Studies
Pagination
Pages are to be numbered consecutively throughout the thesis. The abstract, acknowledgements, and table of contents are to be numbered using Roman Numerals.
Ethical Clearance
Where it is required for a candidate to obtain ethical clearance for research, there must be written evidence that clearance was received.
Content and Style Title Page
The title page should identify the type of degree being submitted. It should also include the full title of the thesis, the candidate’s name, the month and the year of submission.
Certificate of Authorship
The title page should be followed by the Certificate of Authorship signed by the candidate certifying the original authorship of the thesis. The Certificate of Authorship should read:
“I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement is made in the acknowledgements.”
Acknowledgements
Where appropriate, a brief acknowledgement of any substantial assistance received shall be included on a separate page inserted in sequence.
Abstract
Next in sequence is the abstract, which should not exceed 500 words in length
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and be singled spaced. Key words, including the author’s name, are to be included on the abstract page.
Table of Contents
The thesis is to include a table of contents, followed by a list of tables and/or figures.
Text
The body of the thesis should follow with appropriate chapter headings.
References
The thesis is to include a list of references that shall list alphabetically the sources acknowledged in the body of the thesis.
Advice regarding bibliographic standards, including the appropriate standards for acknowledging web references, is to be obtained from the Principal Super-visor. Bibliographic standards are to follow Faculty guidelines.
Footnotes
Advice regarding footnote standards and placement is to be obtained from the principal supervisor. Both footnote standards and their placement are to follow Faculty guidelines.
Binding Specifications
Following successful examination, theses are full bound in cloth or buckram.
Lettering is in gold block letters. Small items (e.g. a computer disk) should be housed in a matching cloth or buckram pocket, attached to the back inside cover board of the main work.
Advice on presentation of other items can be provided by the Principal Supervisor.
Declaration of Suitability for Examination
The thesis for examination must be accompanied by a completed Notice of Submission Form (see Appendix V).
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The principal supervisor and Faculty Graduate Studies, Research and Entrepre-neurship Coordinator are required to declare that the thesis is in a suitable form for examination. Suitability of the thesis refers to the presentation of the thesis, including legibility, accuracy, clarity of expression and general freedom from typographical and grammatical errors, but is not an indication of the quality of the work. The University will not proceed with the examination of a thesis not considered to be in a suitable form for examination.
It is important to note that a candidate has the right to request that the thesis be examined, although the Supervisor(s) may not believe it to be of a suitable standard. Such instances must be clearly identified on the Thesis Lodgement Form, which must have attached to it statements from the Supervisor(s) and the candidate outlining the circumstances. These documents will be referred to the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee for determination of the appropri-ate action to be taken.
EXAMINATION MISCONDUCT
The handling of examination misconduct is governed by Regulation 5, Statute XIII – Conditions and Procedures Governing Academic Misconduct. These regula-tions apply to theory, oral and practical examination; all faculty tests and assignments; and other forms of academic misconducts.
REGULATION 5 (STATUTE XIII)
Conditions and Procedures Governing Student Academic Misconduct
1 . 0 GE N E R A L AP P L I C A T I O N
1.1 The following conditions and procedures apply to academic misconduct such as irregularities in University and School Department examinations, as well as other forms of academic malfeasance. These specifically apply to:
1.1.1 University final theory, oral or practical examinations;
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1.1.2 Faculty examinations, which include all tests, assignments, oral and practical examinations related to course work and projects at the School/Department level;
1.1.3 Other forms of academic misconduct.
2 . 0 AC A D E M I C MI S C O N D U C T
Generally, academic misconduct consists of academic dishonesty or fraud or unethical behav-iour: those acts which have the effect of unfairly promoting or enhancing one’s academic standing or assisting someone in the pursuit of such an end result. Acts of academic dishon-esty are serious matters which subvert the integrity and credibility of the educational process.
The University will, therefore, initiate action to discipline students who have engaged in acts of academic dishonesty, fraud or unethical behaviour or conduct.
3 . 0 CA T E G O R I E S O F AC A D E M I C MI S C O N D U C T
The assigning and evaluating of academic exercises in the form of essays, projects, laboratory reports, presentations, tests and examinations is central to the educational process, both as guidance to the student and as a means of maintaining appropriate standards of quality assurance for accreditation purposes. It is required that all academic exercises submitted for evaluation and course credit be the product of the student’s individual effort, except in the case of team projects arranged and approved of as such by the instructor.
