What is academic misconduct?
The university takes examination and assessment offences very seriously, and sets out the procedures for dealing with any such allegations in the Academic Regulations and the Local Academic Misconduct Procedure (LAMP).
Please take the time to familiarise yourself with:
- The Academic Honesty & Integrity Policy
- The Student Guidance on Academic Honesty and Integrity
- The KCL Proof Reading Policy
What happens with suspected misconduct?
Any instances of suspected misconduct will be reported by the relevant staff member(s) to the Student Conduct & Appeals Office.
I’m concerned about another student
If you have concerns about another student, please contact Student Conduct & Appeals in the first instance.
First instances of suspected academic offences will be dealt with by the faculty using the Local Academic Misconduct Procedure (LAMP) with the option to refer sufficiently serious cases to a Misconduct Committee at the discretion of the Assessment Sub-Board.
All further (e.g. second) offences will be considered by a Misconduct Committee. Staff and students should refer to our Student Guidance Document in the first instance for further information and contact us for further queries.
Cases can be referred under LAMP, or directly to a Misconduct Committee, please refer to our Student Guidance on Academic Honesty and Integrity document for further guidance.
What is the Local Academic Misconduct Procedure (LAMP)?
If your work is suspected to include plagiarism, or shows evidence of unauthorised collusion, the faculty will invite you for a meeting to discuss the work further.
During this meeting, you'll be alerted to the problems identified with the work, and will receive further guidance regarding good academic practice, including best practice on referencing.
If both parties agree that plagiarism/collusion has taken place, you will receive a penalty and no further action will be taken. If an agreement can’t be reached, the matter will be referred to a Misconduct Committee for consideration.
Further information, including the penalty, can be found within the Student Guidance on Academic Honesty and Integrity.
If a Misconduct Committee is convened to consider your case:
- You would normally receive at least 10 days' notice and will be invited to present your case to the Committee.
- You can request reasonable adjustments and have a friend or family member present with you for support, though they won’t be able to speak on your behalf.
- An appropriate staff member will present the case against you, on behalf of the university.
- You will be able to speak on your own behalf, or have a member of the College or an appropriate KCLSU representative speak on your behalf.
- The Committee will determine whether the charge(s) of misconduct have been substantiated.
- Where the Committee concludes that the charge(s) is/are upheld, it may order one or more of the measures available to it under the Academic Regulations.
Following the Committee's findings, the university may refer the case to the faculty, or to a professional, statutory or regulatory body, in accordance with Academic Regulations.
The decision of the Committee will normally be communicated to you and the examiners within 7 days of the decision.
For further guidance on Committee procedures please refer to our article What can I expect at an Appeal Committee hearing?
Is it possible to appeal against the outcome of a Misconduct Committee?
You may appeal against the findings or order(s) of a Misconduct Committee. If you would like to appeal, you must submit a Misconduct Appeal Form to Student Conduct & Appeals within 10 working days of the written notification of the Misconduct Committee's decision.
In accordance with the Academic Regulations the grounds for a successful appeal are meeting one or all the following:
- That there is new evidence that could not have been, or for good reason was not, made available at the time of the hearing, and sufficient evidence remains that the appeal warrants further consideration;
- That evidence can be produced of significant procedural error on the part of the university before or during the hearing, and sufficient evidence remains that the appeal warrants further consideration;
- Any other grounds, including grounds of compassion;
The Principal will determine whether the criteria for an appeal have been met. If they determine the criteria for appeal have been met:
- An Appeal Committee will be convened; otherwise the appeal will be dismissed.
- This decision will normally be communicated within 30 working days of receipt of the appeal.
What happens if an Appeal Committee is convened?
- You will normally receive at least 10 working days' notice of the hearing, and will be invited to present your case to the Panel.
- You can request reasonable adjustments and have a friend or family member present with you for support, though they won’t be able to speak on your behalf.
- You will be able to speak on your own behalf, or have a member of the College or an appropriate KCLSU representative speak on your behalf.
- The Committee will determine whether there is sufficient reason to challenge the decision of the original Misconduct Committee.
- Where the Committee concludes such reason is present, they can modify or reverse the findings or order(s) of the Misconduct Committee.
- The decision of the Committee will normally be communicated to you and relevant staff within 5 working days of the decision.
For guidance on the Committee process, please refer back to What happens in the Misconduct Committee?
I’m not happy with the outcome; can I get an independent review of my case?
When all internal procedures are complete, if you are dissatisfied with final outcome; you can request an independent review of your case by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). You must submit this request within one year of getting the final outcome letter from the College.
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) is an independent body set up to review student complaints. It is free to students and deals with individual complaints against Higher Education Institutions in England and Wales.
Provided your complaint is eligible under the rules of the OIA’s complaints scheme, the OIA will look at whether King's has applied its regulations properly and followed its procedures correctly. It also considers whether any decision made by the King's was fair and reasonable in all the circumstances.
Are there some key resources I can refer to for guidance?
Yes; to learn more about our policies and for further guidance, please refer to these resources: