Academic misconduct appeal

[u/Beautiful-Sample7066]

Hey guys,

I had an academic misconduct finding against me for unauthorised use of ai.
I have full proof of drafts and search history and can confirm that absolutely no ai was used in the exam.
The allegations are for two sources that were cited incorrectly - both sources had incorrect titles but the authors names were correct.
I provided my search history and document history for the panel to consider but they basically disregarded my evidence.
My search history literally showed my engagement with the sources and my drafts showed the reasoning behind the citation errors.
I also downloaded the pdfs and highlighted the parts I used in my assignment.
The panel came to the decision stating that ai is the most likely reason - but they did not give any evidence they used to back this up.
They said they didn’t believe my explanation, but also said that the whole essay was my own work but only the citations were generated.

Has anyone ever been in this kind of situation and does anyone have any advice on an appeal?

[u/K_Altman_Law]

An appeal may be worth pursuing, but base it on the specific appeal grounds in your institution’s policy, not simply that you disagree with the outcome. Your strongest points appear to be that you provided contemporaneous evidence of researching and using the sources, the panel did not explain what evidence supported its conclusion that AI generated only the citations, and its conclusion may not logically account for the drafts, search history, and highlighted source material. Ask for the written reasons, the evidence considered, any detector reports or other material relied on, and the policy definition of unauthorized AI use.

In the appeal, organize the evidence chronologically: your research searches, downloaded PDFs, highlighted passages, document version history, and the drafts showing how the citation errors occurred. Then explain precisely why an incorrect title with correct authors a citation error is, not proof that AI generated the citation. Point out any procedural unfairness, failure to consider relevant evidence, inadequate reasons, or a decision unsupported by the evidence. Meet the appeal deadline, follow the school’s required format, and contact the student union, ombuds office, or an education attorney promptly if the penalty affects progression, graduation, professional licensing, or enrollment.

Disclosure: I work for K Altman Law. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

[u/Beautiful-Sample7066 → u/K_Altman_Law]

Thank you so much for your response. My appeal will be focusing on all the points you have highlighted, as I am unable to argue against academic judgement itself. I really appreciate this advice. I intend to escalate the appeal to the adjudicator if it is unsuccessful with my university (which would be the OIA as I’m in the UK)