Fraud and plagiarism

What happens when there is (a suspicion of) fraud?

1. Reporting suspicions of Fraud
2. Investigating possible fraud
3. Hearing the student
4. Decision, sanctions and aftermath
5. Something to think about
6. Online proctoring and fraud

1. Reporting suspicions of fraud
The examiner reports instances of suspected fraud to the Board of Examiners (BoE).
Suspected fraud that happens during the examination


1. The examiner or invigilator must notify the student concerned that fraud is suspected, during or immediately after the examination.

2. The examiner will not register any result for the student concerned yet.

3. The suspicion is recorded in writing in an official report.
4. The examiner or the invigilator can ask the student to make any relevant evidence available. If the student refuses, this will be recorded in the report.
5. The official report and any evidence is submitted to the Board of Examiners via boardofexaminers-3mE@tudelft.nl.

Suspected fraud that arises at some time other than during an examination

For example, while marking an examination or assignment. The examiner notifies the student and follows the procedure above as much as possible.

2. Fraud investigation

The Board of Examiners is the objective party that investigates suspicions of fraud. A file containing evidence and relevant documents (e.g. exam instructions) is compiled. If fraud seems likely, the student is contacted. 

3. Hearing the student

The student is informed about the suspicion of fraud (in general terms) and is asked to respond. The BoE wants to have a clear idea of the situation and wants to hear both sides of the story before a decision is made.
Suspicious circumstances are not always an indication of fraud. Fraud investigations do not always result in a ‘guilty’ verdict. If a student is guilty, we still want to hear their story.



If you receive a message from the BoE asking for a response: 


• Take your time to formulate your response. What happened? Can you explain /account for the suspicion of fraud? 

• It is important that you send a serious response, because decisions are made once. If you send an incomplete or impulsive (or no) response and this results in a ‘guilty’ decision, you cannot negotiate. If you do not reply, this may not work in your favour.  The BoE will still have to make a decision.

• In the meantime, continue with the course / your studies.

• Bear in mind that a fraud investigation will take some weeks. There is no maximum decision period for the BoE. 

• If you have a resit coming up, you can ask your teacher what grade you obtained for the exam. You may also take part in the inspection and discussion of results.

• Please do not ask your examiner about the fraud suspicions directly. 

• If you did not commit fraud and you can offer a reasonable explanation, there's no need for sleepless nights.

A meeting between the BoE and the student

For the BoE, a meeting is not always necessary. Sometimes, the circumstances and/or the student’s statement are very clear. The BoE requests a meeting with the student in case of additional questions and/or in case of serious fraud. During this meeting, questions may be asked about the exam itself, preparation for the exam, etc. Sometimes, the BoE will show the student their exam to aid the conversation. Critical questions may be asked to test the strength of the student’s explanation. 
If you want to have a meeting with the BoE, you can ask for one in your written response. You can bring someone for support, unless this person is also involved in the fraud case.

4. Decision, sanction, aftermath

A decision is made after the written and/or oral statement from the student has been taken into consideration. The Fraud subcommittee presents their advice to the BoE. Most decisions are made during the scheduled BoE meetings. The student is usually informed of the decision in the following working days. If a student is not guilty of fraud, their exam result is published ASAP.



Possible sanctions are described in Article 7 of the RGBE. Students may receive sanctions that result in study delay, where they are banned from the next exam or from a number of exams for various courses.

At 3mE the consequences are limited. However, KT and TM students may be referred to the Professional Behaviour Board.



If you believe that the BoE has made a decision on the wrong grounds, then you can lodge an appeal with the Examinations Appeal Board. You can find more information on the procedures webpage under ‘complaints’.



5. Something to think about

Fraud investigations take time and energy from all those involved. Students may sometimes feel anger as well as relief if they have been a suspect in a case of ‘false alarm’. It is worth considering that fraud suspicions are not personal and that the BoE must be critical in their investigation. Fraud investigations contribute to the quality of the study programme and the worth of your (future) diploma. 

What’s more: fraud investigations frequently result in improvements, such as the fine-tuning of the course’s examination methodology or the course communication.



See the next tab for links to relevant websites and documents.