Avoiding academic malpractice

We must all work together to protect the integrity of your degrees, including making sure that assessments are conducted fairly for everyone.

What is academic malpractice?

The University has expectations of every student when you complete your exams and assessments. We have mechanisms to detect where students are not meeting these expectations, including for online assessments. If you commit academic malpractice, there are a range of possible penalties which could affect your progression on your course.

  • The answers you provide must be your own work; by submitting your answers you confirm that they are your own work.
  • You must complete the exam independently and not confer with anyone during it.
  • You must not make copies of any exam questions (either written or screenshot).
  • You must not share the details of an assessment or your answers with anyone.
  • You must not approach, ask or pay anyone to help you with an assessment.
  • If you are undertaking a professionally regulated degree programme, you’ll also be bound by the relevant professional body's code of conduct.

Guidance on referencing

Referencing is an important part of avoiding plagiarism - it helps the reader undertand how your ideas are influenced by other authors and trace your source materials. The guides below will help you learn how to reference your work properly.