Academic Integrity Policy
Approved by Academic Board (AB/55/08)
Rationale
A cornerstone of education is academic integrity. If we ignore or dismiss plagiarism we fail to uphold the principle of academic integrity and thereby devalue the very nature of education itself. The University recognises and appreciates the vital role played by its staff in upholding the principle of academic integrity and that they must be supported appropriately in this role. In addition, as an academic community, it is our responsibility to ensure that our newest members, our students, are not only made aware of academic integrity and the consequences of plagiarism but are also given the opportunity to develop and formatively apply their knowledge and skills within their own subject area.
Aims
The University will promote and support an environment in which academic integrity is respected by staff and students alike. Specifically it will:
- raise awareness and develop a culture that values the importance of academic integrity
- promote and support the development of good academic scholarship
- ensure that the experience of all students is fair, transparent and consistent
- ensure that all information, policies and procedures are clear and enable issues to be identified, addressed and resolved quickly and effectively
- ensure that detection supports and encourages the principles of academic integrity, scholarship, equality and effectiveness, and is not used simply to catch and punish incidents of plagiarism.
To do so, the University will:
- ensure that staff have the appropriate support to enable them to deal effectively with behaviour which falls short of the standards expected
- ensure that students have the appropriate support to enable them to comply with the standards expected
- review annually its policy and implementation plan to ensure its meets the needs of the institution, its staff and students.
Implementation
According to Carroll "When seeking to deal with the rising level of student plagiarism, any one action on its own will have only a partial effect whereas combining several can make a significant difference." (2003), with this in mind the University will develop a range of services, which will:
Inform
Whereby students and staff are given information and advice about academic integrity, plagiarism and referencing, as well as given formative opportunities to test their knowledge and skills.
Integrate
Whereby staff are given the tools and support to integrate issues of academic integrity, plagiarism and referencing into their learning, teaching and assessment practices. This will ensure that students are given the opportunity to test and apply formatively their knowledge and skills within their subject discipline.
Deter
To ensure that policies, procedures, regulations and tools dealing with academic integrity and plagiarism are both effective, and fairly and consistently applied to all students. This will ensure that academic integrity is understood and respected by staff and students, that students are given the opportunity to develop good scholarship skills and that behaviour which falls short of the expected standards is detected and dealt with effectively and consistently as detailed by the Policy and Procedures on Academic Misconduct.
References
Carroll, J. (2003) Setting plagiarism tariffs: An institutional approach seeking fairness and consistency. Paper presented at the HERDSA 2003 conference. Accessed 20 April 2008 at www.canterbury.ac.nz.
Review
The Library will review this Policy every year and any significant changes will be considered and approved by Education Committee.
January 2024
Review: January 2025
