Academic and general misconduct

“Misconduct” means any behaviour on the part of a Student that:

  • impairs the reasonable freedom of the University community to pursue and participate in academic, community or other University activities, or in the life of the University
  • contravenes the provisions of the Murdoch University Act 1973, any statute, rule or by-law of the University, or a University code of conduct, policy, procedure or set of guidelines
  • contravenes any lawful direction by a member of the staff of the University
  • contravenes any written law of the Commonwealth of Australia, a State or Territory of Australia where the written law relates to an activity associated with the Student being a Student of the University.

We treat all allegations of academic and general misconduct seriously.

Academic integrity

Learn about academic integrity with the Murdoch Academic Passport online unit.

Academic misconduct process

Examples of academic misconduct include unauthorised use of AI, plagiarism, collusion, cheating, hiring a ghost writer and submitting downloaded work as your own. The online unit, MAP100, provides more details of the different types of academic misconduct and how to avoid them through developing good study and assessment practices. You can also watch this video.

The following steps outline the process that occurs following an allegation of academic misconduct.

The process is started by a unit coordinator submitting an allegation of academic misconduct to Student Integrity Services. An allegation could result from the marking of assessments, similarity reports from Ouriginal or behaviours witnessed in exams.

Student Integrity Services will dismiss the case or determine the level of seriousness of the allegation and whether you have any previously recorded academic misconduct cases.

There are three Intervention Levels.

Level 1 – you will be contacted and may be required to undertake academic integrity training.

Level 2 – you will receive an allegation letter with evidence attached and have the opportunity to send a written response within a set time period. Student Integrity Services will then provide an outcome based on the evidence supplied and your response, if you choose to send one.

Level 3 – you will receive an allegation letter with evidence attached and have the opportunity to either send a written response or attend an interview at a set time. You may choose to bring a Guild representative or support person to the interview. The purpose of the interview is to gather any further evidence and hear your story. The interview takes place online and is recorded for accurate record keeping. The evidence, statements, interview recording and a summary of the case are then considered by a Student Academic Integrity Panel. The Chair of the Panel will send you the outcome once it has been decided. If you choose not to engage with the process, it will be completed without your input.

For Level 2 and 3 outcome decisions, you have the option to appeal to the Student Appeals Committee within 20 days.

Outcomes can vary from a requirement to undertake academic integrity training to expulsion from the University. The outcome depends on the severity of the misconduct and any previous misconduct. It will be shared with the person who uploaded the allegation, so they can take any action required (e.g. reduce the grade and release marks).

Academic misconduct is not placed on your academic transcript, regardless of level. It is, however, stored in the University's confidential system.

For more details, you can read the University’s Regulations, Policy and Procedure documents available through the links on this page.

General misconduct process

Some examples of general misconduct are harassment, intimidation, bullying, violence, use of drugs or alcohol, falsification, trespassing, weapons, failure to comply with a directive, disorderly behaviour, property damage, uploading content to contract cheating websites or offering ghost writing services.

The following steps outline the process that occurs following an allegation of General Misconduct.

The process is started by a staff member submitting an allegation of General Misconduct to Student Integrity Services. This may be based on what they have witnessed or experienced, or on behalf of a student that has informed them of a matter.

If an allegation of general misconduct is made against you, an initial review is conducted by Student Integrity Services to determine the level of seriousness of the allegation. There are three Intervention Levels.

Level 1 – you will be sent a written reminder of the standards of behaviour that the University expects. The reminder may include required or recommended actions.

Level 2 – you will receive an allegation letter with any relevant evidence attached and have the opportunity to send in a written response within a set time period. The Chair of the Student General Misconduct Panel will decide on an outcome.

Level 3 – you will receive an allegation letter with evidence attached and have the opportunity to either send a written response or attend an interview at a set time. You may choose to bring a Guild representative or support person to the interview. The purpose of the interview is to gather evidence and hear your story. The interview takes place online and is recorded for accurate record keeping. The evidence, statements, interview recording and a case summary are then considered by a Student General Misconduct Panel which will decide on the outcome. The Chair of the Panel will send you the outcome. If you choose not to engage with the process, it will be completed without your input.

For Level 2 and 3 outcome decisions, you have the option to appeal to the Student Appeals Committee within 20 days.

Outcomes can vary from a caution letter to expulsion from the University depending on the severity of the misconduct and any previous misconduct. The outcome of your case will be shared with the person who uploaded the allegation, so they can take any action required.

Regardless of the level of intervention, misconduct is not placed on your academic record. It is, however, stored in our confidential system.

For more details, you can read the University's Regulations, Policy and Procedure documents available through the links on this page.

Student resources

Please find a frequently asked questions resource and flyer with support information below:

Related policies

Contact us

All correspondence relating to an academic or general misconduct allegation is to always be sent via email reply, so it is stored with your case file. Do not copy and paste the email address, as we will not receive it.

For all other queries, please email us at studentintegrity@murdoch.edu.au.

We understand that this may be a stressful time for you, so please see these Murdoch services if required:

  • Counselling Services can provide you with psychological and emotional support while you go through the misconduct process. Appointments are free for all enrolled Murdoch students.
  • Guild/Support Services can listen to your academic concerns and provide direction regarding the misconduct allegation.

Perth and Mandurah

Dubai

Singapore

Contact us

For personalised support and advice, contact myMurdoch Advice.