AAU Handbook - Procedure
Guidelines on ‘rules regarding disciplinary measures for students at Aalborg University’

Education
Study Service
- Created: 16.12.2018
- Modified: 14.02.2024
Study Service
AAU Handbook - Procedure
Guidelines on ‘rules regarding disciplinary measures for students at Aalborg University’

Education
Study Service
- Created: 16.12.2018
- Modified: 14.02.2024
Study Service
Summary
Disciplinary proceedings can normally be divided into three more or less separate phases:
- Reporting phase (discovery phase)
- Investigation phase (preliminary phase)
- Decision phase
The three phases
The disciplinary rules cover the conduct of all students at the university, insofar as the conduct takes place under the auspices of the university, in situations that are comparable to this, or in situations where the student is or should be aware that conduct may influence the functioning of the university.
If there is a suspicion that a student's conduct is contrary to the disciplinary rules, the behaviour must be reported to the manager responsible for the premises, the activity or the programme concerned. The head of studies is responsible for taking action if the behaviour of a student conflicts with the disciplinary rules. However, the responsibility may be delegated to another person, such as the chair of the study board.
Upon receiving a report, the relevant manager must conduct preliminary inquiries into the issue by obtaining the necessary documentation and by call the student in for a personal interview to clarify the issue. The student is entitled to be accompanied by an observer. If such an interview is not possible, communication takes place in writing instead.
If the manager finds the suspicion is strengthened, the matter is reported to the Rector if and only if the behaviour is so serious that it is found that it should result in expulsion from the university (see guidelines below, including on temporary expulsion). In all other cases, the relevant manager decides the matter. A report must comply with certain procedural requirements regarding the identification of the student reported and documentation of the matter; the report template must be used for this.
The case must be settled in accordance with administrative rules, including in particular the requirements for consultation of the parties involved, basis for the decision and guidelines for appeal. If it is found that the student has violated the disciplinary rules, one or more of the following sanctions may be imposed:
- A written warning on repeated violations of the rules.
- Expulsion from an exam if the exam rules are found to have been violated, which will entail that the student is registered as "not assessed" for the exam concerned.
- If the behaviour constitutes a serious or repeated violation of the disciplinary rules, the Rector may expel the student from the university. An expulsion may be temporary or permanent, and entails that the student is excluded from all activities at the university during the period of expulsion, including all participation in classes and exams. In the case of a temporary expulsion, the student will be registered as being on leave during the expulsion period.
Particularly where plagiarism is involved, the matter is generally assessed based on the following guidelines:
- Gross plagiarism: If more than 5 percent of an exam paper is an exact copy or if more than 50 percent of an exam paper contains other forms of plagiarism, the student will normally be expelled from the university
- Plagiarism: If less than 5 percent of an exam paper is an exact copy or if 5-50 percent of an exam paper contains other forms of plagiarism, the student will normally be expelled from the exam
- Simple plagiarism: If less than 5 percent of an exam paper contains forms of plagiarism other than an exact copy, the student is usually given a warning
- Aggravating or mitigating circumstances may affect the assessment of the above. Cases of repeated plagiarism are usually considered as constituting gross plagiarism
In addition to the above sanctions, other special measures and/or sanctions may be imposed, including postponing the exam if exam cheating is suspected, if the matter cannot be clarified before the time of the examination.
1. Reporting Phase (Discovery Phase)
1.1. The disciplinary rules prohibit students from displaying certain types of conduct in certain situations; the concept of ‘conduct’ encompasses both acts and omissions. Any violations of the rules will be sanctioned (punished) with one or more of the sanctions provided for in the disciplinary rules.
Any suspicion that a student has violated the disciplinary rules must be reported to the relevant manager.
1.2. The rules apply to all students, regardless of the way they are enrolled. However, the conduct of PhD students in relation to research misconduct is subject to separate rules and guidelines.
1.3. The rules also apply to former university students (see item 1.9 for further details).
1.4. The rules also apply to applicants and their duty to disclose previously passed programme elements. Applicants to/students in Aalborg University's professional degree programmes may not be sanctioned under the disciplinary rules for failure to comply with the duty to disclose based on the Ministerial Order on Academy Professional Programmes and Professional Bachelor Programmes as there is no legal basis for doing so.
However, pursuant to an inquiry from Aalborg University, the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education noted (02.07.2019) that, by virtue of the so-called ‘anstaltsforhold’, Aalborg University has the authority to sanction applicants and students in professional bachelor's degree programmes for failure to comply with the duty to disclose. The inquiry is filed under Case No. 2019-603-00229.
1.5. The term ‘student’ used in the disciplinary rules and in the guidelines refers to all persons falling under items 1.2.-1.4.
1.6. Student conduct is covered by the disciplinary rules if the conduct takes place under the auspices of the university, in situations that are comparable to this, or in situations where the student is or should be aware that conduct may influence the functioning of the university.
Thus, student conduct is considered to be subject to disciplinary rules in the following cases:
- If the conduct takes place on university premises or in relation to the university's property.
- If the conduct takes place in the course of activities conducted by or in cooperation with the university or in lieu of such activities. Examples of activities that are or may be covered include class instruction, exams, field trips, conferences, fairs, project-oriented activities, internships and the like.
- If the conduct constitutes harassment or the like against university students or staff.
- If, generally, the conduct takes place in a manner or place where the student should be aware that the behaviour may affect the university's (undisturbed) functioning. Examples include violence against persons, even if the student is aware that the victims are fellow students or staff.
1.7. During the time between the student engaging in a particular conduct and the subsequent report or review of the conduct, it is conceivable that there have been changes in the student's situation, in the disciplinary rules or in practice. Such changes shall be governed by the following provisions.
1.8. The disciplinary rules govern the conduct of students at the university. However, if the person concerned has meanwhile ceased to be a student at the university, they are still subject to the rules, the decisive factor being the person's status at the time of the behaviour.
1.9. The assessment of the actual case must always be done in accordance with the rules in effect at the time the behaviour took place – even though, in principle the decision made in accordance with the current rules and must therefore also comply with the procedural rules contained in the current rules.
1.10 Finally, based on a general principle of criminal law (the rule of lenity), the rules and sanctions that are likely to be applied must be applied in a manner most favourable to the student. In practice, the main consequence of this is that the student cannot be punished for conduct if the behaviour has been decriminalised in the intervening time or if the behaviour was not criminalised at all under the rules in effect at the time.
1.11. Students are required to keep informed on and comply with the regulations (rules, etc.) established by the university or applicable to the university or its students. Such regulations may be established at any level of the university's organisation; they may also be contained legislation, including ministerial orders. Students are also required to abide by the instructions and orders issued by university staff and managers regarding compliance with such regulations.
Conduct contrary to the above will be sanctioned in accordance with the disciplinary rules. However, failure to keep informed on the relevant rules is only indirectly sanctioned, in the sense that the student cannot, as a rule, excuse any violation of the rules by claiming ignorance of the rules, provided that the rules were accessible.
1.12 Students must stay informed on and comply with the established security regulations and code of conduct. In this context, students must behave so as not to interfere with the functioning of the university and show consideration for other students and staff and for university property, buildings and premises. This means that conduct such as loud behaviour, eating, drinking, smoking etc. in a manner or in areas where this may cause inconvenience for others will not be tolerated.
It will normally be considered an aggravating circumstance if students violate the code of conduct or safety regulations, despite clear signage or the like.
1.13. Students are also required to use IT and technical means with consideration for good practice and in accordance with the rules on responsible IT usage. Violations of good practice include misuse of IT, data hacking, improper use of computer programs, illegal file sharing, breach of IT security, or use of student email for private purposes that may affect Aalborg University's reputation, including the content of emails sent from a student email address being of a threatening nature, relates to criminal matters, etc.
1.14 Students must stay informed on and comply with examination rules, including refraining from any disturbing conduct during an exam, and from committing acts or omissions which constitute or contribute to exam cheating. In this context, any type of test is equivalent to an exam.
1.15 It is not possible to exhaustively define the concept of exam cheating. However, students are considered to be guilty of exam cheating particularly in cases where:
- An examinee, before or during an exam, improperly obtains assistance in doing an exam assignment, such as using unauthorised aids, falsified data or plagiarism. See section 4 on plagiarism.
- An examinee attempts to influence the assessment or change the basis of the assessment after the exam, such as continuing to work on the assignment after the set exam time has expired.
- A student is or ought be aware that their conduct is contributes to exam cheating. Staff members can also contribute to student exam cheating, but such behaviour is not subject to sanction under the disciplinary rules for students. Instead, it may be a question of using disciplinary means under employment law.
- A student taking a written exam onsite does not adhere to the rules of exam monitoring.
A number of more specific examples of exam cheating are provided in section 7 of the disciplinary rules.
1.16 Students must stay informed on and comply with the guidelines on academic discipline and the ethical rules of science that apply to the field concerned. This is particularly important at the master’s level. It must be emphasised that these guidelines and rules may differ differences from one field to another.
These guidelines and rules include, for example, the prohibition on falsifying of documents issued by the university and the theft/misuse of research findings or works of other people. In addition, plagiarism not committed in an actual exam situation may be covered by the guidelines. See also section 4 on plagiarism.
1.17 If there is a suspicion that a student's conduct has violated the disciplinary rules, the behaviour must be reported to the manager responsible for the premises, the activity or the programme concerned.
On matters relating to teaching or exams, the relevant manager will normally be the head of studies; for issues concerning department premises, it is the head of department; and the dean is responsible for cases that do not fall under a specific head of studies or head of department. However, it may be the case that Study Service is considered to be the relevant unit, such as in matters relating to admissions and election to the governing bodies.
2. Investigation Phase (Preliminary Phase)
2.1. Upon receiving a report, the relevant manager must conduct the preliminary investigations into the case. There is only one exception to this: If the circumstances of the case are found to be highly exceptional, the Rector, or the person authorised by the Rector, may decide that the case is wholly transferred to the Rector.
The investigation requires that all necessary documentation on the case be obtained. In addition, the student must be called in for an interview to clarify the case. The student is entitled to be accompanied by an observer at a personal interview. If it is not possible to call the student in for a personal interview, communication takes place in writing instead.
In certain cases, a student may be expelled from an exam while the exam is still in progress. See item 3.13 for further details. It is also possible to postpone an examination (see item 3.14) if a suspicion of exam cheating arises before the time of the exam, but it is not possible to clarify the matter and decide the case before the time of the exam.
2.2. If after clarification the case, the relevant manager finds that the report is justified, the case must be reported to the Rector, if and only if the violations ought to result in the student being expelled from the university. In other cases, the relevant manager decides the case.
A violation will only lead to the expulsion from the university in the event of repeated or gross violation of the regulations specified in the disciplinary rules. Therefore, the issue must not be reported to the Rector solely because involves a criminal offence, as the relevant manager who is authorised to decide a case is also authorised to report criminal matters to the police.
2.3. If it is deemed necessary to report the matter to the Rector, such reporting must take place without undue delay.
In order to ensure the Rector’s swift and proper consideration of the case, the report must be accompanied by a written account of the case, including information on the name and student number of each student reported, as well as a brief explanation and all the available evidence pertaining to the case. In the case of reporting of exam cheating or violation of exam regulations, the exam in question must be specified. It must also be stated if this is a case of repeated violation.
When reporting plagiarism, a copy of the exam paper must also be attached where the plagiarised parts are clearly marked with reference to the sources from which the plagiarised text was taken. The plagiarised text or any other plagiarised material must also be marked in an attached copy of the source text. A report based on electronic scanning for plagiarism may constitute this documentation. In such a case, however, an assessment must be made of what is specifically deemed to be plagiarism compared to what the report indicates as being direct plagiarism (quality assurance of the plagiarism report).
