It is an academic offence to commit an act whereby you gain or attempt to gain an unfair advantage. The University requires students to demonstrate academic integrity and is committed to working with you to ensure that you are awarded the degree you deserve.
This Guide should be read in conjunction with the University’s Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences. Where there is any doubt, the Regulations will take precedence over this Guide.
This Guide is for undergraduate and postgraduate taught students and for postgraduate research students against whom an allegation of plagiarism or duplication has been made. Postgraduate research students suspected of committing any other academic offence will be subject to the Regulations Governing the Allegation and Investigation of Misconduct in Research.
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What is an academic offence?
Academic misconduct includes (see section 2 of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences), but is not limited to:
Cheating: The term ‘cheating’ relates to behaviour that takes place in an examination, class test or laboratory test. It is considered cheating if you:
- Have any form of notes, or any items or texts other than those that are specifically permitted for that examination, at your desk in an examination hall during an examination. It is your responsibility to establish what the permitted items are for each examination
- Make use or attempt to make use of unauthorised items as described above, and/or any form of technology, including mobile telephones, smart phones, ear pieces (though not authorised hearing aids), cameras or other devices
- Copy or attempt to copy from another student’s examination script
- Permit another student to copy from your examination script
- Obtain or attempt to obtain assistance from another student or from any other person which leads to an unfair advantage
- Impersonate another examination student, or to allow yourself to be impersonated
- Provide or attempt to provide unfair assistance to another student
- Knowingly assist any student to make use or attempt to make use of unfair means in a University examination.
Plagiarism: Presenting the work of others as your own.
Duplication: Using or reusing significant, identical, or nearly identical portions of their own work which has been previously submitted for assessment within the University or another institution.
Copying or permitting copying: Copying another student’s work or permitting another student to copy any of your work which you submit for assessment.
Collusion: Working on an assignment with anyone else if that assignment is meant to be done individually. It is expected that the work being assessed, unless specifically designated as a group assessment, will have been done by you alone.
Fabrication: Claiming to have carried out experiments, interviews or any form of research which you have not in fact carried out, or inventing or falsifying data, evidence or experimental results. It is also an academic offence if you knowingly make use of falsified data as described above.
Contract Cheating: Commissioning or seeking to commission another party (either paid or unpaid) to perform academic work on your behalf.
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Examples of Academic Offences
- Submitting or ‘cutting & pasting’ text from a book/journal/another student’s work or the internet without properly referencing.
- Copying a friend or classmate’s assignment, or part of an assignment, and submitting it as your own work.
- Submitting all or part of an assignment that you have previously submitted for assessment by Queen’s or any other institution.
- Buying or obtaining an assignment online or elsewhere and submitting it as your own work.
- Fabricating evidence/interviews or data.
- Having a mobile phone, notes or any unauthorised material in an examination – simply having any of these in an examination environment is in itself considered cheating.
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What if I made a mistake?
Not knowing how to reference correctly or not understanding the regulations is not an excuse for committing an academic offence. Schools expect you to learn how to reference correctly and there are services within the university that can help you. There are no excuses for cheating in an examination or for contract cheating.
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How are Academic Offences detected?
Turnitin
Turnitin is a software programme used by the University to establish the originality of a piece of coursework. It will compare your assignment to websites, books, journals and student assignments submitted to 15,000 institutions in 140 countries. Each School has a policy on the use of Turnitin and some Schools will allow you to check your assignment before formally submitting it. To find out the policy in your School, please refer to your School or to your Programme Handbook.
Members of staff
Members of academic staff who mark assessed coursework are experts in that particular area. They will know the core texts/reading lists and will easily be able to identify when a student has not referenced correctly or has attempted to pass off an author’s work as their own. Staff members will also check your bibliography or references to ensure that you have referenced properly.
Invigilator in Examination Hall
At scheduled University examinations, there are invigilators who ensure the smooth running of the examinations. Should an incident occur, the invigilators will report any suspicious activity to the Examinations Office who will inform the relevant School for the purposes of an investigation. Cheating in an examination is considered to be a very serious academic offence (see sections 2.1 and 3.1 of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences).
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What if I have exceptional circumstances?
Exceptional circumstances cannot be used to excuse an academic offence. If something is impacting on your academic performance you should inform your School as soon as possible and you may request an extension to the submission deadline for an assignment or a deferral of an examination. Please see Exceptional Circumstances – A Student Guide.
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What happens if I am suspected of an academic offence?
