Section 6

If academic dishonesty is suspected in respect of course-based assessment of the current studies of a
student²:

1. The faculty member concerned shall report to the Head of Department/Programme Director.
2. The Department/Programme shall investigate the case with the student concerned.
3. If the charge is established, an ‘F’ grade may be assigned to the course³.
4. The Department/Programme shall report the case, in writing, to the Academic Registrar (for undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes) or Dean of Graduate School (GS) (for research postgraduate students taking coursework) via the Dean of Faculties/Schools.
   
   _{Note: For sub-degree programmes⁴, the Programme Director shall report the case, in writing, to the Dean of School of Continuing Education (SCE) directly, with copy sent to the Head of Registry of SCE for necessary action.} 
5. The Academic Registry (AR)/GS/SCE shall inform the student, in writing, of the decision of the Department/ Programme.
6. The Academic Registrar/Dean of SCE shall inform the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC)⁵, while the Dean of GS shall inform the QAC via Research Postgraduate Studies Committee (RPSC) and Research Committee (RC).
7. The QAC will report the number of cases and the sanctions imposed  to the Senate annually.

For more serious or repeated cases:

1. The Department/Programme should follow the procedures 1 - 5 above.
2. After the appeal against the decision made by Department/Programme has been disposed of or if no appeal has been lodged before the deadline, the AR/GS/SCE may refer the case to the Student Disciplinary Panel (SDP) as appointed by the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) for deliberation of whether further disciplinary action would be taken. The student shall be notified of the decision.
3. The Director of Student Affairs shall notify the Academic Registrar/Dean of GS/Dean of SCE, in writing, of the final decision.
4. The Academic Registrar/Dean of SCE shall inform the QAC⁵ while the Dean of GS shall inform the QAC via RPSC and RC. 
5. The QAC shall report the number of cases and the sanctions to the Senate annually.

Appeal

Appeal by students against the decision on academic dishonesty made by Department/Programme
 

The student may submit an appeal to the Academic Registrar/Dean of GS via the Department/Programme within seven working days from the date of notification of the decision of the Department/Programme⁶. Late appeals will not be considered. If the Academic Registrar/Dean of GS considers that there is any valid ground for the appeal, an Appeal Panel will be convened to review the case. For taught programmes, the Appeal Panel shall comprise the Chairman of the Undergraduate Regulations Committee (for sub-degree and undergraduate studies)/Taught Postgraduate Studies Committee (TPSC) (for taught postgraduate studies) as the Chairman, one senior academic nominated by the Chairman, and the Academic Registrar. For coursework in research postgraduate studies, the Appeal Panel shall comprise the Chairman of the RPSC as the Chairman and two senior academics from different faculties/schools nominated by the Chairman. The decision of the appeal panel shall be final.

Appeal by students against the sanctions imposed by the Panel on Student Disciplinary Cases
 

The student should follow the Student Disciplinary Procedures  and submit an appeal in writing to the Chairperson of the SAC, who may decide to dismiss the appeal or appoint a Student Disciplinary Appeal Panel (SDAP) to hear and decide on the appeal. The appeal shall be submitted within seven working days from the date of notification of the decision. Late appeals will not be considered. The decision of the SDAP, except for suspension and dismissal, shall be final.

If academic dishonest is found in the process of qualifying examination, candidature examination, or in the submission of a research prospectus/thesis/dissertation in the current studies of a student:

1. The Exam Panel or Board of Examiners may impose any sanction as they deem appropriate, such as failing the student concerned or terminating the candidacy of the student concerned. Depending on the circumstances, the student may be allowed to resubmit his or her work. While the Panel or Board may convey the decision to the student, the GS/AR shall formally inform the student of the decision in writing.
2. The Chair of the  Exam Panel or Board of Examiners shall report the case, in writing, to the Dean of GS (for research postgraduate studies) or the Academic Registrar (for professional doctoral studies) via the Dean of Faculties/Schools. More serious or repeated cases may be referred to the SDP.
3. The Academic Registrar shall inform the QAC while the Dean of Graduate School shall inform the QAC via RPSC and RC.
4. The QAC shall report the number of cases and the sanctions imposed to the Senate annually.

