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The University Student Plagiarism Policy states, 'Plagiarism is the presentation of the works of another person/other persons as though they are one’s own by failing to properly acknowledge
that person/ those persons.'
Most students don’t set out to plagiarise in assessments, but that doesn’t mean you won’t accidentally do it or be accused of doing it. Being ignorant of the Student Plagiarism Policy on this matter is not seen as an adequate defence.
- Sham paraphrasing: copying material word-for-word from text [includes a website] and acknowledging the source, but presenting it as a paraphrase, ie it is not enclosed in quotation marks.
- Illicit paraphrasing: not using direct quotes but material that is closely paraphrased or summarised in your own words from text without citing the source.
- Verbatim copying: copying material word-for-word from text [includes a website] and not citing the source.
- Self-plagiarism or recycling: submitting the same assignment or sections of it as new work for different courses or units, without acknowledgement or permission from the Unit Coordinator.
- Ghost writing: using work written by another and presenting it as your own work.
- Purloining: taking and using work written by another and, even if edited, presenting it as your own work, with no acknowledgment or consent of the original writer.
- Bullying: taking and using work written by another and, even if edited, presenting it as your own work, and where the material has been obtained using inappropriate behaviours such as emotional, social or physical pressure.
If caught and proven to be plagiarising, you risk losing credit you might have received for that unit or course; you may be placed on a register in your School; and you risk suspension and/or expulsion. In cases of suspected plagiarism, a teacher may discuss their concerns with you informally and suggest ways in which you need to improve your writing skills. You may appeal against any penalty imposed on you.
The following three approaches will help you to develop good writing
habits and to avoid plagiarism:
- Acknowledge your information sources honestly and accurately
- Avoid excessive copying
- Seek help
Guidelines about how to appropriately acknowledge the work of others in your assessments are available in the Higher Education Handbook, the 'GeneralGuide to the Presentation of Academic Work', in course information given to you by academic staff and on the
University Library Website. Student Support also provides face-to-face help with effective writing and referencing conventions.
UB uses the Turnitin service to promote academic literacy and integrity by detecting inadvertent or deliberate use of another person's work without proper referencing/citation.
Turnitin allows you to self check your assignments, prior to final submission, to ensure all non-original material is referenced. For guidance on using the service, visit the Turnitin website.
To learn more about this topic, download the PDF or Doc file below.
Download Plagiarism (pdf, 98kb)  Download Plagiarism (Word doc, 214kb)
* [Acknowledgement: the examples in this list are derived from the discussion of the 'plagiarism continuum' in Walker, J. 1998, 'Student plagiarism in
universities: What are we doing about it?', Higher Education Research and Development, vol.17, no.1, pp 89-105.]
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