Academic integrity

Academic integrity

Academic Integrity means being honest in your academic work and your studies, and making sure that you acknowledge the work of others and giving credit where you have used other people’s ideas as part of presenting your arguments.

London Met seeks to foster a teaching and learning environment where students are supported in their academic development which will enable them to further develop their Academic Practice.

Students are expected to demonstrate academic integrity through these 5 principles.
Academic Integrity Principles.

1. Accuracy: Making sure your work is free from false information
2. Honesty: Always being truthful of which ideas are your own and which ideas are derived from others, this also includes being honest about the methods and results of your research.
3. Fairness: Not trying to gain an advantage by unfair means: for instance, by passing off others’ work as your own.
4. Responsibility: Understanding good academic integrity practice and applying it in your work.
5. Respect: For your work, your studies, your fellow students, your tutors, and the work of other scholars.

Throughout your Educational journey at London Met, you will become an independent learner and a creator of your own knowledge.

To be successful throughout your journey, you must develop good academic skills and avoid any type of academic misconduct, including plagiarism. Take a look at the ‘what not to do’ section below for more guidance.

So if you need more information or help in understanding these academic skills, head to the ‘resources and tools to help you develop good academic practice’, or ‘where can I get advice and support?’ sections for more guidance.

How do I practise academic integrity in my academic writing?

You practice academic integrity by keeping the 5 values of Academic Integrity in mind.
A few examples are…

1. Being accurate in the information you write about, gathering accurate data written in your work.
2. Being honest about which theories, ideas and thoughts were derived from others; this can include accurate referencing. Have a look at this referencing guide.
3. Being fair by not taking credit for others’ work, this can include cheating and collusion in an exam or essay mills [essay mills refer to websites which enable this practice; although it is important to note that this area of plagiarism can apply to most forms of academic work, from lab reports to computer coding, as well as essays and dissertations.]
4. Being responsible for understanding your assessment task and how you should carry it out, this can mean reaching out to your lecturers to further understand the task in hand.
5. Being respectful of your learning and acknowledging the part others have played in building your knowledge in understanding; this refers back to referencing and respect for your learning.

Why is academic integrity important?

The values of academic integrity will influence the way you work in all aspects of your studies at university. It will influence how you learn and ingrain skills and lessons in your everyday life. For example…

1. When you take notes from your reading, or do practical research, you demonstrate accuracy by accurately reporting research findings and abiding by research policies. By being accurate you validate the conclusions you are reaching, and that you have correctly represented the views of others.
2. When you’re reading, you’ll be showing you can work with honesty when you make sure that you always record the details of what you read so you can acknowledge the authors.
3. Fairness might be shown by not putting up barriers to others, for instance by or not talking during lectures or making sure they are included in seminar discussions.
4. You’ll demonstrate that you can take responsibility by working out for yourself what you need to know to succeed in your subject and skills knowledge, and how and where you’re going to find it.
5. Finally you show respect for your fellow students when you include them and listen to their views during group work, but be careful to make sure that the submission under your own name is all your own work.

By integrating these principles in your academic practices, you may experience a sense of self satisfaction from pursuing your studies with integrity, these can be light bulb moments when you understand and learn a subject.

It is important to note that you should always avoid turning to essay mills and other forms of Academic Misconduct.

What is academic misconduct?

Academic misconduct, broadly speaking, is any action which gains, attempts to gain, or assists others in gaining or attempting to gain unfair academic advantage. It includes plagiarism, collusion, contract cheating, and fabrication of data as well as the possession of unauthorised materials during an examination.

Head to the academic integrity Do’s and Not to do’s” for more information on what constitutes academic misconduct.

Academic integrity dos and don’ts

What to do…

• Acknowledge where the information you use comes from, clearly citing or referencing the source.
• Sit your own exams and submit your own work.
• Accurately report research findings and abide by research policies.
• Use information appropriately, according to copyright and privacy laws.
• Act ethically or do the ‘right thing’, even when you are facing difficulties.
• Value and respect your journey of learning by avoiding essay mills. (These can be services that approach you through social media, offering to help you by writing your assignment for you.)

