Academic Misconduct Guide - University of Wolverhampton

Academic Misconduct is:Copying somebody else’s work, referencing incorrectly,working with others on individual projects or cheating.This could lead to you being thrown off your course.Information on referencingis available from your nearestlearning centre.

ContentsPlagiarismIntroductionWhat is plagiarism?What is substantial paraphrasing?Why shouldn’t I plagiarise?Give me some examples of plagiarismHow can I avoid plagiarising?I rushed my assignment because of personal problemsHow can I develop my academic writing skills?What is Harvard referencing?How can I use Harvard referencing to avoid plagiarism?Referencing and BibliographiesPlagiarism summaryCollusionWhat is collusion?Why shouldn’t I collude?Can I copy work from other students?Give me some examples of collusionCollusion summaryCheatingWhat is cheating?Give me some examples of cheatingHow can I avoid being accused of cheating?What Extra Help Can I Get?ReferencesAppendix 1: Penalties for academic misconductAppendix 2: Referencing checklist1234567811121415161718202122232425262729

Introduction1This guide will give you the knowledgeand confidence to both avoid beingaccused of academic misconduct andimprove your assessment grades. It’s vitalthat you understand how to avoid academicmisconduct, as the maximum penalty foran offence is exclusion from the Universityand ignorance of the rules is no defence.The University and the Students’ Unionbelieve that many incidents of academicmisconduct can be avoided by increasingthe knowledge and skills available tostudents. This guide, as part of the University’spolicy on tackling academic misconduct,is intended to help you understand thenature of academic misconduct, thepenalties involved and, most importantly,how you can avoid it by improving yourstudy skills.Matthew KnightAcademic AdviserAdvice and Support CentreStudents’ Union

PlagiarismWhat isplagiarism?2Tutors will suspect plagiarism if it appears thatyou’ve submitted work that is not referencedcorrectly. The University of Wolverhampton’sRegulations and Procedure for the Investigationof Academic Misconduct (2007) definesplagiarism as:…the act of taking someone else’swork and passing it off as your own.This includes incorporating eitherunattributed direct quotation(s) orsubstantial paraphrasing from thework of another/others. It is importantto cite all sources whose work hasbeen drawn on and reference themfully in accordance with the referencingstandard used in each academicschool (p1).Essentially, plagiarism is using somebodyelse’s words or ideas as your own: a kindof ‘academic theft’.The University takes plagiarism veryseriously. It’s considered as a form ofacademic misconduct (along withcollusion and cheating) and canattract severe academic penalties.Plagiarism can be intentional orinadvertent – but an offence still exists.In other words, ignorance of the rules isno excuse. This is why it’s vital for youto understand how to avoid it.You cannot use other people’sideas, words, images and data inyour assignments unless you providefull details of your sources.You must acknowledge all thesources that you use by using thecorrect referencing system for yourcourse (e.g. Harvard).

Plagiarism3What issubstantialparaphrasing?Plagiarism is not just about copying andpasting from the Internet or copying directfrom journal articles or textbooks withoutreferencing. You also commit plagiarismif you ‘substantially paraphrase’ somebodyelse’s work.Substantial paraphrasing means takingsomebody’s words, without using quotationmarks, and failing to put them into your ownwords. This can catch students out.Some students may be tempted to take atext, change only a few words or the just theorder of sentences and then put a referenceat the end. Be warned! This is plagiarism inthe form of substantial paraphrasing.