Your School will inform you in writing to your University email account that you have been suspected of an academic offence. This email will also explain if the offence is considered to be major or minor. There are different procedures for dealing with major and minor academic offences (see sections 4 and 5 of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences).
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Will I be able to talk to someone about the process? Can I bring someone with me to the meetings?
You should try to meet regularly with your Personal Tutor and should discuss any issues relating to your progress.
You have the right to be accompanied by a registered student of the University, a member of staff, or University Chaplaincy, or a staff member (i.e. Advice SU staff) or officer from the Students’ Union.
The role of the person accompanying you to a meeting is one of support, not representation, and you will be expected to answer questions yourself.
If you consider that you have a disability or ongoing condition, you should advise the Investigating Officer as soon as possible so that the appropriate reasonable adjustments can be put in place to help you engage as fully as possible with the disciplinary process. This may entail a consultation with Disability Services.
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No prior involvement by Committee members
No member of any University committee will have had any prior involvement with your case; this means that they will not have an existing relationship with you (e.g. tutor, supervisor) nor will they have had any previous knowledge of your case.
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Minor Offences
An academic offence shall normally be designated as ‘minor’ if the piece of work where it occurs counts towards one third or less of the assessment for the module.
Investigation into Minor Offences
Allegations of minor offences will be investigated by a member of staff nominated by the Head of School (or nominee)*. You will be invited to meet with the member of staff as part of the investigation. The suspected minor offence will be outlined to you and you will be asked to respond.
If you do not attend the meeting, without showing ‘good cause’, the member of staff has the right to consider your case on the paperwork and make a report for the Head of School (or nominee) in your absence and without further notice. It is your responsibility to establish ‘good cause’ to the satisfaction of the member of staff.
The Head of School (or nominee) will consider the case and come to a decision which will be communicated to you in writing, normally within eight working days.
*read Head of School to include Centre Director.
Minor Offence – possible outcomes
The Head of School (or nominee) may:
- Find that no academic offence has been committed and dismiss the case.
- Impose a written warning (this will stay on your Student Record until graduation).
- Declare the relevant work submitted as null and void and permit you to re-do the component with no further penalty (i.e. the full mark obtained will be allowed to stand).
- Declare the relevant work submitted as null and void and permit you to re-do the component for a maximum of the pass mark.
- Award a mark of zero for the component but not permit you to re-do it.
- Refer your case to the Chair of the relevant Board of Examiners to be considered under the procedures for major offences.
You have a right to appeal the decision of the Head of School (or nominee) on grounds to an Academic Offences Committee.
You may not appeal the decision of your Head of School to refer your case to the Chair of the Board of Examiners.
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Major offences
An offence shall be designated as ‘major’ if:
- The piece of work counts towards more than one third of the assessment for the module
- You are accused of cheating in an examination, contract cheating or misconduct in research
- It is a repeat offence or there are multiple offences.
Investigation into Major Offences
A Panel will be convened by the Chair of the Board of Examiners** in your School and will include two members of staff from your School and one member from another School. No member of the Panel will have any previous involvement with your case. You will be invited to attend a Panel meeting and will normally be given at least five working days’ notice of the date, time and venue of the meeting.
** read the Chair of the Board of Examiners to include the Chair of the School Postgraduate Research Committee (SPRC).
You will be entitled to be accompanied by a registered student of the University, which shall include a Students’ Union Sabbatical Officer, a member of University staff or University Chaplaincy. You will be informed in writing of the offence you are facing and will receive copies of all the documentation considered by the Panel and the Chair of the Board of Examiners, including:
- a copy of the University’s Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences and;
- a copy of the assignment that contains the suspected academic offence; and
- any other relevant information.
If the alleged academic offence is copying or permitting to copy, or collusion, all parties involved will normally be called to attend the Panel meeting as part of the investigation.
You are required to attend the Panel meeting. If you do not attend the meeting, without showing ‘good cause’, the Panel has the right to consider your case on the paperwork and make a recommendation to the Chair of the Board of Examiners in your absence and without further notice. It is your responsibility to establish ‘good cause’ to the satisfaction of the Panel.
The Panel will prepare a report, with recommendations, for consideration by the Chair of the Board of Examiners. The Chair of the Board of Examiners shall consider the Panel’s report and shall consult as necessary, including consulting other relevant members of the Board of Examiners, to reach a decision on your case. The decision of the Chair of the Board of Examiners will be communicated to you in writing, normally within eight working days.
Major Offence – possible outcomes
The Chair of the Board of Examiners may:
- Dismiss the case, notwithstanding the finding and recommendation of the Panel.
