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Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

 

Cases of suspected academic misconduct should be investigated with care and concern for both the student and the member of staff raising the case.  Whilst all academic misconduct is in breach of the University’s disciplinary regulations, it is accepted that misconduct can encompass both minor breaches and serious disciplinary offences. 

Investigating and acting on misconduct

The following guidance is designed to guide staff through their responsibilities and allowable actions when investigating suspected misconduct. Staff with queries about the process should contact the Office of Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals (OSCCA) in the first instance.

For work submitted from 1 Oct 2023

For work submitted prior to 1 Oct 2023

 

Identification, detection and prevention

The University offers access to Turnitin text-matching software to assist in the identification and detection of academic misconduct; access is only provided to staff.  Use of Turnitin is not required to take forward investigations, but it can be a helpful tool. See our pages about Turnitin for more details. 

The following may also be helpful:

Most forms of academic misconduct can be mitigated, to a greater or lesser degree, through clear assessment design.  The Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning (CCTL) would be happy to discuss your assessment needs and outcomes in more depth.