What not to do and what not to get involved in…

• Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition.
• Recycling, or resubmitting, involves submitting work that has already been assessed, without your teacher’s permission. For example, submitting a report that you were graded on in a first-year class as part of your work in a third-year class.
• Fabrication or falsification involves unauthorized creation, alteration or reporting of information in an academic activity. Examples of fabrication or falsification include the following: Unauthorized omission of data, information, or results in documents, reports and presentations.
• Collusion involves engaging in illegitimate cooperation with one or more other students to complete assessable work. This is different to working on group assignments that are set by your teachers. Examples of illegitimate cooperation include working with a friend or group of friends to write an essay or report that is meant to be an individual piece of work. It can also include sharing quiz or test questions and answers with other students, as well as written assignments like reports and essays. Illegitimate cooperation can unfairly advantage a student or group of students over others.
• Cheating in examinations means engaging in dishonest practice or breaching the rules during or in relation to examinations, which can include, but is not limited to:
  • writing ‘cheat notes’ or codes on your body or materials you take into the exam room.
  • attempting to copy from other students.
  • communicating with other students or people outside the exam venue while the exam is in progress.
  • using electronic devices to access information related to the exam while it is in progress.
  • bringing prohibited items, such as unapproved calculators or textbooks to exams.
• Contract cheating and impersonation is a type of illegal commercial cheating. It involves getting someone else to complete part or all of your work and then submitting the work as if you had completed it yourself. This can include asking someone else to sit an exam for you or having them write an essay, report or some other kind of assignment, which is sometimes referred to as ‘ghost-writing’.
  Actions that support illegal contract cheating services are also considered breaches of academic integrity. This includes students uploading teaching materials such as practice exams, lecture slides and assignment questions to ‘study notes’.

What are consequences of behaviours that do not support academic integrity?

When these values are not displayed, poor academic integrity questions the quality of your degree. This can harm the value of our degrees in the workplace and for acceptance into further study.

The University takes academic misconduct very seriously and seeks at all times to rigorously protect its academic standards. Plagiarism, collusion and other forms of cheating constitute academic misconduct, for which there is an explicit range of graduated penalties depending on the particular type of academic misconduct. The penalties that can be applied if academic misconduct is substantiated range from a reprimand to expulsion in very serious cases and for repeated instances of misconduct.

The link below lists a range of categories of academic misconduct and associated penalties, covering instances of academic misconduct (plagiarism, collusion, exam cheating).

Section 15 Academic Misconduct Regulations and Procedure for 2021/22 and 2022/23

Resources and tools to help you develop good academic practice

What is Academic Integrity?

Quality Assurance Agency Video on What is academic integrity?

Plagiarism guide video

This Video provides an explanation of what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

Online Submission and Turnitin

Turnitin is an online submission tool which can be used to help improve your academic writing and help you to avoid plagiarism.

When you submit a file to Turnitin, Turnitin compares the submission with all of the journals, books, web pages and student work that it has stored in its repository to identify any matching text. The details of any identified matches and the overall percentage of matches can be investigated through your similarity report.

There is no overall percentage value, or ‘similarity score’, that indicates plagiarism has occurred on your submission, however it is recommended that you investigate all matches which have been identified in your similarity report.

Understanding Turnitin Similarity Reports (Video)

Have a read of some great tips around submitting your assignments online.

Referencing guide

The University’s ‘Introduction to Referencing’ can be found below – it provides different referencing styles, software and training

Where can I get advice and support?

Your lecturers and tutors are here to support you throughout your academic journey, do not hesitate to contact your lecturer or tutor.

If you are looking for further advice and support, there are numerous services for you to access. Below are some of the services available at the University.

• Most subject areas have an academic mentor who can help you with your assessments, so you can understand what’s required, find the right resources, develop confidence and skills and receive feedback

• You can book a meeting with an Academic Liaison Librarian to discuss topics around plagiarism and referencing during inductions and they can be approached for 1:1 academic support. Choose your subject to show the relevant Academic Liaison Librarian.

• The Student Casework team provides regulatory information and guidance to students in relation to Academic Misconduct, Appeals and Complaints. For further information email: casework@londonmet.ac.uk

• The Students’ Union Advice Service offers free, confidential, and independent advice and support by listening to the students’ situation, exploring their options, and determining the best course of action.The Advice service provides support for the following topics Academic Support, Academic Misconduct, Mitigating Circumstances, Complaints, Termination of Student Status, Student Conduct, Wellbeing Support. We help students by:
  • Advising them on next steps
  • Helping them prepare a statement
  • Providing tips on how best to proceed
  • Providing possible options to allow them to make an informed decision
  • Accompanying them to meetings if required.

Visit the Students’ Union website: The Advice Service