If the programme or the study activity concerned is offered in English, and one of the persons reported is not familiar with Danish, the report, including the accompanying written account, must be in English.
The standard template for reporting cases of exam cheating/plagiarism to the Rector must be used.
2.4. If the report fails to meet the above requirements, the relevant manager will be required to comply with the requirements, unless the Rector or the person authorised by the Rector to handle the case determines this is not appropriate in the specific case.
3. Decision Phase
3.1. The Rector decides the case if the case was reported to the Rector or if the Rector has decided to take over the case in its entirety due to exceptional circumstances. In all other cases, the relevant manager decides the case. If it is certain that a reported case cannot or will not result in a student being expelled from the university, the case will normally be referred back to the relevant manager for consideration.
In the following, the person deciding the case is referred to as the ‘competent authority.’
3.2. Sanctions in accordance with the disciplinary rules can only be imposed on a student if the competent authority finds that it has been proven that the student has in actual fact displayed conduct that is covered by the disciplinary rules and that is in conflict with the rules.
3.3. In addition, the review of the case and the decision must comply with the requirements deriving from administrative law, particularly as follows:
- Consultation procedure: If the student is deemed not to be aware that the competent authority possesses certain information on the facts of the case, no decision may be made until such information has been disclosed to the student and the student has been allowed an opportunity to prepare a statement within a period of at least one week. However, this applies only if the information is detrimental to the student and of considerable significance to the determination of the case. In addition, there are certain exceptions to the obligation to consult the parties (see section 19 of the Danish Public Administration Act).
- Grounds: If sanctions are imposed on the student and the decision thus is detrimental to the student, the grounds for the decision must be stated. The grounds must include (a) a reference to section 14 of the disciplinary rules (see sections 15-19, (b) a statement on the main considerations underlying the actual decision, and (c) a brief account of the information on the facts of case found to be of considerable significance for the decision.
- Appeal guidelines: If sanctions are imposed on the student, an appeal guidelines must be provided specifying the appellate body and describing the appeals procedure. An example of appeal guidelines is provided in item 5.1. These are updated in the university's standardised appeals guidelines (available in the AAU Handbook).
- Good administrative practice: It is emphasised that the administration must treat the student in a polite and professional manner during the entire consideration of the case.
3.4. If it is found that the disciplinary rules have been violated, the competent authority may impose the following sanctions:
A written warning on repeated violations of the rules.
In the event of misuse of the university’s IT systems, the student’s right to use these may be completely or partially suspended.
Expulsion from an exam
Moreover, the Rector may decide to expel the student from the university, including cancelling the student’s admission to or grades from courses where the student has participated without being entitled to do so, if the case concerns an applicant’s provision of incomplete or incorrect Information when applying for admission.
When deciding whether and to what extent a given sanction is to be imposed on a student, the concrete damaging effect of the violation for the university must be considered, including society’s confidence in the university’s examinations and the preservation of the respect for the work performed by the university. In addition, any prior warnings issued, the risk of repeated violation and whether the university’s interests can be sufficiently safeguarded by imposing a less severe sanction must all be considered (disciplinary rules, section 20).
3.5. In addition to the above sanctions, the following specific measures and/or sanctions may be imposed:
- Reporting to the police in the case of possible criminal offences.
- Expulsion from an exam in progress if it is found with certainty that exam cheating or disruptive behaviour is taking place.
- Postponement of an exam if a suspicion of exam cheating in connection with a paper to be used during an examination arises before the time of the exam, but where it is not possible to decide the case before the scheduled examination time.
- Denial of supervision in connection with the rewriting of an exam paper where plagiarism was found.
3.6. If it is found that the disciplinary rules have been violated, the competent authority may, and must always as a minimum, issue a written or verbal warning on repeated violation of the rules.
The issue of a warning has the additional effect that, in the event of repeated violation of the disciplinary rules, the student can expect a more severe sanction to be imposed than would otherwise be the case.