There are three categories of Academic Misconduct – gross, major and lesser offences.
3.1 Gross Offences
3.1.1 Offences Committed in an Examination
Examination Cheating constitutes an attempt on the part of the student/
candidate to undermine the University examination exercise; that is, any act carried out during an examination for the purpose of obtaining credit to which he/she is not entitled. Gross offences committed in an examination include:
a. Presenting oneself for another candidate for the purpose of taking a test or examination; or by allowing oneself to be represented by another for the same;
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b. Having prior knowledge of the content of an examination question paper and using same in the examination;
c. Other offences not herein specified but which subvert or would subvert the integrity and credibility of the educational process.
3.1.2 Offences Committed Outside an Examination
Gross offences committed outside of an examination shall be subject to the same disciplinary procedures as if committed in an examination room, and include:
a. Possessing or collaborating with another person or persons in obtaining access to an un-administered examination paper prior to start of the examination;
b. Selling or publishing un-administered examination papers or other work assigned for purposes of academic credit;
c. Altering examination work after it has been evaluated;
d. Forging, altering or falsifying any academic record, or making use of any such altered, forged, or falsified record for purposes of academic credit;
e. Other offences not herein specified but which subvert or would subvert the integrity and credibility of the educational process.
3.2 Major Offences
3.2.1 Offences Committed in an Examination These include:
a. Copying from another candidate’s paper;
b. Possessing/using unauthorized examination aids/devices/materials;
c. Knowingly allowing one’s work to be copied during an examination;
f. Collaborating with another candidate orally or in writing during the examination/test without permission;
g. Directly or indirectly giving assistance to another candidate during the examination;
h. Accepting unauthorized assistance whether directly or indirectly from 42
another individual in the sitting of an examination;
i. Any other act that would serve to subvert the examination procedures and process and give unfair advantage to the perpetrator.
3.2.2 Offences Committed Outside an Examination These include:
a. Fabricating research results, including false claims regarding research results, interviews or procedures; the omission of statements regarding interviews, procedures, or experiments, where the omission cannot be justified;
b. Plagiarism: presenting any material, whether in written, oral or electronic, that is attributable to, or the property of another person as one’s own work without acknowledging the source from which the material is taken. Merely changing the words in someone else’s work still constitutes plagiarism. This includes in whole or in part, but is not limited to the fol-lowing material: articles, essays, journals, diagrams, graphs, tables, com-puter software, GIS files, photographs, digital images, designs, models, maps, dissertations, reports, projects, lectures, music or other works of art;
Some ways of avoiding plagiarism include using direct quotations, par-aphrasing with acknowledgement of the source for example URL addresses, author, year, publisher and page where possible;
c. Representing as one’s individual writing and/or final product a jointly written or produced submission of any description, unless the instructor has approved a co-authored submission;
d. Submitting work for which credit has been previously obtained or is being sought in another course or programme of study in the University or elsewhere, without authorization from the Faculty concerned;
e. Producing a paper, lab report, or other assignment for another student;
f. Copying another person’s paper, lab report or other assignment;
g. Conducting research in an unethical manner;
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h. Engaging in any other irregularity not specified in this Regulation, but from which an unfair advantage can be obtained.
3.3 Lesser Offences These offences include:
3.3.1 Commencing to answer the paper before the official “start” time of the examination;
3.3.2 Non-observance of the official “stop” time for the examination;
3.3.3 Other acts so deemed by the Academic Board.
4 . 0 PR O C E D U R A L RU L E S
4.1 If a candidate is suspected of cheating in an examination, the following sequence of steps should be adhered to:
4.1.1 The circumstances should be carefully noted and documented by the Chief Invigilator and all supporting evidence, excluding answer booklet, confiscated;
4.1.2 The candidate shall be warned, but allowed to complete the exam-ination;
4.1.3 A written statement shall be requested from the candidate at the end of the examination;
4.1.4 Both the Chief Invigilator and the Invigilator who discovered the candidate’s misconduct shall, at the end of the examination, pro-vide detailed written statements of the misconduct as well as con-fiscated supportive evidence to be handed over to the Head of School (HoS) of the Faculty concerned, copied to the Dean of the Faculty and the Examinations Officer/Manager. Failure to adhere will result in dismissal of the Chief Invigilator and/or Invigilator.
