USYD plagiarism, cheating or AI allegation: what to do

Read your written notice first

If the University of Sydney has told you it is looking at possible plagiarism, cheating or unauthorised AI use, start with the written notice. It tells you the allegation, how to respond, the timeframe to respond, and whether you are asked to attend a meeting or submit a written response. The pages we read do not state how long the response timeframe is. Read the date and method in your own notice rather than estimating from another case. If the notice is unclear, ask the Faculty Educational Integrity team that sent it.

1. Read the notice and write down the exact allegation, the response method and the date stated for your response.
2. Keep a copy of the notice and any message that came with it.
3. Contact the SRC or SUPRA, which are listed as free help at this university.
4. Use the method in the notice: attend the meeting or submit a written response.

What the faculty will consider

After you respond, or after the time allowed for you to respond has passed, the Faculty Educational Integrity team considers your response and the evidence. It then determines the outcome. The evidence can include the work you submitted, similarity-detection reports from Turnitin, source publications, examination incident reports and prohibited materials confiscated during an examination. All available evidence is considered.

Plagiarism means presenting work that is not your own without acknowledging the original source. It can amount to a breach whether you did it on purpose or by accident. It can include copying material without correct referencing, including from hard copy, online sources, digital formats and live presentations. Unapproved or inappropriate use of digital technologies, including generative AI, is listed as a common behaviour associated with academic integrity breaches.

How to respond

The notice tells you whether to attend a meeting or submit a written response. If you are asked to attend a meeting, you can bring a support person. Your teacher or the examination invigilator may also be asked to attend.

Keep your response specific to the allegation and the evidence. Explain anything you rely on in your own words. Provide true evidence if you have it. Do not invent or exaggerate a reason. Do not backdate or alter a document. Do not get a certificate for an illness you did not have. Keep copies of what you submit and of any message you send.

What happens after you respond

For breaches investigated at faculty level, the Faculty Educational Integrity team determines the outcome. The team will tell you the outcome and whether you are required to complete a development course, or whether the matter has been escalated to the Registrar.

For a minor breach, you must complete an approved development course and may receive a small remedial mark reduction. A minor breach may be determined locally by your unit coordinator. If you have a prior record of an academic integrity breach, the case cannot be handled locally by your unit coordinator and will instead be directed to the Faculty's Educational Integrity team.

Misconduct includes contract cheating, repeated academic integrity breaches, or breaches the decision maker considers warrant a larger penalty than the penalties available for major breaches. Misconduct has the same meaning as in the University of Sydney (Student Discipline) Rule and is dealt with in the same manner.

If the outcome is a misconduct decision

A misconduct decision under the Student Discipline Rule can be appealed in writing to the Student Affairs Unit within 20 working days of the notice of the decision. That 20 working days starts from the notice of the decision. It is a separate step from responding to the allegation. Read the notice of the decision. The SRC and SUPRA are listed as free help at this university.