Academic Integrity

What is Academic Integrity?

Academic Integrity is one of the most important principles in Higher Education and research. By working with Academic Integrity all members of the university contribute to a culture that is honest, transparent and respectful, maintaining the integrity of a student’s work and their award. Academic integrity is based on the ethos that how you learn is as important as what you learn. 

For you as a student, Academic Integrity means that your work must be a result of your own research and ideas. Information taken from other sources must be fully acknowledged, whether it is directly quoted, paraphrased or summarised.

For the University definition of academic integrity and the core principles it is based upon, please see here: Academic Misconduct Procedure - Swansea University

Why is Academic Integrity Important? Academic Integrity E-Learning Module

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct happens when a student acts in a way that gives themself, or another student, an unpermitted advantage. This applies whether they act alone, or with others to do this. 

This can occur in any assessment that a student takes in pursuit of their qualification at Swansea University.  

Students may intentionally or unintentionally commit academic misconduct; thereforeit is important to be aware of what is considered an offence by the university. You can find all the relevant policy documents and FAQ's further down this page, or have a look at the following examples:

Examples of Academic Misconduct

Plagiarism
A student copying the work of another student

Plagiarism is defined as using, without acknowledgement, another person’s work and submitting for assessment as though it were one’s own work. 

An example of plagiarism is copying a piece of text word-for-word from another source without acknowledging the original author(s). Plagiarism can also occur when you use someone else’s idea, phrase it in your own words, but fail to acknowledge the original source. Other examples include using but not acknowledging figures, software, diagrams, materials from the internet, or another student’s work.  

It should be noted that whether this happens intentionally or unintentionally, it will still be seen and treated as plagiarism. This is why it is important to learn when and how to acknowledge sources, use direct quotations and paraphrase sources accurately and correctly. Please see the section below for guides on referencing, and helpful tips for quoting and paraphrasing. 

Commissioning Paraphrase and Grammar Software Collusion Breach of Exam Rules Falsification

What can I do to maintain academic integrity? 

The best way to maintain academic integrity is to be informed about policies and regulations for the university, individual colleges and modules. See the links, guides and videos below for helpful information and suggestions on how to proceed in your studies with academic integrity.

WATCH:

The following videos will play in a pop-out YouTube player, and have captions available in both English and Welsh. If you cannot access YouTube in your country, you can find links to the videos on Panopto at the end of this section.

READ:

What happens if I commit academic misconduct?

The procedure for academic misconduct is handled case by case. For more information, please see the links below. 

Potential penalties include written warnings, cancellation of marks for the papera mark of zero for the module, cancellation of marks for the level of study, or cancellation of all marks and disqualification from the programme. 

Other Helpful Resources