DON’T TAKE PRIDE IN OTHER PEOPLE’S WORK!

In the forthcoming weeks and months, students will be working/submitting written essays, reports, presentations, dissertations etc. Just make sure it is your own work entirely and all your resources are appropriately referenced and acknowledged.

The University takes a very serious view of any academic misconduct (of which plagiarism is just one category*). Often you may think you have not plagiarised because you have copied the occasional sentence or summarised the author’s work. But with the University’s advanced software ‘TURNITIN’ this kind of plagiarism is detectable.

TOP TIPS FOR AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

• Check your School for the accepted style of referencing.
  
• Create a template which can be used to remind you of the information you require when you collate your final reference list. Treat internet sources in the same way. Remember that your final list has to be in the format requested by your department.
  
• Plan your assignments so that you have plenty of time to organise your source.
  
• Go to a study skills workshop on good academic writing, referencing etc. www.edu.salford.ac.uk/studyskills
  
• If you have missed any briefing session on plagiarism, talk to your tutor
  
• Use the Safe Assign Tool and/or Plato accessed via Blackboard
  
• Contact your study skills officer (if you have one within your School)
  
• The University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Blackboard provides a study skills pack on referencing.
  
• Password protect your work and don’t leave your work unattended
  
• Check university’s policies and procedures relating to academic misconduct www.governance.salford.ac.uk/page/student_policies 
  
• Read the section on academic misconduct in your programme handbook

THE PENALTIES OF PLAGIARISM  

• A mark of 0 or grade F is awarded for the component of assessment in question
  
• A mark of 0 or grade of F is awarded to the module in question
  
• A mark of 0 or grade of F is awarded to the module in question and marks for all other modules at that level will be kept at the minimum pass mark/grade
  
• At Masters level, permanently expelled
  

Take pride in your work. Take pride in the knowledge that any work you do is all your own and is entirely due to your efforts and abilities!

*At the University of Salford, plagiarism is defined as “taking the work of another person or source and using it as if it were one’s one…Work includes, but is not restricted to, written work, ideas, musical compositions, computer programs, laboratory or survey results, diagrams, graphs, drawings and designs”. (Academic Misconduct Procedure- Academic Regulation 8.4)

Useful Websites:
www.isite.salford.ac.uk/disability
www.isite.salford.ac.uk/skills.php