I was accused of using AI in my dissertation but I wrote it all myself

Aug 11, 2026 · 8:46 AM UTC ·4 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 7 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

A medical student at the University of St Andrews was accused of using AI in his dissertation, despite writing it himself. The student, Harrison Sharples, had to attend a hearing to defend his case, but the allegations were initially upheld due to technical issues. However, after a successful appeal, the university decided not to uphold the allegations, and Sharples received full marks on his dissertation.

Key facts

▪Harrison Sharples, a 20-year-old medical student, was accused of using AI in his dissertation on the impact of play therapy on reducing anxiety in hospitalised children.
▪The allegations were raised by a human marker who noted the dissertation's polished tone, consistent grammar, and formulaic paragraph structure, which are characteristics often associated with AI-generated content.
▪Sharples successfully appealed the decision after the university accepted that technical issues had affected his ability to present his case during the initial hearing.

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Original publisher	Bbc
Canonical URL	https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crelev8gw5xo
Publication time	Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:46:49 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-08-11T08:50:42.317Z
Last seen	2026-08-11T08:50:42.317Z
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

I was accused of using AI in my dissertation but I wrote it all myself4 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMarta LeshykBBC ScotlandHarrison SharplesHarrison Sharples faced allegations of using AI in his dissertationIn August last year, medical student Harrison Sharples was "shocked" to receive an academic misconduct alert saying the dissertation he had spent his summer writing had been flagged as being AI-generated. The 20-year-old University of St Andrews student could not understand how the markers had thought the work wasn't his own.He told the BBC he hadn't even considered using AI as he had plenty of time to complete the assignment and had enjoyed writing it.

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