Referencing, academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism: Academic integrity and misconduct

When you join university, you become part of a scholarly community.  Academic integrity is at the heart of that community, ensuring we all treat each other respectfully and behave ethically.   

The International Center for Academic Integrity (2021) defines academic integrity as a commitment to six fundamental values. 

• Honesty: be truthful and give credit to the owner of any work you use.

• Trust: prepare work that is honest, thoughtful and genuine.

• Fairness: present original work and acknowledge any sources you use appropriately.

• Respect: treat staff and fellow students with respect, listen and learn from other points of view.

• Responsibility: take responsibility for your own learning and your own actions.  Stand-up to wrongdoing and set a positive example. 

• Courage: hold yourself and others to the highest standards of academic integrity.

At university you will be expected to abide by these values. By embracing these values you give credibility to yourself and the work you produce.  If you fail to abide by these values you may risk consequences of academic misconduct regulations. 

If you fail to meet the requirements of academic integrity, this is considered academic misconduct.  So if you plagiarise, cheat or do anything that attempts to gain an unfair academic advantage, or you assist others to do so, you are committing the offence of academic misconduct.

The University takes academic misconduct very seriously and there is a range of penalties depending on the offence, from a reprimand to expulsion  in very serious cases and for repeated instances of misconduct.

You are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with the Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedure, which lists a range of categories of academic misconduct and associated penalties, covering instances of academic misconduct (plagiarism, collusion, exam cheating).

Demonstrating the behaviours below shows good academic integrity and will help you make the best of your university experience.

• Manage your deadlines.  Practice good time management and plan ahead, noting down all your deadline and create a study schedule for yourself. Don’t leave everything to the last minute before the deadline.  When you are against time this causes stress and can make you more susceptible to taking shortcuts. See our Time management guidance.
• Take notes. This will help you engage with the topic and reinforce your learning.  Always write down any sources you use next to the notes so that you can reference them in your work.  This will help prevent you accidentally plagiarising. See our Notemaking guidance.
• Ask for help. If you need help with academic writing or referencing, reach out to support services- we’re here to help! If you don’t understand the assignment instructions, ask for clarification.  Academic Mentors & Academic Liaison Librarians
• Read widely. Using a broad range of sources demonstrates that you are engaging with the topic and are aware of the research in that area.  See our Reading guidance.
• Respect the work of others.  Always acknowledge when you have used the words or ideas of others through citation and referencing.  Don’t take credit for other people's work. See our Referencing and plagiarism guide
• Collaborate with respect.  Groupwork is a great opportunity to work with your fellow students and learn from people with different backgrounds and experiences.  Respect everyone in the group, listen to other points of view and positively contribute to discussions.  See our Groupwork guidance.
• Submit your own work.  Any work you submit under your name alone must be your own work- you must not allow others do the work for you- this includes your friends.
• Present honest work.  Don’t cheat in exams and don’t falsify research data.
• Think critically. Critically question everything you read and hear.  Draw your own opinions and conclusions based on the evidence presented. See our Critical thinking guidance and using AI critically guide.

Remember, your lecturers and tutors are here to support you throughout your academic journey so if you are unsure about anything, just ask.

Content from this guide has been developed and adapted from London Metropolitan University StudyHub and LibraryMatters. Illustrations from Storyset.com. Interactive activities created with H5P. With thanks to Sandra Sinfield,Tom Burns and Janet Gordon.