out in accordance with the procedures (as outlined in QA53)
- New evidence can be presented which was not or could not reasonably have been made available to the investigation
- The finding of the investigation was against the weight of the evidence.
You can’t ask for your penalty to be reduced or cancelled because you committed the offence inadvertently (e.g. you weren’t aware it was an offence). You can ask an SU Advisor for impartial advice on which reason(s) are most appropriate for your situation and what you might achieve if the review is successful.
After considering all the evidence, The Chair of the Board of Studies will decide if there is:
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Decision
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Next steps
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No prima facie case for holding a review
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The University will not consider any further appeals. An SU Advisor can explain the process for escalating the case externally to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.
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A prima facie case for holding a review
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Either
The case will be reviewed by the Chair of the Board of Studies
or
The Chair will recommend the case is reviewed by a Board of Inquiry and will make arrangements for this. You can follow Steps 4 and 5 in Part 1 to prepare for a Board of Inquiry.
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The Chair of the Board of Studies will share their decision with you in writing within 7 days (including weekends) of receiving your request. You can only ask for the decision to be reviewed once. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your review, you can ask an SU Advisor for impartial advice on what might be achieved by taking your case to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.
This is the end of the assessment offence process for Group 1 or 2 offences.
OPTION B: For more serious offences where the decision is made by a Board of Inquiry (usually Group 3).
You have 14 days (including weekends) after receiving written notification of your outcome to request for the decision to be reviewed. You must choose one or more of the following as a reason for requesting the review:
- The proceedings of the Board of Inquiry were not carried out in accordance with the procedures
- New evidence can be presented which was not or could reasonably have been shared with the Board
- The finding of the Board was against the weight of the evidence.
You can ask an SU Advisor for impartial advice on which reason(s) are most appropriate for your situation and what you might achieve if the review is successful.
After considering all the evidence, The Director of Academic Registry will decide if a new Board of Inquiry should be arranged to consider the case and if so, they will appoint new board members. The Director of Academic Registry will notify you of this decision withing 28 days (including weekends) of your request. You can follow Steps 4 and 5 in Part 1 to prepare for a Board of Inquiry.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your review, you can ask an SU Advisor for impartial advice on what might be achieved by taking your case to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.
This is the end of the assessment offence process for Group 3 offences.