Plagiarism and cheating

I got a good mark for my last piece of coursework. Will I be able to use it again for another assignment?

No. If you use a large part of the same piece of work for another assessment (for example, in another coursework assignment, project or dissertation) this is 'self-plagiarism' and you may lose marks or even fail.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is defined in the Assessment regulations as "the deliberate and substantial unacknowledged incorporation in a student’s work of material derived from the work (published or unpublished) of another”.
In other words it means passing someone else’s work off as your own. This includes material from books, journals and the web, as well as from your friends.

At degree level three and above your coursework should contain a statement saying “This piece of coursework is my own original work and has not been submitted elsewhere in fulfilment of the requirement of this or any other award”

The University regards plagiarism as a very serious offence and you’re strongly advised to study the Assessment regulations in full.

Apart from plagiarism, what else counts as cheating in coursework?

There’s collusion. That’s when you try to pass off as all your own work something that someone else has worked on with you, or when you let someone copy your work and try to pass it off as theirs.

Also, there’s putting false data in your lab work, reports and so on - and any other form of dishonest practice.

What happens if I’m caught?

These are very serious offences. If the University finds you have cheated, the assessment board can decide what should happen, for example, you may lose marks, have to submit another piece of work or re-sit the module. Very serious cases may go to the Senate Disciplinary Committee.

For full information, see the Code of Student Discipline (word) in University regulations, codes and policies.

Can I appeal?

You can find out about appeals in the Code of Student Discipline (word) in University regulations, codes and policies.

How do I avoid plagiarism?

Read about plagiarism and how to avoid it.

PLATO

For more information on plagiarism view PLATO: Plagiarism Teaching On-line. If you are off campus (or using a browser other than Internet Explorer) you will need to log in to this tool using your domain login (caledonian\userid) and password.

Updated: 21 May, 2009 | Examinations office | Legal