Academic integrity is a very important aspect of study, and the University has strong rules and procedures that it implements where there is a suspicion that plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct have taken place. Most assessed written work is required to be put through a text matching programme, Turnitin, which provides a report on comparing your work with a database of books, journals, webpages and previously submitted documents.
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own without proper acknowledgement or referencing. To avoid accusations of plagiarism, it is important that sources are referenced fully and in the prescribed manner. If you are unsure how to reference properly, make sure you get advice on this from your department and consult your course handbook.
If a piece of work is suspected of containing plagiarised content, you will usually be invited to meet with your department so they can investigate the allegation. You should be given notice of the allegation before the meeting, and good practice means you should see the Turnitin report in advance so that you can get advice on what this means before you are asked to discuss it.
Plagiarism is only one form of academic misconduct. Other examples include copying from another student, copying from your own previously submitted work or taking unauthorised materials into an exam room.
Being found guilty of academic misconduct can result in severe penalties. If you are accused of such, we would recommend getting advice from us as early in the process as possible. This will help you to understand the process and its implications, hopefully helping you navigate the procedures to get the best outcome possible.