Contact our specialist education law solicitors today to see how we can help you. Speak to one of our team on 01633 240743 or click Contact us to send us an email and one of our lawyers will call you back at a time to suit you.

If you have been accused of committing plagiarism by your university, we understand that this can be extremely stressful and upsetting. So, what is plagiarism and what can you do?

Plagiarism is a form of cheating where a student submits work claiming it to be their own. Universities will use plagiarism software, such as Turnitin, which will identify any suspected instances of plagiarism. This software produces a report which will flag up sections of your work that appear to have been copied.

This report will then usually be investigated by staff at the university which may result in formal allegations and a meeting to explain your actions. The university should provide you full reasons why they believe you have cheated and offer you a fair chance to respond.

The process of defending these allegations varies, however, all allegations are taken very seriously and can often result in severe sanctions.

You may be told that legal representation is not required but procedures can be complicated and the grounds of appeal may be very limited.

Our university law solicitors are here to advise you on the best course of action. We can help draft a detailed response to provide you with the best possible chance of success to defend your case and where permitted, our university solicitors can represent you at hearings.

We recommend that you contact our higher education lawyers as soon as possible if you have been accused of cheating.

Please contact us on 01633 240743 or by e-mail [email protected] to discuss how our university law solicitors can help you.

We offer an initial free consultation during which we will explain (a) how we can help and (b) provide an estimate of costs.

– Contact our specialist education law solicitors today to see how we can help you. Speak to one of our team on 01633 240743 or click Contact us to send us an email and one of our lawyers will call you back at a time to suit you. –

If you are unhappy with your results, you may be wondering if you should make a complaint or submit an appeal. If you are looking to challenge the outcome of an exam, coursework, or your degree classification, you will likely need to submit an “academic appeal”.

How do I make an academic appeal?

Universities will often ask students to (a) complete an appeal form (b) ask you to explain your grounds of appeal in writing and (c) may require you to provide evidence to support your case. Many universities provide very limited time to submit an academic appeal, so it is important to act fast.

Universities will also set out the grounds of appeal they permit which may include:

• A procedural irregularity in the assessment process.

• Bias or perception of bias.

• Mitigating/extenuating circumstances (e.g. bereavement, illness).

If your appeal is not made on one or more of the permitted grounds of appeal, your appeal may fail. An appeal can also fail if a student challenges the “academic judgement” of the assessor (where the opinion of an academic expert is vital).

If your appeal is unsuccessful, you may be able to challenge this further with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA).

How we can help

Our university solicitors are specialists in academic appeals. Academic appeals can be difficult to bring as specific grounds need to be raised, robust arguments need to be made and you may also be required to provide supportive evidence.

Our higher education law experts can help guide you through the complex area of university law, provide you advice on the strengths of your case and help draft your grounds of appeal. Many universities will set down extremely tight deadlines, so it is advisable to contact one of our higher education law specialists urgently to seek the advice and support you need.

We can also help you with your complaint to the OIA if your appeal has been unsuccessful.

Please contact us on 01633 240743 or by e-mail [email protected] to discuss how our university law solicitors can help you.

We offer an initial free consultation during which we will explain (a) how we can help and (b) provide an estimate of costs.