- Impose a written warning (this will stay on your Student Record until graduation).
- Declare the relevant work submitted as null and void and permit you to re-do the component with no further penalty (i.e. the full mark obtained for the re-sit will be allowed to stand).
- Declare the relevant work submitted as null and void and permit you to re-do the component for a maximum of the pass mark.
- Award a mark of zero for the component but not permit you to re-do it.
- (PGR only) Direct that the offending material be removed from the work submitted and that the student carry out such further work as is necessary to replace it.
- Refer your case to the Academic Offences Committee if the decision is that an offence has been committed that merits a penalty more severe than those listed above.
- Refer your case to the Director of Academic and Student Affairs to consider invoking the Conduct Regulations or the Fitness to Practise Procedure.
You may not appeal the decision of the Chair of the Board of Examiners to refer your case to the Academic Offences Committee.
You may not appeal the decision of the Chair of the Board of Examiners to refer your case for consideration under the Conduct Regulations or the Fitness to Practise Procedure.
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What if I withdraw from my degree course during the course of an investigation?
If you withdraw from your course after you have been notified that you have been suspected of an academic offence, the University may either:
- Continue with the investigation and hear the allegation in your absence without further notice; or
- Suspend the investigation and recommence it if you apply for re-admission to the University. Any offer of a place will be conditional on completion of the investigation and your compliance with any penalty applied (in addition to any other applicable conditions e.g. academic conditions).
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What if I am unable to participate in an investigation or proceedings under the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences because of medical reasons?
If you are unable to participate because of medical reasons, medical evidence will be required to confirm that this is the case. Normally, any investigation or proceedings will be postponed until you are deemed fit to participate by a medical professional, or you confirm that you wish to proceed. If you are unable to participate for medical reasons, you may be required to take a period of temporary withdrawal from the University.
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Confidentiality and Data Protection
All academic offence cases will be treated with the appropriate level of confidentiality, with information being released only to those who need to see it (for example, for the School’s response).
All information submitted by you and by the School will be shared with the members of the Committee. You and the School will be sent copies of all the information which the Committee members will see. You should not include any information in any documentation you submit that you do not want your School or the Committee to see. You should also ensure that your documentation does not contain any information relating to third parties and that the information complies with the University Guidance on Data Protection. The names or any information by which a third party could be identified must be redacted, unless the third party consents to the information being shared.) It is your responsibility to ensure that such information is redacted or that you have the consent of the third party to share the information.
I wish to appeal the decision of the Head of School/Chair of the Board of Examiners/Chair of the SPRC
This section only relates to students that wish to appeal either the decision of the Head of School (minor offences) or the decision of the Chair of the Board of Examiners (major offences) or the Chair of the SPRC (PGR students).
Please note that there is no right of appeal against a referral:
- To an Academic Offences Committee; or
- For consideration under the University Fitness to Practise Procedure; or
- For consideration under the Conduct Regulations.
If your case has been referred to an Academic Offences Committee for consideration, please see the “I have been referred to an Academic Offences Committee” section below.
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I don’t agree with the decision of the Relevant Chair (Head of School/Chair of the Board of Examiners/Chair of the SPRC), what should I do?
If you are unhappy with the decision of the Relevant Chair you may appeal the decision to an Academic Offences Committee.
You have 10 working days from the notification of the Relevant Chair's decision to submit an appeal. The Relevant Chair's decision letter will usually outline the date by which you must submit your appeal and the grounds of appeal. You must submit your appeal on the using the Appeal to the Academic Offences Committee Form and you must set out clearly the ground/s of appeal and how you consider that you meet the ground/s of appeal. It is recommended that, with your appeal form, you also submit any supporting evidence you may have to demonstrate how you meet the grounds of appeal.
The grounds of appeal are:
- New evidence has become available which could not have been provided for consideration by the Relevant Chair.
- The finding of guilt was based upon an error in the interpretation of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences.
- There was a procedural irregularity in the conduct of the investigation.
- The decision of the Relevant Chair was against the weight of the evidence.
You may not appeal the decision of the Relevant Chair to refer your case to an Academic Offences Committee.
You may not appeal the decision of the Relevant Chair to refer your case for consideration under the Conduct Regulations or the Fitness to Practise Procedure.