PlagiarismWhy shouldn’tI plagiarise4Some students fail to see what all thefuss is about and are tempted to take theirchances. Many wish they hadn’t done soafter they’ve been through the academicmisconduct disciplinary process. This involvesyou and your work being scrutinised byan academic misconduct panel.Tutors have many ways of confirmingwhether a piece of work has beenplagiarised – for example, the Universitynow has software that can detectplagiarism. Just don’t risk it.PenaltiesThe penalties for plagiarism at the Universityof Wolverhampton range from failing thepiece of work in question through toexclusion from the University (dependingon your level of study, the nature of theplagiarism and whether you’ve committedprevious offences).You may also have your degreedowngraded or you may fail the wholemodule that the plagiarised assessmentrelates to. See Appendix 1 for further detailsof the penalties for plagiarism.Other Reasons notto Plagiarise• It’s essential to maintain the academicintegrity of degrees awarded by theUniversity. By allowing students whoplagiarise to get away with it, theUniversity would be doing an injusticeto the majority of hardworking studentswho haven’t plagiarised.• Referencing correctly shows that you’veresearched the topic well. If the referencingis poor, it’s likely that the content of thework will also be poor.• Students must get used to referencing theirwork so that other researchers can quicklyaccess the ideas used. This aids the wholeresearch and learning process.• Plagiarism is morally wrong. Students whoplagiarise effectively steal other people’shard work and ideas and try to pass themoff as their own. At best it’s laziness, at worstit’s deliberate academic theft.

Plagiarism5Give me someexamples ofplagiarismHere are some examples of scenarioswhere students can be accused ofplagiarism. They are adapted from theUniversity of South Australia’s LearningGuide on Avoiding Plagiarism (2005).• Expressing somebody’s ideas withoutgiving a reference. This includes ideasthat are quoted directly and those thatare expressed in your own words.• Using somebody’s exact words withoutquotation marks and a correct reference.• Expressing ideas using some of yourown words but neglecting to significantlychange the author’s original version.This is plagiarism in the form of substantialparaphrasing, even if a reference is given.• Copying and pasting from numerousdifferent sources and swapping themaround to make a full assignment.

PlagiarismHow canI avoidplagiarising?6You’re expected to back up your own wordsand ideas with support from other authors.This must be done via the referencing systemthat’s relevant to your course.Many courses across the University use theHarvard referencing system (see page 11).If you take the time to learn and use thisproperly, your chances of being accusedof plagiarism will be minimal.

Plagiarism7I rushedmy assignmentbecause ofpersonal problemsThis is never an excuse for plagiarism.You can use the extenuating circumstancesprocedure to notify the Board of any problemsthat may have affected your performance in,or ability to take, any of your assessment.Alternatively, you can take a Leave of Absence.Visit www.wolvesunion.org for further nformationand follow links to Advice and Academic Advice.

Plagiarism8How can Idevelop myacademicwriting skills?When you’re using other people’s work orideas it is important to engage with theirwork critically. You can quote, paraphrase,summarise or critically review – and then youmust provide appropriate references. Let’slook at how you can use sources both toavoid plagiarism and gain higher marks.QuotingWhen quoting directly from a source youmust use quotation marks and give theauthor’s name, the date of publication andthe page number in the main body of text.You must also provide a full reference in yourreference section. When you quote you usethe exact text that was originally written.For example:Knight argued: “It is the student’sresponsibility to ensure he or she is fullyaware of how to reference; however,universities should ensure that informationis clearly publicised in, for example, awardand module guides and that study skillssupport is readily available to all students”(Knight, 2005, p4).You can, if you wish, introduce quotationslonger than four lines with a colon, then twoempty lines, then the quotation itself indentedfive spaces from the left margin, typed withsingle spacing.You then need to include in brackets theauthor’s name, the date of publication andthe page number. You don’t have to usequotation marks for this type of quotation.Knight emphasises it is more important toprevent than punish plagiarism:It is important to apply appropriatepenalties to those who attempt to passof the work of others as their own, but itis essential to deal with the more widespreadcourses of plagiarism: sloppyreferencing and the general lack ofawareness among students about thesubtleties of substantial paraphrasing.Only then will we begin to reduce theever-increasing number of studentscaught in the plagiarism trap(Knight, 2005, p5).

It’s best not to use quotations too often.Using quotes is not a merely a way of fillingout your word count. You should use quotesonly to back up your own arguments orhighlight original ideas from other authors.See the section on Harvard Referencingon page 11 for further information.9SummarisingIf you can master the skill of summarising,you’ll be far less likely to be accused ofplagiarism, and you’ll be showing thegenuine research and critical thinkingskills that are essential for the highergrades at university level. The essentialthing to remember is that you must expressideas in your own words if you’re not quotingdirectly. Seeing as you should not be quotingdirectly too often in an essay, what you writeshould be how you understand it, in yourown style of expression.Take a look at the following example.It shows an original text and a student’sattempt to paraphrase it.Original text“Plagiarism is a wide-ranging offenceand, to avoid doubt, all universities shouldgive a definition to students of what theyregard as plagiarism. That puts both partieson an equal footing and provides anunderstanding of the ground rules in caseshere plagiarism is raised as an issue”(Evans and Gill, 2001, p90).Student’s summaryTo avoid all doubt, universities shoulddefine plagiarism to their students becauseit is a wide-ranging offence. If they do this,both parties will be on level footing andthe ground rules in cases where plagiarismis raised will be understood (Evans andGill, 2001).Do you think this is a valid paraphrase?It isn’t, even though a reference has beenincluded. This is substantial paraphrasing –it’s too close to the original source.If you regularly use this type of summarising,you’re committing plagiarism.The best wayto avoid substantial paraphrasing is to reada whole paragraph or small section, putyour source to one side and then write inyour own words what you’ve just understood.Refer back to the source and check thatyou’ve understood the meaning andcontext. You’ve then summarised thetext in your own words.

Acceptable summaryIt is vital for universities to have a full writtenpolicy on what they believe constitutesplagiarism. This way, universities will makesure students are aware of what is expectedof them and the same rules can then beapplied to all studets to ensure fairness(Evans and Gill, 2001).10Note that in this example the context andmeaning of the original is kept but similarwords and sentences are not used.Critical evaluationQuoting and summarising are very usefulacademic skills to acquire and they will goa long way to ensuring you are not accusedof academic misconduct. However, to gainhigher marks it is not enough to rely onother people’s ideas. You must engagewith the sources you are using andcritically evaluate them.A well-written piece of work is more than aseries of quotes, summaries and paraphraseslinked together. Your own opinions, backedup by evidence, need to be apparent inthe text. The Napier Business School (2006,p16) gives excellent advice in this area:• Identify common themes inarguments or schools of thoughtin the subject discipline• Show how thought in the areahas evolved• Show how you would classifydiffering arguments• Evaluate authors’ arguments andindicate any shortcomings in thosearguments, showing why you considerthem to be shortcomings• Indicate how much more workwould need to be done to be surecertain arguments are valid• Synthesise the evidence andarguments of several authorsto reach a conclusion• Show how each author differsand where they disagree witheach other

PlagiarismWhat isHarvardreferencing?11Harvard referencingHarvard referencing applies to the majorityof University of Wolverhampton students.Law students are a notable exception (seeOxford Referencing on page 13). If you’reunsure what system of referencing applies toyour course, check with your course leader.Harvard referencing tipsWhen referring to an author’s work inthe body of your text, you should give theauthor’s name and the year of publicationin the following format:Knight (2005) states that cases of plagiarismare treated as academic misconductwhether they are seen as intentional or not.When you use a reference in the bodyof your text, you must also include a fullreference in a list of references at the endof the assignment. This type of referenceshould appear as follows:Making effective notesIt’s important to take careful notes ofthe references you use as you go along.This way you won’t be confused by thetime it comes to writing your referencesor bibliography. Make sure you take allthe relevant details. These will varydepending on the nature of the source.The software programme Endnote is avery useful tool to help you organise yourreferences as you write an assignment.Endnote can be found on the University’swebsite: www.wlv.ac.uk/lib. Follow thelinks for study skills and referencing.Ask in the Learning Centres for furtherdetails of training courses on Endnote.It could save you a great deal of timein the long run.Knight, M. (2005) How to avoid plagiarism.1st ed., Wolverhampton: SU Press.See Appendix 2 for a checklist of whatinformation to include in different typesof references.

12PlagiarismHow canI use Harvardreferencing toavoid plagiarismImagine that you’ve found the perfectsection of text to back up a point youwant to make in an assignment.Here’s an example:Within the UK, the resources availableto higher education from the state,whilst increasing in absolute terms, havediminished in relation to the numberof students within higher education.Additionally, the penalties for failingto recruit students have become moresignificant – either in terms of reducedincome from the funding council,or reduced income from tuition fees(overseas students and taughtpostgraduate markets particularly).Reference:McClellend, M. (2006) PostgraduateCertificate Programme Handbook.Manchester: Association ofUniversity Administrators.Quote it“Within the UK, the resources availableto higher education from the state,whilst increasing in absolute terms,have diminished in relation to the numberof students within higher education.Additionally, the penalties for failingto recruit students have become moresignificant – either in terms of reducedincome from the funding council, orreduced income from tuition fees (overseasstudents and taught postgraduate marketsparticularly)” (McClellend, 2006, p101).Note the quotation marks at the beginningand end of the author’s text. Also notethe author, year of publication and pagenumber is given. This could have also beenquoted this in block format (see page 8).How can you use this section of textwithout committing plagiarism? Thefollowing are legitimate ways to usethe material cited above and theformat is adapted from Fletcher (2004).

Paraphrase, summariseand build upon itThe relative reduction in funding perstudent is compounded by penalties fornot achieving government recruitmenttargets and, as a consequence, areduction in tuition fee income. HEIs areparticularly vulnerable to changes in theoverseas and taught postgraduatemarkets (McClellend, 2006).13Note that this paragraph is in no wayidentical to the original, but the contextof the original has been kept and builtupon it with the student’s own thoughts.Quote it but not word for wordAccording to McClellend (2006), “Withinthe UK, the resources available to highereducation from the state, whilst increasingin absolute terms, have diminished inrelation to the number of students withinhigher education” (p101). HEIs are also indanger of losing out on funding if they fail tomeet recruitment targets “either in terms ofreduced income from the funding council orreduced income from tuition fees (overseasstudents and taught postgraduate marketsparticularly)” (McClellend, 2006, p101).Note how the quotes have been interwovenwith the student’s own words. Be carefulwhen doing this! It breaks up the flow of textso choose only quotes that strongly reinforceyour own arguments.Let your reader know thatyou’re aware of the materialand that it has helped toform your argumentThere has been plenty of research to showhow universities are experiencing an overallreduction in funding (see, for example,McClellend, 2006).Further information onHarvard referencingFor a comprehensive guide on howto use Harvard referencing, includingreferencing journals and electronic sources,please see the Learning Centre’s booklet,Harvard Style Referencing, available fromLearning Centres, the Students’ Union’sAdvice and Support Centre or online atwww.wlv.ac.uk/lib (follow the links forstudy skills and referencing).See also the referencing checklist inAppendix 2.Oxford referencingOxford referencing is used by a minorityof students (e.g. Law) and differs fromHarvard referencing in that it usesfootnotes. Further information can befound at www.wlv.ac.uk/lib (followthe links for study skills and referencing).

PlagiarismReferencing& Bibliographies14Your referencing section must contain,in alphabetical order, all the sourcesthat you’ve included in your assignment.These must be laid out using the styleof the referencing system used on yourcourse (for example, Harvard).Some tutors may also require abibliography in addition to or in place ofa reference section. A bibliography is a listof all the sources that you’ve engaged within relation to the assignment (for example,background reading). You may not haveused all these sources in your assignment,but a bibliography shows how you haveread around the subject.

PlagiarismPlagiarismSummary15• Don’t copy directly from sources unlessyou provide fully quoted references.• Don’t rely on direct quotations to fill outyour word count.• Don’t substantially paraphrase. Makesure everything is in your own wordsunless you’re quoting direct.• Use academic skills such as quoting,summarising and critical evaluationto avoid academic misconduct andincrease your learning and overall grades.• Make sure you’re familiar with thereferencing system used on your course.• If you need help with referencing, makean appointment with a Study Skills Adviserat one of the Learning Centres (see WhatExtra Help Can I Get?).

CollusionWhat iscollusion?16Tutors will suspect collusion if two or more verysimilar pieces of work have been submitted.The University’s Regulations and Procedurefor the Investigation of Academic Conductstates that collusion occurs when...“…two or more people combine toproduce a piece of work for assessmentthat is passed off as the work of onestudent alone. The work may be so alikein content, wording and structure that thesimilarity goes beyond what might havebeen coincidence. For example - whereone student has copied the work of another,or where a joint effort has taken place inproducing what should have beenan individual effort” (p1).

CollusionWhy shouldn’tI collude?17PenaltiesThe penalties for collusion at theUniversity of Wolverhampton rangefrom failing the piece of work through toexclusion from the University (dependingon your level of study, the nature of thecollusion and whether you havecommitted previous offences).You may also have your degreedowngraded or you may fail thewhole module that the collusion relatesto. See Appendix 1 for further detailsof the penalties for collusion.Other reasons not to collude• It’s essential to maintain the academicintegrity of degrees awarded by theUniversity. Can you imagine being treatedby a nurse who had qualified by submittingthe work of other students?• By allowing students who collude to getaway with it, the University would be doingan injustice to the majority of studentswho have worked hard on their own.• This is your degree, not someone else’s.It’s your name that will appear on yourdegree certificate. Therefore, you haveto put the work in.• You will gain essential research,organisation and motivation skills fromindependent learning that will be invaluableto you in your future employment.

CollusionCan I copywork fromother students?18Copying from other students is neveracceptable. The rest of this sectioncontains very useful advice adapted fromNapier University Business School’s (2006,p5-6) guidelines for students.My friend said I coulduse his work…This is never acceptable and willbe penalised.• The penalty can apply to the studentwho has copied AND the student whohas provided the work to be copied.• If your friends ask you how to approachan assignment and you give them a copyof your work, the chances are they willcopy it, even if they claim they won’t.YOU and the other student(s) can bepenalised if this happens.• However, discussing your work and ideaswith others after you’ve all received yourresults may help with deeper understandingand revision of the topic. This is acceptableand encouraged but you must not, forexample, jointly produce model answers toexam questions based on these discussions.• You can critically evaluate previousstudents’unpublished dissertations,but you must provide the appropriatereferences in your work.I took my friend’s work withouther knowing…Copying from another student withouttheir consent will be treated as seriousacademic misconduct and is likely tolead to your exclusion from the Universityor the downgrading of your degree.Help to ensure other students don’t copyyour work by avoiding the following:• Saving your work on a hard drive of acomputer where other students mayhave access to it.• Losing a disk or USB drive, or leaving aprinted copy of your assignment whereother students may find it.• Asking someone else to submit yourassignment for you, especially if you arehanding it in advance of the deadline.• Showing your work to other students

19In the above situations the student whosework has been stolen will also be accused ofcollusion. The onus will be on BOTH studentsto prove what has happened. If you believeyour work has been stolen, contact yourmodule leader straight away.But my friends and I liketo share ideas…Sharing ideas with others is often an excellentway to learn, as you can bounce ideas offeach other and find alternative points of viewthat you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.However, there’s a fine line betweensharing ideas in this manner and colluding.If you produce common ideas, commonstructures or common words and quotes,then you make it more likely that yourassignments will be seen as similar, andtherefore more likely that you, and the restof your group, will be penalised for collusion.Similarity in assignments would not occur ifyou studied independently.about what research to use, but you shouldbe 100 per cent confident that your work isdifferent from their work. Don’t, for example,use similar quotes or structures to your friends.Group workGroup work is a reality of working life andis seen by many module leaders as animportant part of learning. When workingon individual assessments, however, it’s vitalthat you work alone and that the work youproduce hasn’t been seen or discussedin detail with another student.If you’re in any doubt about whether ornot you should be working in a group,contact your module leader in goodtime before the deadline.To avoid this make sure you always write yourassignments up on your own, away from yourfriends. There’s nothing wrong with discussingpoints with your friends, or even sharing ideas

CollusionGive mesome examplesof collusion.20The following scenarios are adapted fromChris Rook’s (2007, p1) guide for Computingstudents at the University of Northumbria.Example 1Student A has trouble with a part of anassignment and asks student B for help.Student B shows his assignment to studentA to demonstrate how he’s tackled theassignment. Student A takes notes andadds them to his own assignment. Bothstudents are finalists with no previous record.This is collusion and student A will be failthe module and have to come back thefollowing year to retake it. The retake will becapped at D5 and student A will have topay tuition fees for this module. Student Bwill receive a warning. But BOTH studentscould be penalised if there is evidencethat student B knew student A was goingto copy his work.Example 2Student C and student D sit side-by-side onUniversity computers and knowingly use eachother’s work as they go along. They submitvery similar pieces of work. Both students arestudying at Level 2 and have committedacademic misconduct twice before.This is collusion and both students willbe excluded from the University.Example 3Student E has trouble with a conceptand asks student F for help. Student Fverbally explains some of the theoreticalprinciples that student E is having troublewith and gives advice on general sources.Both students go away and writeseparate assignments.This is acceptable and a useful processfor both students.

CollusionCollusionSummary21• You should be confident that every yoursentence of assignment is your own(unless quoting direct from another author)and you should be able to explain conceptsfully if asked to do so.• Do not show your assignments to others• If you agree to help out other students,do so by improving their understanding,not by giving them the answer. Alternatively,tell them to plan in advance and ask themodule leader, who will be happy to helpthem iron out any difficulties.

CheatingWhat isCheating?22The university takes cases of cheating veryseriously. The Regulations and Procedure forthe Investigation of Academic Misconductdefines cheating as...“…any attempt by a candidate to gainunfair advantage in an assessment bydishonest means, and includes, for example,all breaches of examination room rules,impersonating another candidate, falsifyingdata and obtaining an examination paper inadvance of its authorised release” (p1).Cheating attracts the University’s most severepenalties. It’s classed as serious misconductand if proven is likely to lead to your exclusionfrom the university or the downgrading ofyour degree.

CheatingGive mesome examplesof cheating23Example 1Student A, an undergraduate, sits a seenexamination question and, in defiance ofthe exam regulations, brings in a preparedanswer. He pulls his prepared answer outof his jacket after 15 minutes and puts it onhis desk. The invigilator walks round after20 minutes and notices that student A’spaper contains far more words than astudent could be expected to write in thatamount of time.Student A’s degree class will be downgradedfrom an honours degree to an ordinarydegree for breaching exam regulations.He would be excluded from the University ifhe were studying at postgraduate level.Example 2Student B, an undergraduate, looks atstudent C’s assignment without student Cknowing, in order to steal the text and designand incorporates it into her own assignment.This is deliberate cheating, although initiallyboth students will be accused of collusion.Student B will have her honours degreedowngraded to an ordinary degree forserious misconduct, providing student Ccan show evidence that she did the workon her own (for example, by providingdrafts and study notes and being able todemonstrate knowledge of the topic).Example 3Student D, an undergraduate nurse,cannot find his supervisor in time to signoff his practice documents. He forges hissupervisor’s signature and hands in the work.His tutor suspects he has signed it off himself.Student D has previously been penalisedfor serious misconduct.Student D will be excluded from the University.

CheatingHow can Iavoid beingaccusedof cheating?24• Familiarise yourself with the examregulations, which are availableonline at: www.wlv.ac.uk/polsregs.• Don’t take notes into an exam roomunless you have been given permission.• Don’t be tempted to cut corners byforging signatures and documents• Don’t take other students’ workand try to pass it off as your own.• Keep all draft work and study notesso that you can show you’veworked independently.

What extrahelp canI get?25• Study Skills Advisers. Based in theLearning Centres, these advisers canhelp students with all aspects of studying.Phone 01902 322300 or book anappointment at your local LearningCentre’s reception.• See the Harvard Style Referencingbooklet, which is available from theLearning Centres, the Students’ UnionAdvice and Support Centre or online at:www.wlv.ac.uk• Endnote Training. Contact the LearningCentres (01902 322300) for details onhow this software can make referencingeasy for you.• Module/Award Leaders. If you’ve got anydoubts regarding academic misconduct,contact your module leader or awardleader for clarification.• Sharpen Up Your Skills. The Universityruns sessions for students who wanthelp with study and personal skills.Visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/skills• Your Academic School Office canprovide you with advice on your course.• The Students’ Union’s Advice andSupport Centre is a free and confidentialservice that provides advice on academic,financial, housing and internationalstudents’ issues.Visit: www.wolvesunion.org

References26Evans, G.R., and Gill, J. (2001)Universities and Students. London:Kogan Page.Fletcher, J. (2004)Avoiding plagiarism and collusion [online].Wolverhampton,University of Wolverhampton[cited 28th July 2005].Available from World Wide Web:http://asp.wlv.ac.uk/Level7.asp?UserType=6&Level7=1152Napier Business School (2006)Plagiarism and how to avoid it –guidelines for students [online].Edinburgh: Napier University[cited 29th March 2007].University Of South Australia (2005)Learning guides: Avoiding plagiarism [online].University of South Australia[cited 28th July 2005].Available from World Wide Web:http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/students/Lguides/!18plagiarism.rtfUniversity of Wolverhampton (2007)Regulations and Procedure for theInvestigation of Academic Misconduct [online].Wolverhampton: University of Wolverhampton[cited 10th August 2007].Available for the World Wide Web:http://www.wlv.ac.uk/Docs/aca_acad_misc.doc.Available from the World Wide Web:http://www.napier.ac.uk/ed/plagiarism/StudentGuidelines06_07.pdf.

Appendix 1Penalties foracademicmisconductPlagiarism, collusion and cheating27OffenceA first offence committed by a studentin their first year of study on a Universityof Wolverhampton awardPenaltyFailure of the assessment task in question(grade F0). The student will be permitted tore-sit the assessment at the next opportunityand the grade will be restricted to D5A first offence committed by astudent not in their first year of studyOrA second offence committed byany student on a University ofWolverhampton awardFailure of the module in question (F0).The student will be permitted to retake themodule at the next opportunity and thegrade will be restricted to D5. The studentwill normally be charged for the retake.A third offence committed by a studenton a University of Wolverhampton awardExclusion from the University.Serious offencesSerious academic misconduct is defined as any case of deliberate, premeditatedcheating, which has either been admitted by a student, or which a panel has judgedto be a premeditated attempt to deceive and gain unfair advantage. For example –theft of another student’s work or cheating in an examination.

Appendix 1Penalties foracademicmisconductPlagiarism, collusion and cheating28OffenceFirst serious offenceat undergraduate levelPenaltyRestriction of the awarda student can ultimately achieveSecond serious offenceat undergraduate levelExclusion from the UniversityFirst serious offenceat postgraduate levelExclusion from the UniversityIn cases where students are excluded from the University, they will receive the award towhich they were entitled to at the time of the exclusion. For example – instead of receivinga BA (Hons) degree, an excluded student may be entitled to a Certificate in HE, a Diplomain HE or an Ordinary Degree, depending on the credit achieved at the time of exclusion.For the University’s full regulations on academic misconduct visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/polsregs

Appendix 2Referencingchecklist*29AuthorYear of publicationTitle of article/chapterTitle of publicationIssue informationPlace of publicationPublisherEditionPage numberURLDate accessedBookChapterfrom bookJournalarticleElectronicjournalarticleInternetNewspaperarticle*Taken from Napier Business School’s “Plagiarism and how to avoid it – guidelines forstudents” (2006, p27), which was adapted from Pears, R. and Shield, G. (2004) “Citethem right: referencing made easy”, Northumbria Press