What to do if you have received a letter asking you to see your Head of Department:
(Heads of Department are responsible for the initial investigation of alleged academic offences relating to coursework submitted by any student undertaking a module in his or her department, and relating to preliminary drafts of chapters or to papers for a Supervisory Board produced by a research student in his or her own department)
- Don’t panic! Come into the Advice Centre at your first opportunity or let us know about your letter by e-mailing suadvice@essex.ac.uk
- Make sure you bring the paperwork you have received with you, this will give times/dates of your meeting and a very brief outline of the allegations against you
- We will advise you of the process and what to expect from the meeting, we will also assist in helping you make a statement in preparation for the meeting if necessary.
- If you want somebody to attend the meeting with you, book an Advice Centre Assistant
- We strongly advise you to read the University's Academic Offences Procedures before attending your meeting:
- On the day of the meeting, come into the Advice Centre about 15 minutes before your meeting to ensure you allow plenty of time
- At the meeting be truthful and honest about what has happened and your interpretation of the situation
- Following discussion with the Head of Department, they will decide whether or not an offence has been committed. If it is determined that an offence has been committed the Head of Department can issue a penalty in accordance with the University regulations or (particularly in more serious cases) they can refer the case to the Dean for further investigation. If the case is referred on you may be asked to meet with the Dean of the Faculty or may be recommended to go before an Academic Offences Committee
- After the meeting, you will receive a letter regarding the outcome of the meeting and what the next steps will be, if any.