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 King's Academic Manual 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 King's Policy on proof reading
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 plagiarism and collusion 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 other suspected academic misconduct and further (e.g. second) offences of plagiarism and collusion 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 it is the first time that 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.
After the meeting, you will receive a written decision from your department and beformed on the determination of whether the alleged plagiarism/collusion has taken place. If it was determined that an academic misconduct has taken place, you will receive a penalty and no further actions will be taken. You will be directed to sign an acknowledgement form.
You can contest the decision within 5 working days by informing your department and Student Conduct & Appeals in writing. The contestation will be considered by a Misconduct Committee and you will be provided further opportunity to present your case to the Committee in a Hearing.
Further information, including the penalty, can be found within the Student Guidance on Academic Honesty and Integrity.
If I don’t attend the LAMP Meeting with my department, what will happen?
You are expected to attend the meeting. If you are unable to attend please inform the department immediately, outlining the reason(s) why you cannot attend. The department will determine whether the meeting can be postponed.
Please note that if you do not attend the meeting, your department may proceed in making the determination whether an academic misconduct has occurred based on the evidence that they have.
The outcome is not invalidated due to your unauthorised absence, provided that you have been given timely written notice of the meeting.
If a Misconduct Committee is convened to consider your case:
- You will normally receive at least 10 days' notice and will be invited to present your case to the Committee. Details of the allegation and all documentary evidence will be sent along with the Hearing invitation.
- 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 the 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 14 days of the written notification of the Misconduct Committee's decision.
Appeal Forms received after this deadline will only be accepted at the Discretion of the Principal. If are submitting your appeal out of the stipulated timeframe, you must explain the reasons of the delay and submit relevant supporting evidence to prove your circumstances.
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 justification 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: