Fraud and plagiarism ESHCC

What is fraud?

Fraud is understood to mean any acts or omissions of a student aimed at obstructing the possibility to make a proper assessment of his knowledge, understanding and skills. Students who commit fraud transgress the rules of the university or in fact the law. The Erasmus University has high standards with regard to academic integrity and therefor maintains a rather strict policy with regard to fraud.

Fraud includes:

  • To consult or have within reach books, workbooks, notes, etc. or other sources of information (e.g. programmable calculators and mobile phones) of which the use is not explicitly permitted during the examination;
  • To copy from fellow students or to exchange information with them in any way whatsoever, inside or outside the examination room during the examination;
  • To pose for someone else during the examination;
  • To have themselves represented by someone else at the examination;
  • To switch or exchange the question forms and/or answering forms handed out to them;
  • To appropriate the questions or assignments of an examination before the date or time on which the examination is scheduled;
  • To commit plagiarism (see below).

Procedure for fraud at written examinations

If an invigilator suspects or establishes fraud during a written examination, the student is immediately informed thereof. The invigilator draws up a written report and collects any and all evidence. If a student refuses to hand over the proof, this is reported as well.

  1. In principle, the student is given the opportunity to finish and submit the work. If the situation demands it, the invigilator may decide the student is to leave the examination hall (also see disciplinary rules for written examinations)
  2. The written report and evidence are submitted to the Examination Board as soon as possible;
  3. The student is invited for a conversation with the chair of Examination Board;
  4. Depending the gravity of the committed fraud, the Examination Board imposes a sanction to the student

Procedure for establishing plagiarism

Plagiarism is understood to mean to copy from someone else’s work an extract larger than a couple of words literally or translated for the purpose of a paper, thesis or any other form of text being part of the teaching without indicating this by means of quotation marks or another univocal typographic means, and without including bibliographically traceable and correct acknowledgements. Self-plagiarism is also considered fraud. 

Procedure at the establishing of plagiarism

  1. If plagiarism is established or seriously suspected, the lecturer informs the student about this.
  2. Depending on the seriousness of the transgression, the lecturer or the Examination Board handles the case.
  3. The student receives a request for a (written) defence to the accusation. If this defence proves the accusation to be false, it is withdrawn.
  4. The Examination Board draws conclusions on the basis of a face-to-face conversation and the information supplied by the lecturer.
  5. If fraud/plagiarism is established, the Examination Board imposes a sanction.
  6. Lecturers do not impose sanctions themselves, this is a task of the Examination Board alone.
  7. Every transgression is registered, repeat offenders are sanctioned more severely.

Possible sanctions

Depending of the gravity of the committed fraud or plagiarism, the Examination Board can impose sanctions to students. Examples of sanctions include the following:

  1. Reprimand;
  2. Invalidation of exam results;
  3. Exclusion from the examination concerned for a period of one year at most;
  4. Exclusion from one or more examination rounds (for all examinations) for a period of one year at most;
  5. A combination of the above measures;
  6. Proposal to the Executive Board to definitely end the registration for the programme concerned.