Purpose
The guidance is intended to facilitate a fair and consistent approach to dealing with alleged instances of academic misconduct.
As members of the academic community, it is important to note that you are responsible for ensuring that your work abides by the conventions and rules of the community. The integrity of your final award depends on adhering to these conventions. It is expected that all staff will ensure that you are aware what constitutes appropriate academic scholarship and the importance of this in the context of maintaining the quality and standard of awards within the University.
Given this context, the University regards academic misconduct as a serious matter and it can, in some cases, lead to formal proceeding being brought against a student under the University’s Student Discipline Procedure. As such, it can carry heavy penalties and it is therefore important that staff inform you about what is expected (or not expected) of you as part of the academic community and about what constitutes academic misconduct.
Examples of Academic Misconduct
Cheating
Cheating in written exams
- Illicit copying and communicating
- Possession of prohibited materials
- Unapproved use of electronic devices to store and retrieve information
False candidature or impersonation
- Impersonating another student in an examination or engaging someone else to take one’s place in an examination
- Undertaking a piece of coursework for another student or engaging someone else to undertake a piece of coursework in one’s place
False declaration
Making a false declaration in order to retrieve special consideration by an Examination Board/Committee or Appeals Committee or to obtain extensions to deadlines or exemption from work
Fabrication or falsification of data/experimental results/statistics/references
Presentation of data, experimental results, statistics or references in laboratory reports, essays, projects, presentations, dissertation, theses or other assessed work which have been invented or altered by the student
Plagiarism
Using someone else’s work (ie words, ideas, results, tables or diagrams) whether taken from print, electronic or internet sources without acknowledging whether by direct copying, paraphrasing or summarizing.
Duplication
Submitting the same piece of work for two different assignments/degree programmes – even though it is the student’s own work which is being reproduced this is a form of plagiarism and should be treated as such.
Collusion
Agreeing with another student either to submit work produced collaboratively or to copy the other student’s work. This is a form of plagiarism in which the individual whose work is being plagiarised gives consent for this to happen. In such cases both parties are committing an offence.
Advice
Information about academic integrity and how to avoid it should be included in your relevant handbooks and materials that have been provided to you.
If you have any questions, or concerns about academic integrity please consult your Department or School.