Academic integrity and misconduct

What is academic integrity?

Academic Integrity refers to the University’s policy on suspected academic misconduct. The University takes academic misconduct very seriously, and if you are found to have given yourself an unfair advantage in your assessments, e.g. through plagiarising work or collusion, then you may be asked to attend a meeting with the University to discuss your work which can lead to penalties being applied.

How can I avoid plagiarism in online exams?

Below are 5 things you need to know about avoiding plagiarism and academic misconduct:

1. Write reliable notes

Making sure your notes are entirely in your own words will help prevent you from accidentally plagiarising content or phrases that may have come from another source. You may unknowingly write the exact phrasing from an academic source into your notes whilst revising and fail to add a reference or quotations, or you may forget to paraphrase correctly.

Check your notes several times and check your final work thoroughly. If you’re sure that your work is in your own words – as well as correctly referenced and paraphrased - it’s unlikely that you’ll commit academic misconduct.

2. Work on your own

It can be tempting to check your course WhatsApp group or check in with your housemate downstairs who is doing the same exam, but you should not work with any other students on independent work. If someone shares any answers or exam questions, you shouldn’t use that information to give you an advantage on the work. The University can detect if you have worked with someone else or already had access to answers before the exam – it isn’t just Turnitin scores that can indicate plagiarism or collusion.

Work alone and don’t be tempted to communicate with others who are taking the same exam, and be aware that fellow students might not yet have completed their exam (if there is a 24-hour window for the assessment). If anyone shares answers with other students; for example, in a group WhatsApp, and you feel this is unfair, you can report these instances to your Academic Hive by emailing them. Reporting concerns of academic misconduct might help in tackling the inappropriate actions of others who have sought to cheat. The University can ensure the reports made to them on potential cases of academic misconduct remain anonymous.

3. Leave course group chats

We recommended that you leave any course group chats. If you are part of a chat that discusses the answers and you do not report (even if you do not know about it) then you could be given a penalty, as the University are not able to differentiate between those who have benefited from the answers and those who have not. 

4. Use the right academic support

If you are really struggling with your assessments, please do not feel tempted to seek inappropriate support from companies offering assessment assistance. These companies, often called “essay mills” offer the promise of a quick solution to your problems but can lead to much bigger issues down the line. These companies often make money through blackmail, and sometimes provide really poor quality work that could lead you to fail anyway.

It could also mean severe consequences at University. The University has a tool called Turnitin Authorship which can detect the tone and style of writing in your work, and spot anomalies in submissions. If the style, tone, or handwriting changes in your work then the University may believe that someone else has written the work for you. This could lead to misconduct allegations, as even failure to declare third party assistance in your work can constitute academic misconduct. If the University can prove you have contracted someone else to write your work, this could lead to the most severe allegation of academic misconduct, and termination from your studies.

Don’t forget, you can find a full list of the support available to you, including academic support, on our support services page.

5. Never purchase an essay or use essay mills

Purchasing an essay, or “contract cheating” is a serious offense in the University’s regulations. The University has ways of detecting contract cheating through Turnitin and Turnitin Authorship. 

Here are some of the consequences of buying your work: 

• If caught, the University will terminate your programme of study and expel you from University.  
• The essays produced are usually low quality and won’t always make your pass mark. 
• Essay mills, and the companies who write essays, target stressed and vulnerable students which is why the price can be high, and the quality low. They will also send you the work as near to the deadline as they can, so that you cannot make edits or complain about their work.
• Essay mills know that you will be expelled from University if found out, and use this to bribe their customers, meaning you pay more than just the price of the essay. 

Further support

If you feel that your academic performance in your upcoming exams will be impacted by circumstances outside your control, you may need to consider applying for extenuating circumstances.

To find a list of all the support available to you, take a look at our exam preparation and support page.

If you have been asked to attend a meeting regarding suspected academic misconduct, you can email ussu.advice@surrey.ac.uk for advice.