4.1.5 The HoS shall immediately conduct preliminary investigations into the matter and submit a written report of the findings (including all the evidence) to the Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs, copied to the Dean of the Faculty, normally within three (3) working days;
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4.2 In other forms of academic misconduct, the following will apply:
4.2.1 The circumstances should be carefully noted and documented and all supporting evidence secured;
4.2.2 The matter shall be reported to the Head of School, copied to the Dean;
4.2.3 The Head of School shall warn the student in writing that s/he may have committed a breach of the University’s Regulations Governing Academic Misconduct. The letter should indicate the Regulation breached and the misconduct;
4.2.4 The student shall be requested to submit a written response, on receipt of the letter;
4.2.5 The Head of School shall immediately conduct investigations into the matter and submit a written report of the findings, including all the evidence, to the Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs, copied to the Dean of the Faculty and the Examinations Officer/Manager normally within three (3) working days;
4.3 The Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs, in collaboration with the HoS will determine if there is a case. If there is a case, the Assistant Registrar, Aca-demic Affairs shall constitute the AcaAca-demic Misconduct Inquiry Panel to hear the matter.
NOTE: If the student wishes to admit to the charge (4.1.3 and 4.2.4) s/he may do so in writing to the Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs at any stage of the proceedings. In such instances, the student shall be called before the Academic Misconduct Inquiry Panel to hear its decision in regard to penalty.
5 . 0 AC A D E M I C MI S C O N D U C T IN Q U I R Y PA N E L ( A M I P )
5.1 The AMIP shall be a standing committee constituted by the Academic Board and shall have authority to:
5.1.1 Establish whether there has been an infraction;
5.1.2 Determine the category of academic misconduct;
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5.1.3 Make a ruling on the sanction(s) to be applied. The sanctions shall be in accordance with the levels and categories of penalties as laid out in these regulations governing academic misconduct;
5.1.4 Inform the student of its decision through the Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs.
5.2 The AMIP shall meet within ten (10) working days after receipt of the formal report from the HoS, to consider the allegation save and except when the University is closed or on a semester break; in such instances AMIP shall meet within ten (10) working days of the resumption of classes.
5.3 A Notice of the meeting of the Academic Misconduct Inquiry Panel (AMIP) shall be served on the student by the Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs at least three (3) working days prior to the meeting of the Panel.
5.4 If the student charged with an offence does not attend the inquiry on the date and at the time appointed, without prior satisfactory written explana-tion having been received by the Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs, the AMIP may deal with the matter and, if appropriate, impose a penalty in the student’s absence.
5.5 The AMIP shall:
5.5.1 Review the written reports before it (the Chief Invigilator may be invited to give an oral report and/or clarify any matter in the report submitted);
5.5.2 Outline to the student or his/her representative the alleged breach;
5.5.3 Invite the student or his/her representative to respond;
5.5.4 Invite the witness(es) to address the panel;
5.5.5 The AMIP shall submit a report of its findings, decisions and recom-mendations to the next meeting of the Academic Board.
5.6 Membership of AMIP
No person involved in bringing the complaint shall be a member of the AMIP adjudicating the said complaint. The AMIP shall consist of:
5.6.1 Dean of a Faculty (not the Faculty in which the student concerned is registered) – Chair. If the alleged breach involves students from 46
all Faculties, the Deputy President, or the Registrar shall assume the Chair.
5.6.2 Dean (or another senior member appointed by him/her) of the Faculty in which the student concerned is registered;
5.6.3 A member of the Academic Board, nominated by the Academic Board, who should not be a dean or student;
5.6.4 The Assistant Registrar, Academic Affairs or the person acting in that capacity;
5.6.5 The student representative on the Academic Board or another student appointed by the Students’ Council;
5.7 In Attendance
The following persons may be required to be in attendance:
5.7.1 The Chief Invigilator for the examination in which the alleged breach occurred;
5.7.2 The Invigilator who identified the breach if different from the Chief Invigilator (as required);
5.7.3 The student against whom the case has been brought;
5.7.4 A Counsellor;
5.7.5 The Lecturer in whose examination/class/course the alleged breach occurred (as required);
5.7.6 Student’s Representative (if any);
5.8 Secretariat
Student Relations Office.
6 . 0 AP P E A L S
Appeals shall be restricted to procedural matters, issues of leniency or submission of fresh evidence not available at the time of the hearing.
