Find out how to appeal a decision made by an Academic Misconduct Panel. Please note that there is no right to appeal a first case academic misconduct outcome which has not been considered by an Academic Misconduct Panel. Details of the appeals process can be found on the main academic appeals page. This page is supplementary to the information on the main page and provides more detailed information about how to appeal an Academic Misconduct Panel.
Appealing a decision made by an Academic Misconduct Panel
This type of appeal is for students who have received a decision from an Academic Misconduct Panel stating that misconduct has occurred in one of your assessments.
Academic Misconduct includes:
- plagiarism
- collusion
- personation
- fabrication
- unauthorised or inappropriate use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence
- breach of in-person examination or test room protocols
- breach of research ethics.
Find out more about the different types of academic misconduct.
How to appeal a decision made by an Academic Misconduct Panel
Any decision made by an Academic Misconduct Panel will be communicated to you by email. If you wish to appeal this decision, you can so by either submitting an Informal Resolution request or a Formal Appeal within 10 university working days following receipt of the decision email.
Exceptional Circumstances
Exceptional circumstances are not acceptable grounds when appealing a decision of an Academic Misconduct Panel. The purpose of the panel is to decide on the balance of probabilities whether misconduct occurred, and the extent of that misconduct and not why it may have occurred. If you were experiencing illness or any other mitigating personal circumstances at the time of your assessment, then you may be able to submit an Exceptional Circumstances claim.
Before submitting an appeal
See what you need to do before submitting your appeal and where you can get advice and support with the process.
Should I submit an Informal Resolution request or a Formal Appeal?
It’s important that you read the information below before making your decision.
Informal Resolution
There are benefits to making an Informal Resolution request instead of a formal appeal. It can help you understand the reasons for the Academic Misconduct Panel’s decision and the penalty imposed.
You can make an Informal Resolution request by contacting the Academic Misconduct Office by emailing academicmisconduct@sussex.ac.uk within 10 university working days of the date of your panel outcome report.
Make sure that you:
- make it clear that you are seeking informal resolution
- carefully detail your query.
Formal Appeal
You may decide to proceed straight to the Formal Appeal stage rather than seeking Informal Resolution.
You can also submit a Formal Appeal if you’re not satisfied with the outcome of Informal Resolution. This must be done within 10 university working days following the issue the Academic Misconduct Office’s Informal Resolution decision.
How to submit an appeal
To submit an appeal, fill in the academic appeals misconduct form [DOCX 20.94KB].
Important: It’s essential you present your case clearly and in full as your appeal will be considered solely on the basis of the case and you provide. To give yourself the best chance of having your appeal accepted, make sure you have read this guidance, the academic appeals regulations [PDF 300.46KB] and the advice on the main academic appeals page.
You should submit the form to the Appeals Office by email at appeals@sussex.ac.uk. You can also attach supporting evidence if you feel that this will help your case. You’ll receive an email acknowledgment of your submission. This acts as a receipt which you should keep. Your appeal will be investigated, and the Appeals Office will notify you of the outcome of your Formal Appeal by email.
Appeal process
Find out more about the next steps in the appeal process.