Ghostwriter in the university
Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra made this Freedom of Information request to University of Reading This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear University of Reading,
This request is under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
1. Please inform me of the number of disciplinary actions taken against students resulting in a fine and/or expulsion in the last five academic years, the reasons for such action being taken, and the results of any appeal.
2. In those academic years (2013 to 2017), How many of those are the case where a ghostwriter involve? (for ex: assignment or dissertation were written by somebody else)
3. How to find out that ghostwriter involvement since many ghostwriter organisations offer the plagiarism checking?
4. Is there any case where your staff involved in that unfair practice, being a ghostwriter for the student? Please give the details about those cases.
I would request this data in either Excel or CSV format or searchable PDF.
If you feel the information that I have requested cannot be compiled within a reasonable time frame, I would appreciate if you at least can answer my first question.
If you need any clarification then please contact me via email. Under your section 16 duty to provide advice and assistance, I would expect you contact me if you find this request unmanageable in any way.
Yours faithfully,
Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra
Dear Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra
We would like to request some clarification regarding your above referenced FOI request.
It looks as though question one might go over the cost limit as it would require a search of all departments, schools and functions for all fines, for example, library fines, behavioural misconduct fines. However, if you were to limit your request to academic misconduct fines and expulsions only, where incidents of ghost-writing would most likely be recorded, this would likely not engage the cost limit exemption.
Please could you advise how you wish to proceed?
Please be aware that if compliance with your request would be estimated to exceed the appropriate costs limit established by section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we may not be able to determine whether we hold the requested information.
Your request is on hold pending receipt of this clarification.
Yours sincerely,
Sinead Latham
Information Compliance Officer
Information Management & Policy Services (IMPS), University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AH
t: +44 (0)118 378 8981 www.reading.ac.uk/internal/imps
Dear Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra,
We have completed the compilation of information in response to your
request.
We can confirm that we do hold some information of the description
specified in your request. Our responses are given below each limb of your
request.
Please be advised that in order to not exceed cost limits established by
section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we have provided you
with recorded formal academic misconduct data from our Student Complaints
and Appeals department only. The primary reason for this is that to
exhaustively search all possible locations for records of all disciplinary
actions taken against students resulting in a fine would involve locating
records of cases that may have been dealt with at informal levels within
individual schools or departments, including halls of residence, libraries
and clubs. There are over 60 such Schools and Departments and their
records are not recorded centrally in an easily searchable, aggregated
format.
However, to assist as much as possible, please find information relating
to formal stage disciplinary action for academic misconduct below.
We are required to include details of our complaints procedures, including
your rights to apply to the Information Commissioner. The procedure is
detailed in our Freedom of Information and Environmental Information
Regulations policy on the web at
[1]www.reading.ac.uk/freedom-of-information-policy
If we are unable to resolve any complaint, you can complain to the
Information Commissioner, the independent body who oversees the access to
information regimes:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Email: [2][email address]
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Daniells
Data Protection Officer
Information Management & Policy Services (IMPS), University of Reading,
Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AH
[3][University of Reading request email] t: +44 (0)118 378 8981
[4]www.reading.ac.uk/foia
Dear IMPS,
Hi, sorry for my late response,
I would say, just skip the question 1 if you think it will over the cost limit. I will appreciate if you can provide me the answer of question 2 to 4.
Many thanks,
Yours sincerely,
Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra
Dear Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra,
Thank you for your email.
We had answered question 3 and 4 in our original response.
Question 2 has also been answered in respect of the formal complaints data we held as explained. To exhaustively search all possible locations for any matters dealt with informally would exceed the cost limits.
I cannot seem to be able to view your request on the WDTK website, but if there have been any issues with our original responses coming through (which it outside of our control and subject to capabilities of this third party website) then please let me know. You can also email our team direct if you choose to.
Best Regards
Rebecca
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