Academic Misconduct is defined by the College as any attempt by a student to gain an unfair advantage in any form of assessment, whether intentional or not. This includes:

• Plagiarism - taking the work of another person or source and using it as if it was your own, without properly referencing the source
   
• Self-plagiarism (or duplication) - resubmitting previously submitted work without proper acknowledgement
   
• Collusion - submitting work for an assessment done in collaboration with another person as entirely your own
   
• Bribery (or paid services) - submitting work that has been purchased from an essay procurement service  
   
• And more. For more detailed examples, read section 2 of Goldsmiths' Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedures

Whilst not all instances of misconduct are intentional, it’s important that as a student you are aware of Goldsmiths’ regulations to avoid breaching them.
 

Find out more about the academic misconduct appeals process and Goldsmiths’ Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedures.

If you have received a formal written notice of academic misconduct from your Head of Department or nominated senior academic, students generally should respond within 7 days*. When writing your response, it’s important that you include information about any extenuating circumstances that may have impacted your work.
 

*If you are at risk of missing this deadline, please respond with the reason for the delay and ask for an extension, e.g. if the SU Advice Service is currently operating with a waiting list and you are unlikely to receive advice by this deadline.
 

If you are seeking help from the SU Advice Service, fill out this short enquiry form and make sure to include information about the accusation and the deadline for you to submit your response/appeal. 

The evidence and your response will be considered and if Academic Misconduct has occurred, either A, B or C can be the course of action:
 

A) There is no case to answer. The allegations are dismissed and you will be informed in writing.
 

B) Misconduct was due to a minor or technical incidence – no hearing required.
 

The Head of department should notify you in writing and:
 

• meet with you and issue a formal warning, that may be considered in the event of any future offence
   
• you will be required to read and sign the Academic Misconduct Statement and study the online good academic practice tutorial available on learn.gold
   
• you will have to resubmit the work within 7 days, appropriately referenced
   
• without any additional changes to the substance of the submission

At this point you will either:
 

• accept the penalty applied and meet the terms of their continued study, or;
   
• request a review of the decision at a hearing.
   

C) Investigation appropriate – you will be invited by letter to attend a hearing.
 

You will be given a chance at the meeting to explain your side of the story (you can ask an SU Adviser to accompany you for support). The Hearing Panel would decide whether academic misconduct has occurred and the appropriate penalty should be applied.
 

See the Academic Misconduct Process Flow Chart here and Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedures here.

If you wish to appeal a penalty imposed after a hearing, you must submit a challenge in writing within 7 days of notification of the decision of the Chair of the Board of Examiners.
 

You can appeal based on one or more of these grounds:
 

• procedural irregularity in the hearing
   
• fresh evidence can be presented which could not reasonably have been made available to the hearing (NB: extenuating circumstances are not normally considered as valid grounds for a challenge)
   
• there is evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of the person conducting the hearing

If the challenge is found to have valid grounds, the case will be reviewed and in some circumstances a hearing may be convened. 
 

You can submit an Academic Misconduct Challenge form here.

Advisers from the SU Advice Service are on hand to support you through the Academic Misconduct process by:

• Talking through the misconduct regulations and procedures and answer any questions you have
   
• Advising you on what to include in your statement
   
• Helping you prepare for and accompanying your to a misconduct hearing in certain circumstances
   
• Helping you to understand your outcome and assess whether you have grounds to appeal

Please note, we are currently experiencing a high number of student enquiries at this time. The estimated time frame for receiving advice is 3-4 weeks.

If you are at risk of missing an appeals deadline, you may want to contact appeals@gold.ac.uk to ask them to use their discretion to extend the deadline.

To get in touch, fill out this short form or click the button below. Please include details about your accusation, including any deadlines.

Get support from the SU Advice Service