University Calendar for Postgraduate Students 2012/13 - Queen's ...

Procedures for Dealing with Academic Offences 57
1.63 The student may be invited to submit further written
information in support of the appeal to the Academic
Offences Appeals Committee. Such information should be
submitted to the Secretary of the Committee at least two
working days in advance of the hearing.
1.64 The Academic Offences Appeals Committee shall have
access to the record of the Academic Offences Committee
hearing. Where new information, which was not available
to the student at the time of the first hearing’s decision
is submitted, the Appeals Committee will hear it. Other
than such new evidence, the Academic Offences Appeals
Committee will consider only the grounds for the appeal
submitted by the student.
Protocol for an Appeal Hearing
1.65 A student may be accompanied by a registered student
of the University, which shall include a Students’ Union
Sabbatical Officer, a member of University staff or University
Chaplaincy. The name of the person accompanying the
student shall normally be notified at least two working days
in advance to the Secretary of the Appeals Committee.
i. The student will have the opportunity to address the
Academic Offences Appeals Committee in support of
the grounds of their appeal.
ii.
The Chair of the Academic Offences Committee or
nominee shall be invited to attend the meeting to
explain the reasons for the Committee’s decision. The
student has the right to be present while the Chair
of the Academic Offences Committee or nominee is
speaking, and the Chair or nominee has the right to be
present while the student is speaking.
iii. Members of the Academic Offences Appeals
Committee shall question the Chair of the Academic
Offences Committee or nominee and the student.
iv. The student will be invited to sum up.
v. The Chair of the Academic Offences Committee or
nominee will be invited to sum up.
vi. The student and the Chair of the Academic Offences
Committee or nominee will leave the room.
1.66 Where a student fails to attend the meeting without
good cause, the Appeals Committee may consider the case
in the absence of the student and without further notice. It is
the responsibility of the student to establish good cause to
the satisfaction of the Committee.
1.67 The Academic Offences Appeals Committee will
consider the appeal as presented by the student, and
come to a decision taking account of the criteria outlined in
paragraph 1.52.
1.68 The Committee shall have the authority to:
i. Uphold the appeal and rescind the penalty imposed by
the Academic Offences Committee.
ii.
Confirm the penalty imposed by the Academic
Offences Committee.
iii. Impose a different penalty from among those set out
in the list of penalties open to the Academic Offences
Committee (paragraphs 1.54,1.55 and 1.56). The
penalty may be more or less severe than the original
penalty imposed by the Committee.
The Academic Offences Appeals Committee may refer
any case to the Director of Academic and Student Affairs for
consideration under the Fitness to Practise procedure (see
Section IX: Fitness to Practise) where it believes this to be
appropriate.
1.69 The Chair of the Academic Offences Appeals
Committee shall inform the student, the Chair of the
Academic Offences Committee and the School of the
outcome of the meeting, in writing within five working days
and shall ensure that the student’s assessments results
are dealt with in accordance with the Appeal Committee’s
decision.
Research Misconduct
1.70 The University defines research misconduct as
behaviour by research students, intentional or not, that falls
short of good scholarly standards. Examples of behaviour
that constitute research misconduct include plagiarism,
fabrication, fraud, breach of confidentiality and negligence.
1.71 A supervisor, examiner or other member of staff who
discovers evidence of plagiarism, fabrication of results or
other research misconduct in a student’s work shall report
the matter immediately to the Head of School. The Head
of School shall investigate the matter. This may include
scrutinising the documentary evidence, and interviewing the
student and supervisor(s). If the student is required to attend
an interview, he/she shall have the right to be accompanied
by a member of University staff, a registered student of the
University, a sabbatical officer of the Students’ Union or a
University chaplain.
1.72 Following the investigation, the Head of School or
nominee shall do one of the following:
i. Dismiss the case.
ii. Issue the student with a written warning.
iii. Refer the matter back to the supervisor(s), who shall
provide the student with the necessary advice and
guidance to ensure that the problem does not recur.
This shall include re-advising the student of the
academic conventions with regard to referencing,
reporting of results, etc., applying in the discipline. The
student may also be issued with a written warning (see
ii above).
iv. Refer the matter to the Academic Offences Committee
(see paragraphs 1.44-1.51, 1.56 and 1.59-1.68),
where the Head of School believes the offence to be
sufficiently serious.
Monitoring
1.73 Heads of School shall provide the Director of Academic
and Student Affairs with an annual report, in October each
year, of all major and minor offences dealt with in the School
under this procedure.
1.74 The Director of Academic and Student Affairs shall
make an annual report on academic offences, including
those referred to the Academic Offences Committee as well
as those dealt with by Schools, to the Education Committee.
Individual students shall not be identified in the report.