Frequently Asked Questions - Academic Misconduct

One of the most common concerns is plagiarism. Plagiarism happens when someone uses another person’s words, ideas, or work without clearly acknowledging the source. This might mean copying text without quotation marks, paraphrasing without referencing, or using material from the internet without citation. Sometimes students plagiarise accidentally because they are unsure about referencing rules, but even unintentional plagiarism can still be treated as Academic Misconduct.

Please note that in the case of self-plagiarism, which occurs when you use a previously submitted piece of work for current coursework/exam submission i.e. using the same work twice. While this is not viewed as Academic Misconduct in the formal sense; it is considered poor academic practice and will be addressed through the marking process usually resulting in a reduced mark.

Information on Academic Misconduct and guidance for referencing and good academic practice are available to students in the Student Handbooks and Student Guides that are issued to students at the beginning of every academic year. Comprehensive Referencing Guides are available from the library. Ignorance of the conventions will not be taken as a valid excuse.

The University does not automatically ban Gen AI tools. However, if you use Gen AI in your work, you must follow the instructions given for your specific assessment and clearly acknowledge how it was used. If AI-generated content is included without acknowledgement, this may be treated as Academic Misconduct. In very minor cases, where the use is limited or not central to the assessment, it may be dealt with through the marking process and result in a lower mark rather than a formal penalty.

Where Gen AI use is allowed, you may be expected to include prompts used and clearly show where the tool has contributed to your work.

Collusion happens when two or more students work together without permission and submit similar work as if it were entirely their own. It also includes situations where sharing your data, materials, plans or other coursework with someone who then submits it without your knowledge or permission, even if this was not the original intention can result in an Academic Misconduct referral.

Commissioning is the act of paying for or arranging for another person to produce work, whether or not this is then submitted for assessment, as though it were your own work. This may include buying essays, downloading materials from essay-sharing sites, or arranging for someone else to complete elements of your assessment.

Falsification of data, including the fabrication or manipulation of results from laboratory work, fieldwork, or research, also constitutes Academic Misconduct.

In cases of coursework, dissertation, thesis or online exams, it means that the academic staff marking your work have noticed something in the submission that concerns them; and they have made a referral to the Academic Integrity Team.  In cases of in-person exams a referral can be made by an invigilator where students have used their own calculator, accessed written or electronic notes (i.e. on a mobile phone), or communicated with other students sitting the exam.  The referral has been looked at by an Academic Integrity Officer, who has decided there is enough evidence for it to be investigated further. This is sometimes referred to as a prima facie case.

Prima facie in this context simply means on first impression there is a potential case of academic misconduct.

At this stage, no final decision has been made, and you will always be given the opportunity to explain how the work was undertaken and to provide evidence to support this before any outcome is decided.

In most cases, the concern is raised by the academic who marked your work. It could also be an exam invigilator (if the issue relates to an exam) or another academic involved in assessing the work.

You will receive copies of any evidence along with your emailed letter. For example, this could include a Turnitin similarity report, a copy of your work with areas highlighted or an examination report (in the case of exam offences).

It is important to understand that Turnitin does not “prove” plagiarism or collusion on its own. It simply shows where text matches other sources in its database. For example, it may show that your work matches another student’s work at a different university. This does not mean you accessed their work. It may simply mean you both used the same original source. What matters is whether the material was properly referenced.

Turnitin also sometimes highlights cover pages, assignment questions, or phrases common to the subject that all students will use. Staff are aware of this and do not include those sections when reviewing the assignment.

In addition to the Turnitin software, academic staff will use a variety of detection methods when marking assessed coursework, including checking for unusual formatting, odd changes in layout or font, inconsistent use of language or jargon, sections or sentences that do not relate clearly to the topic, inconsistencies of style within the assignment and the student’s earlier work.

Information on Academic Misconduct and guidance for referencing and good academic practice are available to students in the Student Handbooks and Student Guides that are issued to students at the beginning of every academic year. Comprehensive referencing guides are available from the library. Ignorance of the conventions will not be taken as a valid excuse.

You do not have to go through this alone. The Students’ Union Advice Centre offers confidential, independent advice and has experience supporting students through this process. You can contact them by raising a ticket, and selecting 'Advice and Support' from the category drop-down menu. They have experienced advisors that can help you.

