Academic Integrity Initiative
What is academic integrity?
Throughout your time at university you will be encouraged to work independently and to have original ideas. At the same time, you will be expected to study the literature in your field and incorporate the ideas of other authors into your own work. Academic integrity means being honest about where you have sourced the material for your assignments. You are expected to demonstrate academic integrity, at all times, by indicating which ideas are your own and which are those of other authors.
What is plagiarism?
Using published or unpublished material (including text, diagrams and pictures) or ideas, without acknowledging the original source, is known as plagiarism. It is an academic offence which is taken very seriously by the University and of which all students need to have a thorough understanding. Plagarism takes many forms including reusing your own work without acknowledgment. To raise awareness of plagiarism and the importance of academic integrity, from October 2011, all students will be expected to undertake training and a test.
In this short video Professor Bernie Morley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching), explains the importance of academic integrity and the University’s initiative to raise awareness of plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Training and test
What does the training involve?
An online tutorial will provide you with a basic understanding of plagiarism and how to avoid it by referencing appropriately. It comprises a mixture of text, video clips, and questions. Even if you think you have a thorough knowledge of plagiarism, it is important to undertake the training. Once you have worked through the training, and feel confident that you have understood it, you are ready to take the test.
What does the test involve?
There is a test for each programme of study. Your Director of Studies will provide you with details of the test you need to take. To pass the test you will need to achieve a mark of 85%.
Do I have to take the test?
From October 2011, ALL students registering or re-registering on an award at the University must take the test, regardless of how long they have been at the University, or their level or mode of study. Passing the test is not mandatory for some CPD students. If you are a CPD student, please check the requirements with your Director of Studies.
How many times can I take the test?
You can take the test as many times as necessary, until you pass.
Why do I have to pass the test?
The test will provide you with a basic understanding of plagiarism and how to reference properly. This knowledge is extremely important for your studies.
Until you have passed the test you will not be allowed to continue in your studies past your next progression point. Your Director of Studies will be able to identify this progression point. Please bear in mind that in some cases the next progression point may be graduation. In this case you would not be allowed to graduate until you had taken and passed the test.
Once you have passed the test it will be assumed that you understand the concept of plagiarism and its consequences. Therefore, after this point, if you are found to have plagiarised in your work, you will not be able to claim ignorance of plagiarism or its consequences in mitigation.
Do I have to retake the test if I transfer to another programme?
Once you have passed the test you do not have to retake it even if you register on another programme at the University. However, if, having passed the test, you are found to have plagiarised in your work you may be asked to retake the test (in addition to other penalities).
You are encouraged to revisit the training and other resources provided by the University throughout your studies.
Consequences and detection of plagiarism
How does the University detect plagiarism?
Your lecturers will have a good knowledge of the literature in your subject and will generally know when you are using information from a source without referencing properly. They will also be able to tell by a change of tone and style in your work that you are quoting from another source.
To support the detection of plagiarism in students’ work, the University subscribes to the JISC Plagiarism Detection Service, Turnitin. Turnitin is used by most universities in the UK to detect plagiarism in students’ work. The service checks electronic, text-based submissions against a large database of material and produces a report on the originality of each piece of work, highlighting the presence of outside sources and providing a link to the original text. Your work may be submitted to Turnitin periodically by your department.
What are the consequences of plagiarism?
Each case of plagiarism is considered individually and a penalty applied according to the seriousness of the offence. In the most serious cases the penalties may include being downgraded in degree classification or being asked the leave the University without a degree. You will be able to find further information regarding penalties and the processes in place to deal with plagiarism offences effective from October 2011, in statement QA53 Examination and Assessment Offences of the University’s Quality Assurance Code of Practice.
Where can I find further information about plagiarism and referencing?
Developing good writing, research, referencing and note-taking skills is essential to avoiding plagiarism in your work. Further information on resources and training available to develop these skills is available on the Student Support and Resources site.