3.7. Expulsion from an examination may take place in cases of exam cheating or violation of exam rules in general.
Expulsion may take place prospectively or retroactively and means that the student has used an examination attempt and does not receive an assessment of their performance, or has a previously awarded assessment annulled. Specifically, this means that the student is registered as "not assessed" for that exam in the Student Self-service System (STADS).
3.8. Expulsion from the university may take place in case of gross or repeated violation of the regulations specified or included in the disciplinary rules.
An expulsion may be temporary or permanent, and entails that the student is excluded from all activities at the university during the period of expulsion, including all participation in classes and exams. Any tuition fees covering the period of expulsion will not be refunded or credited to the account of an expelled student.
3.9 In the case of a temporary expulsion, the student will be registered as being on leave during the expulsion period. Unless the student has terminated their enrolment from the university in the meantime, the student will automatically be registered as an active student after the expulsion period expires.
The expulsion period will normally cover one or more semesters. In the exceptional case that the expulsion period does not coincide with the semester period, it will be possible for the student to participate in examinations when the expulsion period expires, even though the student was registered as being on leave during that semester.
3.10 A permanent expulsion from the university means that the student’s enrolment at the university is terminated and the student must return their student ID card. In addition, the expulsion means that the student will be permanently excluded from all activities at the university and may not be admitted to or enrolled in any degree programme or parts thereof at the university. Upon application, the Rector may permit a student who has been permanently expelled to be re-admitted or re-enrolled. However, this is subject to the condition that a minimum of five years have elapsed since the decision and that the student can provide a convincing statement that they will be able to comply with the disciplinary rules in the future.
3.11 A temporary decision on expulsion is a measure intended to stop student conduct that is contrary to the rules of conduct stated in section 2 of the disciplinary rules or that interferes with the function of the university (disciplinary rules section 4). The provision in section 19 (3) of the disciplinary rules may be applied when it is deemed necessary to ensure that the expulsion takes effect immediately and cannot wait for a normal review of the case and other options for stopping conduct are considered to have been exhausted.
The provision in section 19 (3) of the disciplinary rules applies to situations other than exam situations, since exam situations are specifically governed by section 11 (2) of the disciplinary rules.
The provision provides that a decision on temporary expulsion be made without delay, after consultation with the parties with a very short deadline. As far as possible, the decision should be in writing, but may be communicated orally if necessary. In accordance with section 13 of the Public Administration Act, a memorandum must be drawn up on any oral notification of the decision. The circumstances of the case may justify consulting with the parties by telephone, by Skype, by student email or otherwise. To the extent that the consultation takes place orally or by telephone, a memorandum must be drawn up in accordance with section 13 of the Public Administration Act. Where a decision on temporary expulsion is made, a decision must not comment on time period of the expulsion. The Rector decides this in conjunction with the final consideration of the case.
Once the student has been notified of the decision on the temporary expulsion, the decision and its background are reported to the Rector by the relevant manager with a view to the Rectors initiating a review of the case in terms of conduct. The relevant manager follows the procedure described in item 2.3.
The Rector makes a final decision on the expulsion, including whether it is temporary or permanent. The Rector may also repeal or amend the decision.
Reporting to the Police
3.12 The competent authority must report criminal offences to the police. Such a report does not constitute a sanction imposed by the university, even if the report is made on behalf of the university. It is thus only a matter of reporting the case to the police for further investigation, as it is assumed that, in addition to constituting a violation of the university’s rules, the case also constitutes a violation of the criminal law.
The above, of course, does not prevent a person who has been the victim of a criminal offence from reporting this personally to the police – even if the victim is employed at the university. Such a report is then not made on behalf of the university.
The provision in section 5 of the disciplinary rules is not intended to enable AAU to determine whether there has been a violation of the Penal Code or the Law on Euphoriant Substances if there is doubt about whether this occurred. There are two options:
- If the individual the report concerns denies having violated the Penal Code or the Law on Euphoriant Substances, and there is no objective information that clearly proves there has been a law violation, but there is a suspicion, then AAU must file a police report. If it turns out that the report leads to a legal judgment, AAU may then impose a disciplinary sanction.