You can also speak with your Personal Tutor or Supervisor for guidance, especially about how to avoid similar issues in future. However, if they are directly involved in your case, they may not be able to provide full support, and in this instance, it is recommended that you seek advice from the Students’ Union.

The  Hwb - Service Centre can also provide general support and help direct you to the right services.

You can contact the Hwb team by raising a request with Hwb via ServiceNow and a member of the team will respond within 3 working days. You can also visit one of the Hwb information desks which are open Monday to Friday between 8:30am -5pm at the following locations:

• Ground floor of Engineering Central, Bay Campus
• Ground floor of the Digital Technium, Singleton Park Campus

For many students, this is their first experience of the Academic Misconduct process. It is important to remember that the purpose of the process is to maintain academic standards and support students in understanding good academic practice but also to apply penalties where appropriate.

If you are unsure about anything at all, you can email the Academic Integrity team directly via: academicintegrity@swansea.ac.uk. The team are there to help clarify the process.

You may be asked to respond to the allegation in writing, by completing a Student Response Form (Academic Misconduct Student Response Form 26-27) which is designed to provide prompts to focus your response, or you may be asked to attend an Academic Integrity Interview via Zoom.

If you have been asked to respond in writing, it is important to do so by the deadline given in your email. Your response should clearly explain your understanding of how the work was completed and include any relevant supporting evidence. If there were circumstances that affected you at the time — such as illness or personal difficulties — you should mention them and provide evidence where possible.  A Student Response Form is available for you to complete: Academic Misconduct Student Response Form 26-27.

You may wish to contact the Students’ Union Advice Center to access confidential, independent advice and support for completing the Student Response Form.

An Academic Misconduct interview is a meeting where you are asked more direct questions about your work and how you planned, researched, and completed the assessment.

You will receive notification of the interview date and time, normally with five working days’ notice. You can either bring drafts, notes, or other supporting materials to show how your work was developed or submit the documents prior to the interview for the panel to review before the interview. These can be sent to the Academic Integrity Team via: academicintegrity@swansea.ac.uk.

NB: If you cannot attend for a genuine reason, you should contact the Academic Integrity Team as soon as possible to rearrange the interview.

The interview will normally take place via Zoom and will usually be attended by two Academic Integrity Officers or the referring academic and an Integrity Officer. The meeting may be recorded, and notes will be taken, which will form part of the Case Report Form provided to you at the end of the process.

You are allowed to have someone attend with you during the interview. This can be another Swansea University student, such as a friend or housemate, or a representative from the Students’ Union Advice Centre.

It is important that you attend the interview or provide a written response within the deadline specified. If there has been no effort to contact the Academic Integrity Team, your case will be decided on the evidence available.

No, the University does not provide translators. Interviews will be conducted in English (or Welsh if preferred); however, if you have any language difficulties, you may arrange for someone to attend the meeting to translate for you and Zoom captions could be utilised where necessary.

Once you have sent your response or attended your interview, all case documentation will be reviewed by a second Academic Integrity Officer who was not involved in the initial prima facie decision. This helps ensure that the process is fair.

The second Academic Integrity Officer will consider all the evidence carefully and decide whether academic misconduct has occurred. If they decide it has not, the case will be closed, and you will be informed in writing. There will be no record of the referral on your Student Record

If they decide that academic misconduct has occurred, they will apply a penalty in line with University regulations, and this will be explained in your outcome letter and what it means for you.

Penalties vary depending on the seriousness of the case and whether you have had any previous offences. They can range from a reduction in marks to more serious academic consequences in severe cases.

The outcome decision is recorded on your University record and will appear as AM next to the assessment or module. In some cases, particularly on professionally accredited programmes, there may be implications for professional bodies, and your School will advise you if this applies.

For further information on penalties, please see Section 5 of the Academic Misconduct Procedure.

Yes. If your case is upheld, your outcome letter will explain how to request a Final Review. You have 14 working days from the date of your outcome letter to submit a Final Review.  

There are specific grounds on which an appeal can be made, more details can be found in Section 1.3 of the Final Review Procedure.

If you have previously had a case of Academic Misconduct substantiated, the process will remain the same. However, repeated offences are likely to result in more serious penalties.

If, after reading this guidance, you still have questions, you can contact the Academic Integrity Team via: academicintegrity@swansea.ac.uk  and they will do their best to provide further clarification and support.