6.1 Filing an Appeal
On receipt of the AMIP’s/Academic Board’s findings and decision, the can-G E N E R A L R E can-G U L A T I O N S can-G O V E R N I N can-G can-G R A D U A T E S T U D I E S
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didate can appeal the decision by writing to the Registrar. The appeals process must commence with the filing by the student of:
(a) A Notice of Appeal (Form 1) (b) Grounds for Appeal (Form 2)
(c) The name of the person who will represent the Appellant at the review of the findings of the SAC.
Notice and Grounds of Appeal must be filed within 5 working days of the release of the findings of the AMIP and the name of his/her representa-tive at least three (3) working days, prior to the hearing. The “Grounds of Appeal” form can be collected from the Student Relations Office, located on the ground floor of the Main Administrative Building.
6.2 Special Appeals Committee (SAC)
The Registrar shall refer the matter to the Special Appeals Committee within three working days of the appeal, provided that all relevant information has been provided.
The Special Appeals Committee (SAC) shall review the reasons given for the decision of the AMIP and the notes of the hearing, and shall invite the Appellant and/or his representative to address them on the grounds of appeal. The SAC can ask questions of the representative(s) and, if neces-sary, ask the Chairman of AMIP to respond. The witness(es) shall then be heard.
Having reviewed the notes of the hearing, reasons for the decision of the AMIP, and heard the submissions of the parties, the Special Appeals Com-mittee may confirm, reverse or vary the recommendations of the AMIP.
Note: The findings and decision of the Special Appeals Committee shall be endorsed by the Academic Board, save and except in any instance where the SAC recommends expulsion. In such an event, the recommendation for expul-sion shall be submitted to the Council for a determination.
The Registrar shall communicate the Council’s decision to the candidate.
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6.3 Membership
The Special Appeals Committee members shall comprise persons who have not been members of the AMIP and shall consist of:
6.3.1 The President or Deputy President – Chairman;
6.3.2 One senior academic staff member (not the invigilator or course examiner in the case of cheating) nominated by the Registrar;
6.3.3 A student representative appointed by the Students’ Council.
6.4 In Attendance
6.4.1 The Chairman of AMIP or a member of the Panel, nominated by him/her;
6.4.2 Other persons as determined by the SAC.
7 . 0 RI G H T T O RE P R E S E N T A T I O N
7.1 The Student
The student has the right to call witnesses and have a representative at all levels of the proceedings, if so desired, and shall communicate his/her intent in writing to the Registrar at least three working days prior to the hearing.
7.2 The University
The University reserves the right to have legal representation at any or all levels of the proceedings.
7.3 Legal Costs
Where the appeal is dismissed, the candidate is required to pay the costs of the legal representation of the University, subject to the procedures and awards of costs established in the several courts in the island of Jamaica.
8 . 0 SA N C T I O N S/ PE N A L T I E S
Sanctions/Penalties apply to all forms of academic misconduct.
8.1 Gross and Major Offences
Sanctions for the infringement of examinations rules and regulations apply G E N E R A L R E G U L A T I O N S G O V E R N I N G G R A D U A T E S T U D I E S
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to those categories specified in 3.1.1 (a– c); section 3.1.2. (a– e); section 3.2.1 (a–i) and 3.2.2 (a–h) above, as follows:
8.1.1 For infringements under Gross Offences: 3.1 a & b and 3.2 a, b, c, d
& e expulsion from the University by the University Council.
8.1.2 For infringements under Major Offences: disqualification of course work and examination in which the breach occurred (zero mark assigned) and suspension from the University for a period of one academic year of study (two semesters and one Summer Session).
The offender will be required to repeat the course work and exam-ination following the period of suspension.
8.1.3 A second breach under Major Offence will attract the ultimate sanc-tion of expulsion.
i. The sanction shall be effective from the date that the alleged breach occurred.
ii. In instances where sanctions are applied, no refunds of fees will be made.
iii. The period of suspension shall be counted as part of the maximum allow-able time for course completion.
iv. Students who have been suspended will only be eligible for ‘pass’ certi-fication.
8.2 Lesser Offences
Infringements under 3.4 are regarded as being less severe; such offences shall attract lesser sanctions as outlined hereunder:
8.2.1 For a first offence, the offender shall be cautioned and a file note
8.2.1 For a first offence, the offender shall be cautioned and a file note