Plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating – they sound like something out of a crime film. They’re all part of academic integrity.
Academic integrity is a fancy term that means all of your Uni work is honestly created and conducted. It’s being fair to others and taking responsibility for your learning.
You can demonstrate academic integrity by:
- using information appropriately, according to copyright and privacy laws
- acknowledging where the information you use comes from
- not presenting other people’s work as your own
- conducting research ethically, in line with the University’s regulations
- reporting truthfully on your research
- acting in an ethical manner in all your academic endeavours
Plagiarism
Nobody likes a copycat, especially not when you’re at Uni. The consequences can be serious.
Plagiarism occurs when you use other people’s words, ideas, designs or images without acknowledging where they came from in order to pass an assessment, get a higher mark or benefit in some other way.
Self-plagiarism is also a no-no; meaning you can’t copy your own work and then resubmit it for another assessment.
Watch this short video below to learn the simple steps you can take to avoid plagiarism.
Collusion
By all means, collaborate and support each other at Uni, but make sure you’re submitting your own work. Collusion is when you work on an assessment in a group when it is supposed to be an individual assessment. Assessors can easily spot if two assignment are a little too similar and they’ll raise the alarm.
Contract cheating
They’ve followed you on Instagram. They’ve commented on posts you’ve seen. Their emails have popped up in your inbox or their ads have appeared while you’re browsing.
Pages and sites that advertise assignment writing services will actively try to infiltrate your life. And they do that because they’re looking for that moment you’re vulnerable, feeling your assignment is all too overwhelming, to strike. What they don’t advertise, though, is that this activity is classified by the University as ‘contract cheating’.
Don’t be fooled, if you pay for an assignment (online or in person) to be written on your behalf and submitted under your name, you’ll be caught every time. Even if just part of your assignment is written by someone else, the Uni will pick it up for sure. The consequences for contract cheating are serious, and can result in expulsion from the University.
Need a little help?
Speak to a Peer Learning Adviser or Librarian at your campus’ Learning Hub to learn about referencing, time management and study tips.