Academic Integrity

When you write a piece of work it must be clear which words or ideas are yours and which came from other places.

You will almost always need to include ideas or information from other people’s work in your academic writing. This can be from online resources such as journals, books, webpages, lecture slides, and so on.

It is important that whoever is reading the work is clear about which words or ideas are yours and which came from someone else. This is known as referencing.

Coventry University:

Coventry University uses the APA Referencing Style to reference other people's ideas, text, or diagrams. If you started your course before the 1st September 2020, you may continue to use the Harvard Style until you graduate. If you study a Law course you will use OSCOLA. For support and advice on this, see the online referencing guidance or contact your Library team.

If you do not reference properly, even by mistake, it will be treated as academic misconduct. Academic misconduct is when you don’t uphold academic integrity and breach the university’s regulations. The University views this as cheating.

Quick Tips

  • Always give yourself time to check your work thoroughly, and submit a draft to Turnitin if you can, before handing in the final version
  • Give yourself lots of time. Students who submit at the last minute risk cutting corners and breaking the rules.
  • Check your brief and module information to make sure you understand what is asked of you.

What are the different types of academic misconduct?

Plagiarism is where you submit the work of others without properly recognising that it is someone else’s work and trying to pass it as your own work. It could include things like:

  • Copying and submitting the work of a fellow student.

  • Creating a piece of work by cutting and pasting sections of text and/or images, other found online, into a document without referencing the sources.

  • Paraphrasing from a book or journal without referencing, for example changing one or two words in a sentence or paragraph, so it looks different without changing the meaning or structure.

  • Including pictures, diagrams or charts in your work without explaining where they came from.

  • Resubmitting work you have already had marked or may be being marked on another module at the same time (self-plagiarism).

Collusion is when two or more students work together on something which is ultimately submitted by each in a substantially similar or identical form and/or is represented by each student to be their individual work.

The University will see this as an offence whether it is deliberate or not. You could be held accountable for collusion if another student copies your work without your permission, such as if you shared your work knowing they might copy it.

This is where you get someone else to complete an assessment, often in exchange for payment. This could be something as simple as:

  • giving another student money or buying them something

  • paying a company or official (who may advertise themselves in a very professional way, even though essay writing services are now illegal)

  • hiring a private tutor to write some or all your assessment

Did you know that companies who you pay for writing an assessment often blackmail students into paying more money with threats of telling the university about how your assignment was written?

Impersonation is asking someone else, like another student, a friend, a former teacher, or a family member, to take a test or exam for you. Remember that exams and tests are designed to test your own knowledge and skills, so it should only ever be you who completes an assessment or exam that contributes to your degree.

Falsifying or fabrication is submitting or including data that is not correct and purposefully changed from what it should show. This can include:

  • Inventing data without collecting from an experiment or survey
  • Falsifying or altering data, pictures, documents, reports, and presentations within your assessment

During an examination where you are required to work completely by yourself, you will commit academic misconduct if you:

  • Having unauthorised paper or materials in an exam
  • Having unauthorised devices such as a mobile phone and electronic watches in the room/assessment space whether switched off or not
  • Communicate with another student or anyone other than the invigilator during the exam
  • Continue working after the exam has finished

Ethical misconduct is submitting work which needs ethics approval without approval or without completing the proper ethics paperwork

Misusing generative or transformative AI such as Chat GPT or Google Translate could be:

  • Using AI to hide plagiarism.
  • Using AI when you’ve been told not to (for example using tools to debug code when the assessment is testing your ability to code by hand).
  • Using AI without acknowledging you’ve used it.
  • Submitting work entirely or almost entirely written by GenAI .

How Can I Avoid Academic Misconduct?

It is your responsibility to understand what is expected of you when submitting work as a student at Coventry University and Coventry University London or at a CU Group University. You can learn about good academic practice by attending lectures and workshops at the Centre for Academic Writing, reading study guides, visiting the Library, and asking your tutors for guidance.

Every course or faculty handbook has guidelines on the proper way to reference. It is important that you read and understand these.

Top Tips!

Remember, you must include a correct reference when:

  • Quoting sections from a book.

  • ‘Paraphrasing’ or summarising someone else’s argument.

  • Using another student’s notes (even in group work projects).

  • Including points from lecture notes.

  • Using graphs or illustrations that you did not create.

  • Copying computer code.

  • If the assessment is group work, check the rules with your tutor/lecturer, and in your course handbooks.

  • You can discuss ideas and strategies with other students, but all individual work must be the sole work of the student submitting it.

  • Never send or show your work to a fellow student, even your best friend. It is your responsibility to ensure that no-one else copies your work.

  • Do not share or lend your laptop to anyone.

  • Use OneDrive to store notes and drafts, and log out of public computers after you’ve finished using them

Contract cheating companies often use social media or WhatsApp to target university students. Be mindful of what you are seeing and be promised. Use your critical analysis skills to think whether what a company or individual is offering helps you to demonstrate academic integrity or whether it breaches the academic regulations.

