The procedures of investigating academic misconduct:Perspectives from academic staff at a UK Russell Group University

This article sociologically explores the issue of students” academic misconduct at a UK Russell Group University, specifically through how academic staff are tasked to investigate, evidence, and sanction it. Reaching unprecedented levels due to the massification and marketisation of Higher Education (HE) and the recent emergence and success of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), academic misconduct threatens the integrity of HE. Drawing on qualitative research consisting of semi-structured interviews (n=10) conducted with academic staff involved in the academic misconduct panels (AMP) between late 2022 and early 2023, this article deploys grounded theory to examine how the investigation and sanctioning of academic misconduct effectively occurs in practice, in relation to staff interpret and follow the policy and guidelines in place. The article accounts for the different strategies developed by staff to deal with the increasing number of cases, the evidence brought forward by markers and students, and the sanctioning of academic misconduct. It also examines how staff perceive their administrative task, in relation to broader issues within contemporary HE, which are seen as further fostering breaches to academic integrity.