Late appeals
Appeals received after the specified deadline will not be considered unless you can evidence circumstances beyond your control which caused the appeal to be late, e.g. hospitalisation. You must be able to demonstrate that something unforeseen occurred at the time of the appeal deadline or that, due to the state of your health at the time of the appeal deadline, you were unable to engage with the University process and to submit an appeal on time.What should I do if I think I have sufficient cause and wish to submit a late appeal?
If you wish to submit a late appeal, along with your Appeal to the Academic Offences Committee Form and supporting evidence, you must also submit a written statement (with supporting evidence) detailing the reasons for your late appeal.
It is strongly recommended that you seek advice on preparing your appeal from Advice SU (studentadvice@qub.ac.uk).
- Support
Advice and guidance is available from Student Wellbeing, the Students' Union and Advice SU (studentadvice@qub.ac.uk).
You have the right to be accompanied to any meetings by a registered student of the University (including a Sabbatical Officer from the Students' Union) or by a member of staff of the University (including a member of staff from Advice SU or your Safe and Health Relationships Advocate) or University Chaplaincy at any stage in the procedure. The role of the person accompanying you is one of support, not representation, and you will be expected to present your own case.
- Prima Facie Screening
If, on receipt of your Appeal to the Academic Offences Committee Form, it is not clear that you have presented a prima facie case, your appeal documentation will be forwarded to a Sifting Panel for consideration. For full details of this process, please see section 5.3.4 – 5.38 of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences.
The Sifting Panel will consider your appeal (and supporting evidence) and will decide either to accept or reject your appeal. If accepted, your appeal will proceed to an Academic Offences Committee.
The Sifting Panel will reject your appeal if it clearly does not present a prima facie case e.g.:
- Your appeal form does not cite a ground of appeal.
- Your appeal clearly does not meet any of the grounds of appeal.
- You have failed to submit the necessary supporting documentation (e.g. medical evidence) before the deadline.
- Your appeal is requesting an outcome which is not within the remit of the Academic Offences Committee to grant.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
If the Screening Panel rejects your appeal, the Review Panel will review this decision. The Review Panel will only consider the original appeal documentation and no additional information will be accepted at this stage.
The Review Panel will decide either to confirm or overturn the Sifting Panel decision. If accepted, your appeal will be sent to an Academic Offences Committee.
- Academic Offences Committee (Appeal) Meeting
The Committee will be chaired by the Director of Academic and Student Affairs (or nominee) and will, normally, comprise three members of academic staff representing each Faculty within the University.
You will be invited to attend the Academic Offences Committee to present your appeal. You will receive copies of all the paperwork and supporting evidence ahead of the meeting.
The Relevant Chair will also be invited to the Academic Offences Committee to explain the reasons for the decision.
You must attend the meeting of the Academic Offences Committee, unless you have a good reason (e.g. scheduled medical procedure, examination, funeral etc.); work commitments or holiday arrangements will not be considered good cause. If you do not attend, the Committee may consider your case on the paperwork alone.
Given the current uncertainty caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, you will be asked to attend your Academic Offences Committee meeting virtually using the Microsoft Teams software (free to download for all QUB staff and students), rather than in person.
- What happens at an Academic Offences Committee (Appeal) meeting?
The meeting will run as follows:
- The Chair will:
- Introduce the Committee, and other persons present;
- Explain the purpose of the hearing and the possible outcomes;
- Explain that students are expected to be truthful and honest; and
- Explain that you are not permitted to record the meeting.
- You will then be invited to outline your case and explain how you meet the grounds of appeal.
- The Relevant Chair (or nominee) will then be asked to explain the decision to issue the penalty imposed.
- Committee members may then ask you and the Relevant Chair (or nominee) questions for clarification.
- You will then be invited to provide any final comments.
- The Relevant Chair (or nominee) will be invited to provide any final comments.
- Once the Committee is satisfied that all relevant information has been submitted, everyone, except the members of the Committee making the decision and the Secretariat, will leave the meeting.
The Committee will consider your case and the decision will be sent to your QUB email address within eight working days of the decision being made.
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Appeals to an Academic Offences Committee – Possible Outcomes
The Academic Offences Committee may:
i. Uphold your appeal and rescind the penalty imposed by the Relevant Chair;
ii. Dismiss your appeal and confirm the penalty imposed by the Relevant Chair;
iii. Uphold the appeal in part and impose a different penalty from among those set out in the list of penalties open to the Academic Offences Committee (see sections 7.3 - 7.5 of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences). The penalty imposed shall not be more severe than the original penalty imposed.
- I am unhappy with the outcome of my appeal to the Academic Offences Committee, what should I do?