We know that sometimes, with deadlines approaching and other personal circumstances challenging your ability to complete an assessment, it may seem easier to choose this option, but don’t. Remember to reach out to the support services available to you including Your Students’ Union Advice Service who can offer free and independent advice.

To demonstrate your academic integrity, only you can sit an examination that contributes to your degree so you should never ask anyone to do this for you. If you are worried about an upcoming exam or are too ill to sit an exam, reach out to the support services available to you including Your Students’ Union Advice Service who can offer free and independent advice.

If you are struggling to gather the data or research you need to get their help and expertise to help you (such as your dissertation or a research project), speak with your academic team to get their help and expertise to help you. It’s always better to ask for help rather than taking what may seem like the easy option of making it up and hoping nobody will notice.

Follow the rules of the exam, whether its an online exam, or on campus. Check that your electronic equipment is well away from your assessment space and don’t take any notes with you to the assessment unless you have been told you can do beforehand. During the exam, only speak to the invigilator.

Follow the rules of the exam, whether its an online exam or on campus. Check that your electronic equipment is well away from your assessment space and don’t take any notes with you to the assessment unless you have been told you can do so beforehand. During the exam, only speak to the invigilator.

Make sure you’ve read the brief and understand the rules of the assessment. If you use AI, acknowledge that you’ve used it and keep drafts of your work before and after using it. Don’t copy and paste from a program like Chat GPT, and if you’re using tools to help you reference, stick to University approved software.

The Consequences of Breaching Academic Integrity Standards

If you commit academic misconduct, you are not demonstrating integrity or that you have the knowledge and skills to earn your degree fairly. Students who commit academic misconduct weaken the value of the degree for others. Remember, your degree shows future employers your knowledge and skills. It won’t take an employer long to realise your true capabilities if you try to cheat your way into a job. Value your degree.

If you are found to have committed academic misconduct this could have serious consequences within the university and can include:

  • Resitting an assessment
  • Resitting an entire module
  • Being temporarily suspended from your course
  • Being expelled from the university
  • Failing your course

We know that sometimes in the lead up to assessment submissions, problems may happen which affect your ability to complete assessments as normal. At these times, reaching out for support can be difficult when you’re already struggling with other problems. But using shortcuts to finish your work isn’t the answer and can cause you problems later. Remember there’s plenty of support services in the university, including Your Students Union Advice Service who can provide free and independent advice.

Proofreading:

A proofreader is someone who highlights errors, like spelling mistakes, in a document. Proofreaders don’t make corrections or edit the work. It’s your choice whether or not to use a proofreader.

5 things to know when hiring a proof-reader:

  1. You are responsible for your work - ALWAYS keep a copy of your work before proofreading.

  2. A proof-reader cannot add new material or rewrite anything as this is not proofreading and will be classed as academic misconduct as you are paying someone to do your work.

  3. There is a list of recommended proofreaders here.

  4. Only approved proofreaders can be used without prior permission from a module leader, course director or supervisor.

  5. You cannot use a proofreader for certain modules, like Academic English modules. This information should be included in the module description.

You can read the full university proofreading policy here so you can make an informed decision on whether you think a proofreader will help you.

Where Can I Go For Academic Help?

The Centre for Academic Writing (CAW):

CAW offers a wide range of academic support. They offer 1-2-1’s, workshops, free online guides and resources and more. You can visit them in person by going to the Frederick Lanchester Annex, CV1 5DD. You can also call them on 024 7688 7902 or email writing.caw@coventry.ac.uk.


Your Library:

The Library offers information literacy sessions to students at all levels, including advice on good academic practice and avoiding academic misconduct. The Library has a team of Academic Liaison Librarians who can help with:

  • Using Locate to search for books

  • Using databases to search for journal articles and specialist information

  • Advanced searching techniques

  • Evaluating information and choosing the best resources for your coursework

  • Academic integrity including referencing and reference management tools, such as RefWorks and EndNote

You can find more information on what resources and support are available at your campus library, visit the pages below:


The Languages Learning Centre:

The Languages Centre in George Eliot offers downloadable guides and resources for multiple languages, including English, and links to good quality websites to improve your language skills.


Sigma:

SIGMA delivers mathematical and statistical support to all Coventry University students no matter what subject they study. You can find out more information about SIGMA via the student portal.


Your Faculty:

Contact your Faculty Support Office to ask if there are any workshops, study groups or information about good academic practice.

There is a Good Academic Practice Quiz on Moodle here.

What If I’m Accused of Academic Misconduct?

Contact Your Students’ Union Advice Service for advice immediately by completing an Enquiry Form. Include copies of your invite letter, your Turnitin report if possible and any other evidence file. You can find out more about academic misconduct from Your Advice Service here.

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