Principles
In entering higher education, students commit themselves to à process of becoming recognised by society as having achieved à certain level of learning. À student who misleads society as to the authenticity of this achievement is academically dishonest not only to those on whom the deception is practiced, but also to him/herself. The dishonesty relates to the process of education in that the evidence on which society's recognition is based has been obtained in an unethical manner, and to the outcome of education in that the level of achievement is based on à false claim.
The maintenance of fair and honest conduct is therefore an essential requirement of the system for assessing students' learning and it is in their and the university's interests that this should be the guiding principle at àll times. Academic dishonesty is à serious offence and it is important that the duties and rights of àll those involved with the assessment process be clearly defined and effectively publicized.
Definitions
Academic dishonesty may be defined as any attempt by à student, or any attempt by an individual to aid à student, to gain an unfair advantage in any assessment (including an assessment of practice or an assessment in practice) by deception or fraudulent means.
Academic dishonesty may be exhibited in à number of ways of which the following are examples.
i. Aiding and abetting à student in any form of dishonest practice.
ii. Bribery: paying or offering inducements to another person to obtain or to attempt to obtain an unfair advantage.
iii. Calculator fraud: the use of unauthorized material stored in the memory of à programmable calculator with storage facilities.
iv. Collusion: the representation of à piece of unauthorized group work as the work of à single student.
v. Commissioning another person to complete an assignment which is then submitted as the student's own work.
vi. Computer fraud: the use of the material which belongs to another person and which is stored on à hard or floppy disk without acknowledgement and or without the written permission of the owner.
vii. Duplication: the inclusion in coursework of any material which is identical or substantially similar to material which has already been submitted for any other assessment within the university or elsewhere (for example, the use of essay banks).
viii. False declarations made in order to receive special consideration by à board of examiners or to obtain extensions to deadlines or exemption from work.
ix. Falsification of data: the presentation of data, e.g. in laboratory reports, projects, clinical profiles, assessment portfolios, based on work purported to have been carried out by the student, but which have been invented by the student or altered, copied or obtained by unfair means.
õ. Forgery: the falsification of signature(s) or documents related to certification or assessment.
xi. Misconduct in examinations or tests: behaviors aimed at gaining an unfair advantage, eg:
xii. Taking unauthorized materials into an examination or test;
xiii. Obtaining an advance ñîðó of an "unseen" written examination or test paper;
xiv. Communicating, or trying to communicate, in any way with another student during an examination or test; xv. Copying from another student;
xvi. Leaving the examination or test venue to consult pre-hidden cribs/notes;
xvii. Removing any items of stationery or other materials from the examination or test venue without permission or contrary to instructions.
xviii .lmpersonation: arranging or attempting to arrange for another person to take one's place in an examination or test; or being à party to an impersonation.
Plagiarism:
the representation of another person's work as one's own or the use of another person's work without acknowledgement, eg:
The direct importation into one's work of more than à single phrase from another person's work without the use of quotation marks and identification of the source;
Making à ñîðó of àll or part of another person's work and presenting it as one's own by failing to disclose the source;
Making extensive use of another person's work, either by summarizing or paraphrasing it merely by changing à few words or altering the order of presentation, without acknowledgement, the use of the ideas of another person without acknowledgement of the source, or the submission or presentation of work as one's own which is substantially the ideas or intellectual data of another.
Like cheating in an examination, plagiarism is à serious offence. Where there is evidence to suggest plagiarism, à formal process of enquiry may begin. If it is found that plagiarism has taken place à student may fail the piece of work concerned, and will not necessarily be permitted to resubmit it for à pass mark
Plagiarism in à major piece of work at the final level of your course can result in à decision by the Disciplinary Committee that the Final Assessment Board will not award you an award. If evidence of serious plagiarism comes to light after the Final Assessment Board has agreed final results, it is still possible to cancel the award.
Àll college students are expected to use other people's ideas. You will use books and journals in the library, some assignments involve working collaboratively with others, and in some cases you may have access to other people's work on computer disk or over à computer network. When undertaking à major assignment, you may sometimes legitimately make reference to similar projects undertaken by students on your own or another course in previous years. However, other people's work must be used in à principled way, with due acknowledgement of authorship. Recognized standards of acknowledging the work of others will be discussed during your courses.
Where plagiarism is suspected, decisions on assessed work will be made only when the facts have been established. Àll serious cases may be considered by the Final Assessment Board, and reported to the Disciplinary Committee of the College.
