Section 1: Purpose and scope

ISH’s academic misconduct & appeals procedures helps prevent and address unfair practices such as plagiarism and collusion.

Section 2: Types of misconduct

• Plagiarism - This includes inserting words from the work of someone else without acknowledging that it was their work, representing someone else’s work as your own, acquiring work to pass off as your own and assuming the identity of another student to mislead or deceive.

• Failing to declare that a third party has helped in the presentation of assessed work.

• Getting help from third parties in relation to proof-reading, correcting English or a target language where the learning outcomes include a specific requirement to demonstrate ability in written English or a target language.

• Fabricating results or misrepresenting data.

• Passing off the work of others as your own during an online assessment.

• Falsely claiming qualifications that you do not validly hold or experience that you have not acquired or falsely claiming that you have undertaken work that you have not.

Section 3: Raising concerns

If academic misconduct is suspected, a second opinion will be sought. If one person thinks academic misconduct has occurred but the second person does not, a third colleague will be asked their view. The following will then occur:

1. If it is decided that there is no suspicion of academic misconduct, the work is marked as usual and you would not be made aware of this discussion.

2. If it is decided that there is a suspicion of academic misconduct, the details will be forwarded to the relevant Academic Lead and they will arrange for a formal meeting with the marker, Module Leader and Academic Lead.

Section 4: Investigating concerns

Students will be given 5 working days’ notice of the meeting with the Academic Lead, Module Leader and marker. Students will also be provided with a Turnitin report, if relevant.

During the meeting, students will have the opportunity to explain how the assessment task was approached, and the Academic Lead, Module Leader and marker will show why academic misconduct was suspected.

If a student does not turn up to the meeting, the case may be considered in absence of the student.

The Academic Lead, Module Leader and marker will write a report within 10 working days, deciding the outcomes, which can include the following:

1. The work does not include material that is the product of academic misconduct
   a. No further action is taken.

2. The work includes material that is more likely than not to be the product of poor academic practice rather than academic misconduct.
   a. The student will be advised to access advice and support provided by ISH’s.

3. The work includes material that is more likely than not to be the product of academic misconduct and there is no evidence of special circumstances.
   a. A penalty will be imposed.

4. The work includes material that is more likely than not to be the product of academic misconduct and there is evidence of special circumstances.
   a. ISH will instruct the relevant Board of Examiners to void the assessment and to allow a new attempt as if for the first time.

5. The academic misconduct is deemed to be complex, of the highest severity, or is a third offence.
   a. The case will be referred for consideration by an Academic Misconduct Panel.

Section 5: Academic Misconduct Panels

Students will be given a date, time and place of the meeting and issued with a copy of the documents that the Panel will consider.

Students will be given a copy of the procedures and asked if they wish to provide written statements or present mitigating evidence.

Students will be issued with the information on penalties that can be imposed.

Students may attend in-person or virtually. If a student fails to attend, the panel may proceed in the students absence.

The panel can come to the following findings:

1. The work does not include material that is the product of academic misconduct
   a. No further action is taken.

2. The work includes material that is more likely than not to be the product of poor academic practice rather than academic misconduct.
   a. The student will be advised to access advice and support provided by ISH’s.

3. The work includes material that is more likely than not to be the product of academic misconduct and there is no evidence of special circumstances.
   a. A penalty will be imposed.

4. The work includes material that is more likely than not to be the product of academic misconduct and there is evidence of special circumstances.
   a. ISH will instruct the relevant Board of Examiners to void the assessment and to allow a new attempt as if for the first time.

5. That in addition to academic misconduct having been identified, that academic misconduct is deemed to be of the highest severity (the Panel may decide that the student should be terminated).

Students will have an opportunity to appeal an outcome based on one or more of the following:

• that staff or ISH have failed to follow regulations and/or procedures or have failed to follow them with due care

• that staff or bodies have shown bias or prejudice towards the student in the way they have made the relevant decision

• that relevant new evidence has become available that should be considered and there are valid reasons why it was not provided earlier

• that the decision was unreasonable and/or the penalty imposed was not proportionate in all of the circumstances
  

The standard of proof is that of the balance of probability; that it is more likely than not that something was or was not the case.

An appeal against a decision where only the opinion of academic expert(s) will suffice is deemed to be a challenge to academic judgement and will not be considered.

A student wishing to appeal against the findings or outcome of an academic misconduct process, is required to provide any evidence to ish@sportshumanities.org within 10 working days of being notified of the decision.