Academic Misconduct Penalties

When students submit work that is found to contain plagiarism or other breaches of Academic Integrity, the Chair of the Divisional Academic Misconduct Committee will investigate the matter and recommend an appropriate penalty.

The full list of academic misconduct penalties can be found in Appendix B of Annex 10, in the Credit Framework for Taught Courses of Study.   

Annex 10: Appendix B


Penalties are applied in accordance with the seriousness of the offence and can range from a formal warning to termination of studies. All academic misconduct offences are considered under the principle of strict liability, and are applied on the following considerations:

  • The type and severity of academic offence
  • The level of study 
  • Previous or concurrent academic offences
  • Student admission or denial of the allegation
  • The impact of the penalty on the student’s progression or Award

Penalties are scaled according to three categories of offence:

  • Minor (including First Offences) 
  • Significant 
  • Serious 

In some cases, the Chair of the Academic Misconduct Committee may recommend a combination of penalties. This will depend on the nature of the offence and severity of the case.   

What is Strict Liability?

All types of academic misconduct are considered under the principle of strict liability. This means that whether a student intended to commit an academic misconduct offence or not, is not of relevance.

In all cases, students will be encouraged to engage in further academic skills training and may be referred for a 1:1 academic referral with a specialist advisor. This is to ensure that students have an opportunity to develop their academic skills and understanding of academic integrity, in addition to any penalty applied. 

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