Academic Integrity
If you have been accused of breaching academic integrity, we are here to support and assist you.
Try not to worry or panic. Instead, read through the information below and make note of anything relevant to your case. This will help us assist you more effectively.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
Breaching academic integrity encompasses actions such as plagiarism, cheating, or bringing unauthorized material into an exam. The Student Academic Integrity Ordinance defines an academic integrity breach as conduct that:
- Undermines the fundamental principles of academic integrity, including honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.
- Involves any form of misrepresentation of academic achievement.
- Constitutes an identified act of academic wrongdoing categorised as a low, intermediate, or high-level breach.
What is the Student Academic Integrity Ordinance?
The Student Academic Integrity Ordinance falls under the University of Tasmania Act 1992 (the Act). It is designed to protect the integrity of the University and the qualifications it offers. This ordinance specifically explains what happens when a student is accused of breaching academic integrity.
What is the process for an accusation of a breach of this Ordinance?
While we recommend reading the ordinance and procedure documents in full, here is a quick summary of the process:
- The Academic Integrity Adviser informs the student of the allegation and investigates the case, offering an opportunity for a meeting to discuss the accusation.
- Students have 10 working days to respond to the initial allegation letter and accept the meeting invitation. They can bring a support person, such as a Student Advocate, to the meeting. If there is no response or the student is unavailable, meetings may proceed without the student’s presence. (TUSA Advocates highly recommend students attend the meetings offered).
- After the meeting (if held), the Academic Integrity Adviser determines whether the student breached academic integrity or not.
- Students receive a determination letter outlining whether the allegation was upheld and, if applicable, the imposed penalty.
- Students are informed about the appeal process and given 10 working days to submit an appeal.
Book an appointment with a Student Advocate.
TUSA Student Advocates are not lawyers, but we can assist you by listening, providing free, independent, confidential advice, explaining University rules and regulations, guiding you through processes, assisting with letters, attending meetings where needed, and supporting appeals. There are only certain grounds on which students can appeal:
- Manifestly excessive or inappropriate sanction for the level of breach; and/or
- Evidence that the student did not have at the time of the determiation, and which could not by reasonable idligence have been obtained at that time, and that would probably have affected the decision; and/or
- Material prodecural error that would probably have affected the decision.
If you receive an allegation of breaching academic integrity, we recommend visiting the UTAS Academic Integrity website and reading the Student Academic Integrity Ordinance thoroughly. If you need support, please make an appointment with one of our Student Advocates.
Academic Integrity Mindmap
We’ve created the below diagram to help explain the Academic Integrity process in simpler visual terms.