- For example, if during an interview a student acknowledges that they have used violence against another student, or sold drugs at AAU, then AAU may well take the view that there has been a violation of the Penal Code or the Law on Euphoriant Substances. AAU may then impose a sanction and file a police report.
3.13 An administrative authority must consider a case without undue delay. Thus, the disciplinary case will not be suspended while the police are investigating the report. The fact that the student may risk sanctions according to two sets of rules does also not affect the decision or the choice of a possible sanction.
Expulsion from an exam in progress
3.14 If the case concerns an examination in progress, and it is established with certainty that exam cheating or disruptive behaviour is taking place, the head of studies, a person authorised by the head of studies or the examiners jointly may expel the student from the examination while it is still in progress. In such cases, the justification for the expulsion will be assessed in connection with the subsequent decision in the case.
Postponement of an exam
3.15 If the case concerns exam cheating, including plagiarism, in connection with a paper to be used during an exam, the head of studies postpones the examination if the matter cannot be clarified before the scheduled exam time. However, only the exam where exam cheating is suspected may be postponed. This means that the student may participate in other exams until a decision is made in the case.
Denial of supervision
3.16 If it is found that plagiarism or attempted plagiarism has taken place, no supervision will be offered to the student in connection with the rewriting of the plagiarised text. However, the head of studies may grant an exemption from this provision in case of mitigating circumstances.
4. About plagiarism and sanctioning thereof
4.1. The concept of plagiarism is normally used in relation to text; the following is based on this conceptualization. The fact is, however, that more or less any artificially produced product may be plagiarised, including drawings, figures, models, sculptures, pieces of music, music notes etc., and such plagiarism is also covered by the disciplinary rules.
Plagiarism is deemed to constitute exam cheating if found in an exam paper submitted by the student for use in connection with an exam, i.e. if the paper is submitted for assessment, or if an exam is to be based on the paper. If plagiarism takes place outside an actual exam situation, such plagiarism will, however, often be deemed to constitute violation of the guidelines on academic discipline and ethical rules in science applying to the academic field in question.
4.2. As a practical main rule, plagiarism exists if, in an exam paper, a student attempts to give the impression that he or she is the originator of an idea, a text, layout etc., even though the originator is in fact someone else.
More specifically, plagiarism exists if an exam paper in full or in part appears to have been produced by the student(s) personally, even though the exam paper
- contains an identical or almost identical reproduction of the wordings or works of other authors, without such reproduction being marked by quotation marks, italics, indentation or other clear indication with source reference, including any page numbers etc. (copy),
- contains long passages with wording that is so close to that of another work or similar wording etc. that comparison shows that those passages could not have been written without the use of the other work (paraphrasing etc.),
- contains the use of the wordings or ideas of other authors’ without such other authors being duly credited (other plagiarism), or
- reuses text and/or central ideas from the examinee’s own previously assessed or published works without complying with items 1) and 3) above (self-plagiarism).
Students are thus entitled to use and quote from the works of other authors – provided that they give due credit to the works and authors used and clearly mark quotations etc.
4.3. The student must ensure that products prepared by that student comply with the applicable requirements – including the obligation to give due credit to other works and authors. If the exam paper has been prepared by a group, the group is deemed to be jointly responsible for the paper complying with the rules on source referencing. If there is clear evidence that only one or some of the members of a group are responsible for the plagiarism, the specific disciplinary case will then normally only be pursued for these students and thus not the other members of the group.
In principle, there is thus no lower threshold to what constitutes plagiarism. In practice, however, reality differs from this: Firstly, not every resemblance between the student’s product and the work of someone else will be deemed to be plagiarism. For example, an individual short sentence will not normally in itself be deemed to be plagiarism. Moreover, certain phrases may for example be perfectly normal phrases in the academic field in question or be so obvious in the specific context that the coincidence of the texts must be deemed to be insignificant. And secondly, the case may be one of ordinary ‘messy practice’ regarding sources, which will normally be deemed to be the case if only a few lines in an entire project are found to have been copied without proper source referencing.
