Written by Phil, CSU Advisor
As someone who has been advising and representing students for over 25 years now, I can honestly say that the most frustrating (and sometimes upsetting) aspect of student advice is Academic Conduct.
You might find that strange, given that we also support students with complex and personal issues, however the reason that academic conduct is so frustrating is that, by the time students seek our advice and support, it is often too late to help. The work has been submitted, and either Turnitin or the person marking the work have identified the breach of procedures.
Many students don’t realise that simple mistakes (poor referencing, sharing work with a friend, or undeclared AI use) can result in severe penalties that affect your grades, or even result in termination of studies.
If you come to us after the issue has been identified, the support we can provide is extremely limited. That’s the bad news.
The good news? Most issues can be avoided if you understand the rules.
What counts as Academic Malpractice?
Under Chester’s Academic Conduct Policy, there is a comprehensive list of the types of academic conduct.
Examples of unacceptable academic practice:
Plagiarism: the use of ideas, intellectual property, or work of others without acknowledgement or, where relevant, permission.
Reuse of previously submitted material: the use of work, without appropriate referencing, that has been submitted for assessment, whether successful or not, by the same student in this University or any other institution. This will not apply where a student is making a resubmission for the same assessment component in the same module, unless specifically prohibited in the assessment information.
Collusion: the unauthorised collaboration between two or more students resulting in the submission of work that is unreasonably similar, but which is submitted as being the product of the submitting student’s individual efforts.
Unacknowledged use of Artificial Intelligence: Where artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to support the assessment without proper acknowledgement.
Examples of academic misconduct include:
Falsification: the presentation of fictitious or distorted documents, data, evidence or any other material, including submitting the work of another person as if it is their own. This includes the submission of false evidence in an application for Exceptional Circumstances or to the Academic Appeals Board.
Falsification by Artificial Intelligence: A misrepresentation of knowledge, where a student used artificial intelligence to complete the assessment (in part or full).
Research misconduct: failure to obtain ethical approval for a research project or failure to comply with regulatory, legal and professional obligations for research projects.
Cheating: any action before, during or after an assessment or examination which has the potential for the student to gain an unfair advantage in assessment or assists another student to do so. This includes failure to adhere to the examination regulations.
Commissioning (Contract Cheating): engaging another person or organisation to complete or undertake an assessment, in part or in full, whether a financial transaction has taken place or not.
Most common conduct issues
The main culprits that we deal with in the advice service, in layman’s terms are;
- Plagiarism – using someone else’s words, ideas, or work without proper credit
- Collusion – unauthorised collaboration or letting someone copy your work
- Cheating in exams – bringing in notes, devices, or breaking exam rules
- Misuse of AI – undeclared or dishonest use of AI in assessments
Plagiarism includes:
- Forgetting quotation marks
- Wrong/missing references
- Copying sentence structure with slight word changes
- Using large amounts from one source, even if cited
✅ Avoid it: Cite everything you use. Citations show your research depth, protect you from unfair blame, and emphasise your own originality.
Collusion is when students either work together to produce a piece of work (without authorisation) or when 2 pieces of work are so similar, the marker believes that it is beyond coincidental. Even if your essay is 100% yours, if a classmate copies it, you may still face an allegation. Investigators may assume you “knowingly” allowed/colluded to aid an unfair advantage it if the work looks very similar.
✅ Avoid it: Never share assignment files (email, cloud, USB). Support friends by discussing ideas, not handing over your essay.
Cheating isn’t just copying someone else’s paper. Misconduct also includes:
- Notes left in your pocket or bag
- Forgetting to remove your phone
- Devices found in the exam hall, even if switched off
✅ Avoid it: Follow instructions exactly. Leave all notes and devices outside. Getting caught cheating in an exam setting could result in your studies being terminated.
Unacceptable use of A.I. is becoming the number 1 factor in academic conduct cases.
As I stated at the start, students coming to the advice service at the point of investigation means that our advice and support is limited. Your adviser cannot confirm whether a student has used A.I. or not.
The advisers are often told by students that the university cannot conclusively prove that a student has used A.I when advising prior to an academic conduct investigation, However, we must advise that the university will make a decision based on the balance of probability by looking out for indicators of A.I. usage and comparison to previous submitted work (styles, tone and formatting etc).
The most common AI indicators are:
- Phantom references
- A marked difference in style, tone and grammar used on previous submitted work
- Unusual punctuation (e.g. it is commonly known by academics that ChatGPT almost always includes the use of an “em dash” when creating documents and this will be used as an indicator that a student has used AI during an investigation.)
More indicators that the university may consider are:
Writing style and content
- Inconsistent tone or style: A sudden change in the writing voice or style compared to previous assignments.
- Impersonal and generic language: The text is polished but lacks a personal voice, specific details, or emotional connection to the student’s experience.
- Overly formal or sophisticated phrasing: The language used is unusually formal or complex for the student’s typical writing level.
- Shallow understanding: The work accurately summarises concepts but lacks depth, nuanced insight, or specific examples.
- Lack of errors: A flawless paper with zero mistakes can be a sign of AI use, especially if the student’s previous work contained errors.
- Repetitive patterns: Predictable or repetitive sentence structures and phrases can be a sign of AI generation.
- Inaccurate or fabricated citations: Citations that are for non-existent sources or are subtly incorrect.
- Outdated information: References to sources or events that are old and do not align with current discussions in the class or recent events.
Other indicators
Unusual formatting: Changes in font, spacing, or alignment that suggest copy-and-paste use.
Rapid completion: The assignment was finished unusually quickly for its length, suggesting a tool was used.
AI can be helpful – but only if used responsibly. At Chester:
- You may use AI only if your tutor or the assessment brief says it’s allowed
- If you use it, you must clearly declare which parts came from AI and explain how (and why) you used it
- Submitting AI text as your own, generating fake references, or failing to declare AI = misconduct
Complete the GenAI Literacies Moodle module to learn how to use AI responsibly, including declaring AI use, evaluating outputs, and developing your digital literacy.
Don’t be fooled into thinking “they can’t prove I used AI” The university will consider previously submitted work as well as the indicators mentioned above and make a decision on that basis.
As I mentioned earlier, the frustration for the Advice team is that there is no way that we can prove that AI has not been used, so we are devastated when a student falls foul of this. Specifically, we are never in a position able to defend or state why phantom references would be included in a student’s submitted work.
Common excuses that don’t work
Panels often hear:
- “I didn’t know I couldn’t bring my phone in.”
- “I didn’t know my friend would copy my work.”
- “I don’t know how to reference.”
- “In my country, we don’t reference.”
These won’t protect you.
Penalties
With detection software like Turnitin and AI-detection tools, the risk of being caught is high – and the impact on your degree and career can be severe.
Consequences range from:
- being required to complete an online academic conduct assessment,
- failing an assignment,
- failing a module,
- or even termination of studies.
You should also be aware that UoC academic conduct procedures state that any student who is found to have breached academic conduct procedures 3 times may have their studies terminated, so it is vital that there is no repeat if you have been found to have breached academic integrity in your work.
(see the UOC academic conduct policy here for more details)
Final word
If you’re struggling with your work, don’t do the wrong thing – seek support instead:
- Talk to us early about extensions, or deferrals
- Seek advice from your PAT
- Seek advice from the Academic Skills Team (ASk)
Whatever you do, don’t cut corners by using AI or asking your friends to share work -the risk is too great.
For free, confidential advice, contact Chester Students’ Union Advice Service: email csuadvice@chester.ac.uk, or book an appointment with one of our advisors.
