The Policy Explained
The new Academic Integrity Policy sets out expectations of the university, staff and students in a shared effort to develop a culture of academic integrity at the University of Adelaide.
Students are expected to:
- be familiar with the Academic Integrity Policy and other related learning and teaching policies
- undertake any required training and seek help if needed to understand expectations
- submit original work for assessment and display academic integrity in submitted work
- act with academic integrity and avoid behaving in ways which could breach the policy
In other words, students need to make sure that they understand what is expected and don’t do anything that will breach the policy either intentionally or unintentionally.
What happens if I am suspected of a breach of the policy?
If you are suspected of a breach of the policy there is a defined process that ensures that the investigation is fair and that you have a chance to give your account of what happened.
You are strongly encouraged to connect with support from the Education and Welfare Officers in Student Care or other support right from the beginning.
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Academic misconduct is suspected
A suspicion of academic misconduct starts when your teacher, exam invigilator or the person marking your assessment notices something that doesn’t seem right. This may start with a Turnitin similarity report or other textual or technological signs that may indicate you have breached the policy.
They will collect this information and forward your case to the Academic Integrity Officer (AIO) in the school which teaches the course.
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Academic Integrity Register is checked
The AIO will check the Academic Integrity Register to see whether you have a record of a previous breach. If you have a record in the Register then they will automatically convene an Academic Integrity Review Committee Inquiry (see below).
If you don’t have a record in the register then the AIO will look at the information and decide whether there may be a case to answer.
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Early Offer
If you have no previous academic integrity breaches, and the AIO deems it would be appropriate, they may send you an Early Offer. An Early Offer gives you an opportunity to accept that a breach has occurred and agree to a mitigated (i.e. reduced) outcome. A record of the breach will be made on the University's Academic Integrity Register. This process focuses on improving academic practice and understanding, and may lead to quicker resolution.
If you accept an Early Offer, you will be required to undertake Academic Integrity training. You can choose between an online module, or a discussion with an Academic Integrity Officer to help you improve your skills.
You do not have to accept the Early Offer if you do not want to. If you choose to decline the Early Offer, the investigation process resumes as below and you will be invited to a meeting.
If you would like some help deciding what to do, you can contact Student Care for independent advice.
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You are notified of the suspicion by email and invited to a meeting
If the AIO decides there may be a case to answer they will write to you via email to let you know of the suspicion. You have the opportunity to prepare a written submission and they will offer you a time to meet to discuss the suspected misconduct. You have 5 days to respond to this email and the meeting will be no earlier than 7 days after the email is sent.
You can choose to not to attend the meeting but still make a written submission. If you choose to attend the meeting you are able to bring a support person with you. The Education Welfare Officers at Student Care in the Adelaide University Union can attend and advocate on your behalf.
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Academic Integrity Review Committee Inquiry
If the AIO is concerned that the misconduct is serious they may organise an Academic Integrity Review Committee Inquiry which will have at least two people (the AIO and others including another AIO or the Head of School or another decision-maker) to consider the case. You will be able to attend this meeting, and/or submit a written explanation and you can have a support person with you.
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A meeting is held
At the meeting the AIO will discuss the suspicion with you and hear your explanation of what happened. You can also tell them about any mitigating circumstances that you believe affected your completion of the assessment. A professional staff member will be there to make a record of your conversation.
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The AIO makes a decision
After the meeting the AIO (or the members of the Academic Integrity Review Committee) will consider all the information and decide whether a breach of the policy has occurred. They are able to find one of three outcomes:
1. no academic misconduct has occurred
2. academic misconduct has occurred but it was a result of a genuine misunderstanding of the policy
3. academic misconduct has occurred (and was not a result of a genuine misunderstanding)
In deciding the AIO will also consider whether you are a first year student, whether you have received any academic integrity education and whether you have a previous breach.
If the AIO finds that there has been academic misconduct then the penalty that they apply will depend on whether it was as a result of a genuine misunderstanding and how serious the misconduct was. If they decide that the behaviour was intentional (rather than careless or reckless) then it is likely they will impose a more severe penalty. They will also take into account any circumstances that have been raised during the investigation.
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The AIO imposes a penalty
The penalties available to the AIO are:
For academic misconduct as a result of a genuine misunderstanding:
- resubmit assessment to be marked as usual
- resubmit assessment with a maximum grade specified
- grade adjusted (you may lose a proportion of marks)
For academic misconduct (not a result of a genuine misunderstanding):
- resubmit assessment to be marked as usual
- resubmit assessment with a maximum grade specified
- grade adjusted (you may lose a proportion of marks)
- zero for the assessment task
- a cap of 50 for the course
- a fail for the course overall
The AIO may also decide to refer the case to an Academic Integrity Review Committee Inquiry. If the misconduct is serious they may also refer the case to the Student Misconduct Tribunal. The SMT can impose penalties including suspension or expulsion from the University.
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An entry is made in the AI Register
If you are found to have a breach of the Policy then an entry will be made in the Academic Integrity Register. This will happen regardless of whether or not the misconduct is a result of a genuine misunderstanding.
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You will be notified of the outcome in writing via email
This will occur within 10 days of the date of the meeting.
The AIO will also discuss expected behaviour with you. They will probably also refer you to support services and/or require that you complete (or repeat) the Academic Integrity module on MyUni.