If you appealed the decision of the Relevant Chair to an Academic Offences Committee, there is no further internal right of appeal. However, you may submit a complaint about maladministration to the Office of the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman. Complaints to the Ombudsman must be made within 6 months of the notification of the decision of the Academic Offences Committee.
I have been referred to an Academic Offences Committee
This section only relates to students who have been referred to an Academic Offences Committee.
Please note that there is no right of appeal against a referral:
- To an Academic Offences Committee; or
- For consideration under the University Fitness to Practise Procedure; or
- For consideration under the Conduct Regulations.
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My case has been referred to an Academic Offences Committee – what happens next?
If your case has been referred to the Academic Offences Committee, you will be advised that your case has been referred to an Academic Offences Committee and you will be given at least five working days’ notice of the date, time and venue of the meeting. You will be sent copies of all the documents which the Committee members will see.
- Academic Offences Committee (Referral) Meeting
An Academic Offences Committee (Referral) meeting considers serious cases referred by your School.
The Committee will be chaired by the Director of Academic and Student Affairs (or nominee) and will, normally, comprise three members of academic staff representing each Faculty within the University.
You will be invited to attend the Academic Offences Committee to present your case. You will receive copies of all the paperwork and supporting evidence ahead of the meeting.
The Relevant Chair will also be invited to the Academic Offences Committee to explain the reasons for the decision.
You must attend the meeting of the Academic Offences Committee, unless you have a good reason (e.g. scheduled medical procedure, examination, funeral etc.); work commitments or holiday arrangements will not be considered good cause. If you do not attend, the Committee may consider your case on the paperwork alone.
Given the current uncertainty caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, you will be asked to attend your Academic Offences Committee meeting virtually using the Microsoft Teams software (free to download for all QUB staff and students), rather than in person.
- What happens at an Academic Offences Committee (Referral) meeting?
The meeting will run as follows:
- The Chair will:
- Introduce the Committee, and other persons present;
- Explain the purpose of the hearing and the possible outcomes;
- Explain that students are expected to be truthful and honest;
- Explain that you are not permitted to record the meeting; and
- Detail the allegation(s) raised against you.
- The Relevant Chair will present the case against you.
- You will then be invited to respond to the allegations.
- Committee members may then ask you and the Relevant Chair questions for clarification.
- You will then be invited to provide any final comments.
- The Relevant Chair will be invited to provide any final comments.
- Once the Committee is satisfied that all relevant information has been submitted, everyone, except the members of the Committee making the decision and the Secretariat, will leave the meeting.
The Committee will consider your case and the decision will be sent to your QUB email address within eight working days of the decision being made.
- Referral to an Academic Offences Committee – Possible Outcomes
The Committee will consider the allegation(s) against you, and come to a decision, taking account of the following criteria:
- The extent of the academic offence
- The degree of intent
- The level of study and previous educational background
- Any previous history of plagiarism or other academic offences
- The extent of your knowledge and understanding of the concept of academic misconduct.
- The impact of the penalty on your progress or award.
The Academic Offences Committee may:
- Find that no academic offence has been committed and dismiss the case
- Impose a written warning (which will stay on your Student Record until graduation)
- Declare the relevant work submitted as null and void and permit you to re-do the component with no further penalty (i.e. the full mark obtained will be allowed to stand).
- Declare the relevant work submitted as null and void and permit you to re-do the component for a maximum of the pass mark.
- Award a mark of zero for the component but not permit you to re-do it.
- (For postgraduate research students) Refer the matter back to the School to provide you with support and guidance
- (For postgraduate research students) Direct that the offending material be removed from the work submitted and that you carry out such further work as is necessary to replace it
- (For postgraduate research students) Recommend to the examiners that no degree be awarded
- Suspend you from the University
- Require you to withdraw from the University.
In addition to imposing one of the penalties above, the Committee may refer your case to the Director of Academic and Student Affairs (or nominee) to consider invoking the Conduct Regulations or the Fitness to Practise Procedure where it considers this to be appropriate.
Prior to making a decision on your case, the Committee may seek further information or clarification and, if this is the case, you will be advised of any delay.
The decision of the Academic Offences Committee will be communicated to you in writing, normally within eight working days of the decision being made.
- I am unhappy with the decision made by the Academic Offences Committee, what should I do?
If your case was referred to the Academic Offences Committee by your School, you may appeal the Committee’s decision to an Academic Offences Appeals Committee. Your appeal must be submitted on the Appeal to the Academic Offences Appeal Committee Form within 10 working days of notification of the decision.
