Appeals against academic misconduct decisions
Find out how to make an appeal against an academic misconduct decision, including what you must do and how quickly.
Appealing an academic misconduct decision
You can submit an appeal against an academic misconduct decision, such as a finding of plagiarism.
Grounds for appeal include:
- a decision made at any stage of the process was unreasonable
- there was a material and/or procedural irregularity in the investigation, disciplinary interview panel (DIP) or the penalty setting, which has prejudiced your case
- additional evidence has come to light since the investigation or DIP which could not have been expected to have been produced at the time of investigation of the case
You must submit an appeal within 10 working days of receiving an academic misconduct decision.
Go to:
The appeals panel can take the following factors into account:
- facts, including new evidence if made available
- whether there was an intention to commit academic misconduct
- mitigating circumstances
- your prior record of academic misconduct
- your level of study
Please note: being ill or having evidenced extensions at the time you did your work is often not accepted as mitigation for academic misconduct.
Appeal outcomes
If your appeal is upheld, the academic misconduct decision may be overturned. For example, if the panel decides that academic misconduct did not occur.
If the panel decides to accept mitigation, the academic misconduct penalty may be lessened. Further information on mitigations can be found on the academic misconduct page.
Rquest a review of an appeal decision
You can request a review of an appeal decision if you are unhappy with it.
Your outcome letter will include instructions on how to complete a review request form.
You must send your appeal outcome letter and explain the grounds on which you are requesting a review.
The grounds for review are the same as the grounds for appeal:
- a decision made at any stage of the process was unreasonable
- there was a material and/or procedural irregularity
- additional evidence has come to light which could not have been expected to have been produced at the time of investigation of the case
You need to request a review within 10 working days of your appeal decision.
Your review request will be considered by a faculty head of education, or an academic head of department.
If you have any difficulties, you can email [email protected].
External review
You will be issued with a completion of procedures notification alongside your review decision. This will provide you with details of how to apply to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) for an external review.
For guidance on making an application, please visit the OIA website.
Help with an appeal
For advice and support on submitting an appeal, you can contact the Students’ Union: