Academic misconduct

Academic misconduct is:

• any action by a student which gives or has the potential to give an unfair advantage in an examination or assessment
• any action by a student which might assist someone else to gain an unfair advantage
• any action by a student likely to undermine the integrity essential to scholarship and research.

Acts of academic misconduct involve students seeking to:

• gain an unfair advantage over their peers during an assessment.
  
• misrepresent their knowledge and skills to academic staff to obtain higher grades.
• mislead future employers.

The University takes such offences very seriously and the penalties, which range from having to retake an exam to being expelled from the University, reflect this. See Regulation for Students 19 - Conduct of investigations into academic misconduct and Academic misconduct for information on how the University manages, investigates and makes decisions about academic misconduct.

If you are unsure of what you can or can't do in your exam, please read the University's Academic Integrity Statement, and the examples of misconduct provided in Academic misconduct. Please also speak to your Academic Advisor, Director of Studies or Unit Convenor ahead of time.

Exams are designed to test your individual understanding and knowledge of your discipline, without external assistance, in a time-pressured environment. This is true for all exams.

In summary, you should avoid:

• communicating with others during your exam (unless you are seeking assistance from the exam helpline or invigilator).
• collaborating with others, for example, the sharing of answers.
• using papers or information that you did not create yourself (unless stated on your exam paper you can do so).

Authorised and unauthorised communication and sources of information

It is important you are aware of the difference between authorised and unauthorised communication and sources of information.

Authorised

If your exam requires or allows you to use external sources of information, as a rule authorised sources include those you are signposted to by your course tutors and University services, such as Library resources (books, e-books, journals, e-journals, and reading lists).

If you are having difficulties during an exam, Exam help and advice is available, including the exams helpline (for urgent queries), or the invigilator for in-person exams.

Unauthorised

Examples that would be considered unauthorised and therefore an assessment offence include:

• Contract cheating. Including using e-cheating tools to produce your exam attempt, such as essay mills and model answer sites like Chegg. Please remain vigilant as such tools are extremely wide-ranging, often most easily accessible via search engines, and may be predatory (contacting you via email, social media, or messaging apps) or promotional (featured content from advertising providers). Some require a fee, others are free.

• Collusion. Including discussing questions and answers with peers before the exam has ended.

• Breaching exam regulations. Including having prohibited notes or other materials at your desk during an in-person exam or having a communication device, such as a smart watch or phone with you during an in-person exam.

Activity like this during online or in-person exams goes against:

• Rule 2 – Conduct of Examinations
• The Academic Integrity Statement
• Exam instructions set out on the exam cover sheet.

Failing to observe these rules is an assessment offence.

Advice for taking a remote online exam

If you are uncertain, treat these exams as if they were invigilated and taking place in an exam room. We strongly recommend you minimise all opportunities for communication by doing the following:

• Sit your exam on your own and in a private space.
• Disable email and remove any desktop messaging apps from the device you are using during your exam attempt.
• Disable notifications on your phone and keep it away from you unless you really need it to contact the helpline or use it in submitting your exam.
• Do not talk about questions and answers until the exam has ended.

Communicating with the IT help desk or the exams helpline is encouraged if you are experiencing urgent technical problems during the exam. However, other forms of communication could be considered an academic offence. For example:

• Talking with peers about questions and answers.
• Sharing your work.
• Working with peers to write your work.
  
• Uploading others’ work during the exam period.

You can discuss with your friends, family, or housemates how you are feeling to get support from those around you, but you must not discuss exam questions or answers either in seeking or offering support.

Some other examples of what could be considered an offence that you may not have considered include:

• Being an observer to a group chat about your exam whilst it is ongoing.
• Responding (positively) to a request from a fellow student for help with a question, even if you don't see the question itself.
• Posting exam questions to a model answer site, such as Chegg, even if you don't use the answers provided.

Advice for taking an in-person exam

An in-person exam will be invigilated to ensure that students abide by the exam rules and regulations.

Most in-person exams will not allow you to have any additional material with you beyond what is provided and what you need to write your answers. You also won’t be able to leave the room unaccompanied if you wish to return to your desk.

For in-person exams:

• Don’t bring anything with you that you don’t need to attempt the exam.
• If you have a phone or smart watch, you must turn it off and leave it at the front of the hall as instructed.
  
• Don’t attempt to communicate with anyone other than the invigilator or your support worker (if applicable).

Sources of support before, during, and after assessments

We understand that assessment can be very stressful. We have a range of services available to provide support and guidance for you to ensure that you are ready for your assessments and able to uphold ethical scholarship practices:

Exams and assessments includes information about exam schedules, where to find support and further guidance, and what to do if circumstances affect your assessment.

Academic Integrity Training and Test. These pages contain links to our Academic Integrity Training and Resources which provides guidance on referencing and avoiding plagiarism, including guidance on the use of Generative AI. There is also a summary of your responsibilities as a student for maintaining your own academic integrity.

Academic Integrity Statement. This is your agreement with the University to uphold our community’s ethical scholarship standards.

The Skills Centre. Staff can provide group or individual assistance on developing assessment skills and helping you to solve challenges you are facing with your academic work.

The Library. Librarians can help you with research skills, referencing support, and finding appropriate resources for your studies.

Wellbeing Service. Professional advice and support for your wellbeing and welfare.

Student Support. Provides assistance with your needs and to help you get the most out of your degree.

SU Advice and Support. SU advisors offer confidential, non-judgemental information, advice, and support on any issues you may be facing during your degree.

Exams and Assessments. Information on what to do if you cannot take or continue with your exam, or if you think your attempt might be affected.