There are specific grounds for appeal and you must clearly demonstrate how your appeal meets those grounds.
You may appeal on one or more of the following grounds:
- New evidence has become available which could not have been provided for consideration by the Academic Offences Committee. Evidence which was withheld from the Academic Offences Committee will not normally be deemed to constitute new evidence.
- The finding of guilt was based upon an error in the interpretation of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences.
- There was a procedural irregularity in the conduct of the investigation and / or the conduct of the Academic Offences Committee proceedings.
- The decision was against the weight of the evidence.
You cannot appeal the decision of the School to refer your case on to an Academic Offences Committee or against a referral for consideration under the Conduct Regulations or the Fitness to Practise Procedure.
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Prima Facie Screening
If, on receipt of your Appeal to the Academic Offences Appeal Committee Form, it is not clear that you have presented a prima facie case, your appeal documentation will be forwarded to a Sifting Panel for consideration. For full details of this process, please see section 5.3.4 – 5.38 of the Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences.
The Sifting Panel will consider your appeal (and supporting evidence) and will decide either to accept or reject your appeal. If accepted, your appeal will proceed to an Academic Offences Appeals Committee.
The Sifting Panel will reject your appeal if it clearly does not present a prima facie case e.g.:
- Your appeal form does not cite a ground of appeal.
- Your appeal clearly does not meet any of the grounds of appeal.
- You have failed to submit the necessary supporting documentation (e.g. medical evidence) before the deadline.
- Your appeal is requesting an outcome which is not within the remit of the Academic Offences Appeals Committee to grant.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
If the Screening Panel rejects your appeal, the Review Panel will review this decision. The Review Panel will only consider the original appeal documentation and no additional information will be accepted at this stage.
The Review Panel will decide either to confirm or overturn the Sifting Panel decision. If accepted, your appeal will be sent to an Academic Offences Appeals Committee.
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Academic Offences Appeals Committee
An Academic Offences Appeals Committee considers appeals against the decision of an Academic Offences Committee.
The Committee will be chaired by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor (or nominee) and will, normally, comprise three members of academic staff representing each Faculty within the University.
You will be invited to attend the Academic Offences Appeals Committee to present your appeal. You will receive copies of all the paperwork and supporting evidence ahead of the meeting.
The Chair of the Academic Offences Committee and the Relevant Chair will also be invited to the Academic Offences Appeals Committee to explain the reasons for the decision.
You must attend the meeting of the Academic Offences Appeals Committee, unless you have a good reason (e.g. scheduled medical procedure, examination, funeral etc.); work commitments or holiday arrangements will not be considered good cause. If you do not attend, the Committee may consider your case on the paperwork alone.
Given the current uncertainty caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, you will be asked to attend your Academic Offences Appeals Committee meeting virtually using the Microsoft Teams software (free to download for all QUB staff and students), rather than in person.
- What happens at an Academic Offences Appeals Committee meeting?
The meeting will run as follows:
- The Chair will:
- Introduce the Committee, and other persons present;
- Explain the purpose of the hearing and the possible outcomes;
- Explain that students are expected to be truthful and honest; and
- Explain that you are not permitted to record the meeting.
- The Academic Offences Committee Chair (or nominee) will present the case against you.
- You will then be invited to respond to the allegations.
- Committee members may then ask you and the Academic Offences Committee Chair (or nominee) questions for clarification.
- You will then be invited to provide any final comments.
- The Academic Offences Committee Chair (or nominee) will be invited to provide any final comments.
- Once the Committee is satisfied that all relevant information has been submitted, everyone, except the members of the Committee making the decision and the Secretariat, will leave the meeting.
The Committee will consider your case and the decision will be sent to your QUB email address within eight working days of the decision being made.
- Academic Offences Appeals Committee – Possible Outcomes
An Academic Offences Appeals Committee may:
i. Uphold the appeal and rescind the penalty imposed by the Academic Offences Committee.
ii. Confirm the penalty imposed by the Academic Offences Committee
iii. Impose a different penalty from that of the original penalty imposed by the Academic Offences Committee. The penalty imposed will not be more severe than the original penalty imposed.
- I am unhappy with the decision made by the Academic Offences Appeals Committee, what should I do?
The decision of the Academic Offences Appeals Committee is final, and there is no further internal right of appeal. However, you may submit a complaint about maladministration to the Office of the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman. Complaints to the Ombudsman muct be made within six months of notification of the decision of the Academic Offences Appeals Committee.