Appeal

Appeal by students against the decision on academic dishonesty made by Exam Panel or Board of Examiners

The appeal should be directed to the Dean of GS (for research postgraduate studies) or the Academic Registrar (for professional doctoral studies) within seven working days from the date of notification of the decision. Late appeals will not be considered. If the Dean of GS or the Academic Registrar considers that there is any valid ground for the appeal, an Appeal Panel will be convened to review the case. For research postgraduate studies, the Appeal Panel shall comprise the Chairman of the RPSC as the Chairman and two senior academics from different faculties/schools nominated by the Chairman. For professional doctoral studies, the Appeal Panel shall comprise the Chairman of the TPSC as the Chairman, one senior academic nominated by the Chairman, and the Academic Registrar. The decision of the Appeal Panel shall be final.

Appeal by students against the sanctions imposed by the Student Disciplinary Panel

The student should follow the Student Disciplinary Procedures and submit an appeal in writing to the Chairperson of the SAC, who may decide to dismiss the appeal or appoint a SDAP to hear and decide on the appeal. The appeal shall be submitted within seven working days from the date of notification of the decision. Late appeals will not be considered.The decision of the SDAP, except for suspension and dismissal, shall be final.

If a past student is suspected to have violated academic integrity concerning the student's studies at the University:

1. The Department/Programme concerned shall investigate the case with the past student concerned and submit a full report on the alleged misconduct to the President and Vice-Chancellor via the Faculties/Schools Dean and the Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) (for taught programmes) or Vice-President (Research and Development) (for research programmes).
2. After considering the full report, if the President and Vice-Chancellor considers that no further action is required, the case is closed. If the President and Vice-Chancellor considers that further action is required, an Inquiry Panel shall be appointed by the President and Vice-Chancellor to conduct the formal inquiry. The Inquiry Panel shall comprise the Vice-President (Teaching & Learning) (for taught programmes) or Vice-President (Research and Development) (for research programmes) as the Chairman, the Dean of the Faculties/Schools concerned, one senior academic⁷ from the Department/Programme concerned and two senior academics from any other Faculties/Schools.
    
3. If the Inquiry Panel considers that the charge is not proved, it shall submit a final report to the President and Vice-Chancellor and the case is closed.
4. If the Inquiry Panel considers that the charge is proved, it shall decide on the sanction(s) to be imposed, or recommend the revocation of one or more of the sub-degree(s)/degree(s) previously awarded by the University, if appropriate, to the past student.
5. The Inquiry Panel shall inform the past student in writing of its decision/recommendation of revocation of sub-degree(s)/degree(s) previously awarded by the University to the past student within seven working days after the decision/recommendation is made. If the Inquiry Panel recommends revocation of one or more of the sub-degree(s)/degree(s) previously awarded by the University to the past student as the sanction, the recommendation shall be subject to the approval of the Senate and Council and the past student shall be informed accordingly.
6. The past student may lodge an appeal in writing to the President and Vice-Chancellor against the decision/recommendation made by the Inquiry Panel within seven working days from the date of notification of the decision/recommendation. Late appeals will not be considered. If no appeal has been lodged before the deadline, the decision/recommendation of the Inquiry Panel is final subject only to the approval of the Senate and Council.
7. The grounds of the appeal shall be clearly stated by the past student in the submissions to the President and Vice-Chancellor. An appeal will only be entertained if there is a prima facie case on any of the following grounds of appeal:
   a. There was material irregularity in the conduct of the Inquiry Panel such that the inquiry was not conducted fairly in light of the alleged violation and evidence presented.
   b. The sanction imposed was not appropriate for the violation and the relevant extenuating circumstances.
   c. New and credible evidence which would have an important influence on the decision is available and there is a reasonable explanation as to why such evidence was not provided earlier.
8. Upon review of the grounds of the appeal, the President and Vice-Chancellor may dismiss the appeal and uphold the decision of the Inquiry Panel; or appoint an Ad Hoc Appeal Panel to hear and decide the appeal. If an Ad Hoc Appeal Panel is appointed, it shall comprise the Provost (as the Chairman), three senior academics from different Faculties/Schools who have not handled the case before, the Academic Registrar / Executive Associate Dean of GS / Associate Dean of SCE.
9. The Ad Hoc Appeal Panel shall inform the past student in writing within seven working days after the decision/recommendation is made. The decision is final, except that if the Ad Hoc Appeal Panel recommends revocation of one or more of the sub-degree(s)/degree(s) previously awarded by the University to the past student as the sanction, the recommendation shall be subject to the approval of the Senate and Council and the past student shall be informed accordingly.
10. Upon the approval of the Senate and Council to revoke one or more of the sub-degree(s)/degree(s) previously awarded by the University to the past student, the AR, GS or the Registry of the SCE as appropriate shall inform the past student in writing of the decision of the Senate and Council.
11. The decision of the Senate and Council shall be final and shall not be subject to any further appeal.