4.4. When determining what sanction to impose in connection with the discovered plagiarism, the gravity of the plagiarism is of crucial importance. The assessment must be based on the following advisory guidelines.

4.5. The sanction to be imposed depends on when and under what circumstances the plagiarism is discovered.
On the basis of a specific assessment, and where there are no other particularly aggravating circumstances, first-time offences of less than the equivalent of 10-12 percent of exact copying may be sanctioned only by expulsion from the exam in question and the issuing of a written warning against violating the disciplinary rules again. In order to apply this relaxation, the first-time offence must have been committed in the first or second semester of a bachelor's or professional bachelor's programme at AAU and, if any mitigating circumstances apply, also exceptionally in the third semester of a bachelor's or professional bachelor's programme at AAU. It is therefore assumed that the relaxation can be applied more easily in the first semester than in the second semester and only in very exceptional circumstances in the third semester. This relaxation of sanctions does not alter the obligation to report to the Rector, as described under item 2.2. cf. item 4.4.
4.6. If plagiarism is discovered outside an actual exam situation, it will often be considered a violation of the guidelines on academic discipline. This does not mean, however, that the plagiarism will be met with sanctions as severe as if it had been discovered in an exam situation.
If plagiarism is discovered during supervision, action must be taken against all types of plagiarism, no matter how limited. In this connection it must be made clear to the student that plagiarism will not be tolerated, and that the plagiarised text must be rewritten. If, in spite of the supervisor’s reprimand, plagiarism is discovered after submission, this will be deemed to constitute an aggravating circumstance.
4.7. If plagiarism is discovered in an exam paper that has been submitted or used during an exam, the following sanctions will be imposed on the student:
- In case of gross plagiarism: The Rector will expel the student from the university as well as from the exam in question and will warn the student against repeated violation of the disciplinary rules. The case must therefore be reported to the Rector, and the report must comply with certain formal requirements (see item 2.3). Rewriting of the plagiarised text will be without supervision, unless an exemption is granted due to extenuating circumstances.
- In case of plagiarism: The student will be expelled from the exam in question and will receive a warning against repeated violation. The head of studies will also summon the student to a serious talk. Rewriting of the plagiarised text will be without supervision, unless an exemption is granted due to extenuating circumstances.
- In case of simple plagiarism: The student will receive a warning against repeated violation of the disciplinary rules.
5. Appeal
5.1. Decisions to impose sanctions on a student may be appealed by the student. The decision may be appealed to the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education if the complaint concerns legal issues. This means that the agency will only determine whether a case has been considered in accordance with applicable law, including general principles of administrative law. The agency thus cannot determine academic issues or assessments in a case unless these are in contravention of the legal framework.
Example of appeal guidelines:
This decision may be appealed to the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education if the complaint concerns legal issues. Legal issues can be, for example, ineligibility, inadequate consultation, inadequate complaint guidelines or other inconsistencies in terms of legislation or administrative law. The appeal must be written and must be sent to email: aau@aau.dk You are not required to file an appeal within any given deadline. If the decision is upheld, the university issues a statement which you have the opportunity to comment on within a period of at least one week. The appeal is then sent to the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education, Legal Affairs along with the university’s statement and any comments you may have.
Procedure
These guidelines were established in accordance with section 22 (2) of Aalborg University’s disciplinary rules; the first version of the guidelines were established on 16 February 2009.
These guidelines hereby replace the previous version thereof:
Aalborg University, 21 October 2019
Rector: Per Michael Johansen
Head of Study Service: Lone Vestergaard
These guidelines were drawn up in accordance with section 22 (2) of the rules on disciplinary measures for students at Aalborg University (disciplinary rules).
These guidelines are intended to elaborate on and complete the rules for those using the rules (relevant managers) as well as students at Aalborg University. A summary is provided by way of introduction.
Rules regarding disciplinary measures for students at Aalborg University (the disciplinary rules).