Academic integrity

If you use someone else’s ideas, information or words without acknowledging them, then you may be charged with plagiarising as this is deemed to be academic misconduct. Other activities such as colluding with others to complete your assessment task or paying someone to write an essay for you (a friend or service) are dishonest, disrespectful and a breach of academic integrity.

Many students are unfamiliar with the writing conventions of university study when they commence, and most students do not intend to plagiarise in assessments. But even accidental plagiarism can trigger academic penalties for improper conduct.

Academic misconduct, or cheating, can take many forms:

• Contract cheating (also known as ‘ghost writing’): using work written, in part or entirely, by another person and presenting it as your own, including text produced for free or at a cost.
• Collusion: working with other students on an assessment and then claiming it as your own.
• Verbatim copying: copying material word-for-word, or cutting and pasting it, and presenting it as your own without citing the source.
• Sham paraphrasing: copying material word-for-word, or cutting and pasting it, and presenting it as a paraphrase rather than a direct quote.
• Illicit paraphrasing: using material that is closely paraphrased or summarised, without using direct quotes or citing the source.
• Self-plagiarism or recycling: submitting an old assignment, or parts of it, as new work without acknowledgement or permission from the Course Coordinator.
• Bullying: taking and using work written by another and, even if edited, presenting it as your own; and where material was obtained inappropriately such as through emotional, social or physical pressure.
  (Walker, 1998)