Academic integrity case process flowchart
Academic integrity case process flowchart: informal resolution or formal referral, student response, review panel finding, sanction, appeal window and record.
What the academic integrity case process is
Most integrity concerns start with one person noticing something odd in submitted work. What happens next decides whether the student is treated fairly and whether the institution treats similar cases alike. A written route stops the outcome depending on which instructor happened to notice.
This template splits the work across five roles: Instructor, Integrity Officer, Student, Review Panel and Registrar. The Instructor raises the concern and may try an informal route, but only the Integrity Officer opens a formal referral, so the person who raised the concern does not also judge it. The student sees the allegation and the evidence before any finding.
A grade dispute is a separate matter and belongs in the [grade appeal process](/templates/grade-appeal-process); a complaint about how a case was handled can follow the [customer complaint process](/templates/customer-complaint-process) pattern. The examples and roles here are illustrative, so replace them with your own policy.
What this flowchart covers
In this template
- The first branch, "First, minor matter and student willing to talk?", which separates informal resolution from formal referral, with a prior-record check on the formal side.
- The evidence loop: "Enough evidence to proceed to a panel?" can return "Gaps remain" to "Gather further evidence from instructor and student" before the Review Panel hears "Hear the case and consider the evidence".
- The finding, sanction and appeal: "Breach proven on the balance of evidence?", "Set a sanction in line with the published tariff", "Student appeals within the deadline?" and the Registrar's "Record outcome and apply sanction to the file".
When to use this template
- You are writing or revising an academic misconduct procedure and need to show who does what at each stage.
- Instructors handle concerns inconsistently and you want one agreed route for informal and formal cases.
- You need to brief a new panel or integrity officer on the order of notice, response, finding and appeal.
How it works
Fix the informal threshold
Decide what counts as a first and minor matter at "First, minor matter and student willing to talk?" and require a record check, so repeat cases cannot be settled privately.
Build in notice and response
Keep "Notify student of allegation, evidence and rights" and "Submit written response and any evidence" before any finding, with a stated deadline for each.
Separate the roles
Name the people in the Integrity Officer and Review Panel lanes, and state the standard of proof the panel applies. Adjust the sanction tariff and appeal grounds to your policy, and compare the shape with the [student admissions process](/templates/student-admissions-process) if you map several school processes together.
Frequently asked questions
Why separate the instructor from the formal investigation?
The person who noticed a problem has already formed a view. Passing a formal case to an Integrity Officer and a Review Panel keeps the accuser and the decision-maker apart, which is generally seen as fairer to the student.
When should a case be resolved informally?
Policies often allow it for a first and minor matter where the student accepts the concern. The chart still logs the outcome centrally, so a later case elsewhere can see it.
Does this chart replace our misconduct policy?
No. It is an editable illustration of one common route. Your own policy, local regulation and legal advice decide the thresholds, evidence standard, sanctions and timelines.
Where this process fits
In most operations this process hands off to Grade appeal process flowchart.
Comes after
- Grade appeal process flowchart — Grade appeal process flowchart showing the ladder from informal instructor review to chair, appeals committee and final decision, with deadlines and re-mark loop.
Part of
- Education
- Academic governance