Help CentreTo get started, we would suggest you have a look at your work alongside the highlighted sections of where the concerns of academic misconduct are.
If you have been invited to a Stage 1 meeting, ask the programme team for a copy of the highlighted work to help you prepare. If you have been invited to a Stage 2 panel this should be included in your panel papers.
Getting started with a statement
· We always recommend a student creates a statement for their meeting. It helps you to explain your work, and you can keep track and remain as objective as possible during the meeting.
· To get started, have a look at what has been highlighted. Was it an external source, and can you evidence you referenced correctly?
· Can you show the university all the reference sources and citations? If one or more have been missed off, can you explain why?
· If the source was from another student paper, can you explain why?
· Can you explain how you prepared your work generally?
· Can you explain how you physically did the work? For example, did you start on a Word document or with physical paper notes? Did you then save separate drafts or use the same document and save changes?
· If you save individual drafts, bring them with you to your meetings.
Version History in Microsoft Office
· Look at the ‘Info’ field in ‘File’ on Microsoft products. Can you evidence you are the author, and your name is under ‘last modified’? This section will include information on the total editing time, when the file was created, and when it was last modified. Show the university in your meeting or take screenshots.
· Within ‘Info’, the button called ‘Version History’ demonstrates previous versions of your work to highlight the changes made. This section should include the dates and times of when you changed the work, including highlighting the changes made. Show the university in your meeting or take screenshots.
· In your meetings, if this section shows your name as the author, as well as the amount of time you worked on the document, we suggest you show the university as well.
· This could be a section the university has already looked at. If there is a different name as the author, can you explain why?
· If there is little or no editing time, can you explain why? For example, did you do the majority of your work on another device and transfer to another to submit the final version?
· Did you make any handwritten notes, and could you bring these to demonstrate these notes are similar to the final submission?
· How did you decide on the reading list and where did you find your sources?
· Did you use any Blackboard resources, for example a course pack or presentation made by your lecturer which included quotations?
The use of AI tools
Your work should be highlighted if the university suspect the use of AI tools and the percentage identified.
· Explain to the university if you used any AI tools and if so, how did you use them? For example, checking your grammar.
· If the university highlight your writing style is different, can you explain this? For example, did you seek support for your academic writing from Skills Plus?
Further information on Generative AI Tools can be found on the university website.
Additional comments for dissertation
We have noted most dissertations have sections such as a literature review, methodology and results/findings. Can you explain how you created the literature review and what research you did for this? Can you explain how you created the methodology section, and can you match this with research for the literature review? Could you link your results/findings with the previous sections?
Look at your notes from meetings with your supervisor. Can you evidence work you have already shown them? At meetings with your supervisor, did you discuss specific sections you were working on. Are any of your notes similar to your final submission?
If one of the allegations is ghosting or contract cheating, as the supervisor believes there is significant improvement in the work, can you explain what you did to improve the quality? What did you do to improve your academic skills? We suggest you include as much information on this as you can.
Difficult circumstances in your life at the time
If there were any circumstances at the time which impacted your work and/or referencing, note them down. Add as much detail as you can, explaining how they affected your work. If you submitted a PEC and this was accepted, include this information.
The University have guidance on the Student Portal on academic misconduct which can be found here:
The Advice Team are here to help you with your case. For personalised advice or to ask further questions please email su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk