Aberystwyth University defines ‘unacceptable academic practice’ as follows:
It is Unacceptable Academic Practice to commit any act whereby a person may obtain, for themselves or for another, an unpermitted advantage. The Regulation shall apply, and a student may be found to have committed Unacceptable Academic Practice, regardless of a student’s intention and the outcome of the act, and whether the student acts alone or in conjunction with another/others.
The point here is to ensure that no student has an unfair advantage over other students. Please note that it is possible to commit unacceptable academic practice unintentionally, and that it is the student’s responsibility to avoid doing so.
Unacceptable academic practice can take many forms, but some of the most common instances are:
• Plagiarism
• Collusion
• Fabrication of evidence or data
• Contract cheating
• Unpermitted activity during formal examinations
Find out more about the University’s definition of Unacceptable Academic Practice at: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-registry/handbook/regulations/uap/
Plagiarism is defined as using another person's work and presenting it as one's own, whether intentionally or unintentionally. For example:
• Failing to cite a source that you have quoted from in your assignment.
• Using quotations without the use of quotation marks.
• Copying and pasting text or information from the internet without acknowledging your sources.
• Buying an assignment from an essay mill and submitting it as your own.
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of material taken from other sources (whether on the internet or in print). This is unacceptable academic practice and may result in mark penalties.
To acknowledge the sources of your information, include citations; and where you copy text passages from a source, you should always place the copied text in quotation marks. Failure to clearly distinguish the words or ideas of others from your own in this way is unacceptable academic practice.
Find out more about what the University considers to be plagiarism and what happens if you plagiarise, in the Regulation on Unacceptable Academic Practice.
Making use of text generated by online paraphrasing tools may constitute a case of plagiarism, for this will entail presenting words and phrases that you have not written as though they were your own.
Similarly, making use of article summaries generated by AI programmes may also constitute an instance of plagiarism, especially where such summaries are presented as your own work.
You should avoid using either paraphrasing tools or summarising programmes when writing your assignments.
Plagiarism through translation can include:
If you use a source originally in English and paraphrase in another language (or vice versa) for your work, this is treated as paraphrasing and should be referenced according. See How to paraphrase for further guidance.
Find out more about what the University considers to be plagiarism and what happens if you plagiarise, in the Regulation on Unacceptable Academic Practice.
Aberystwyth University. (2019) Regulation on Unacceptable Academic Practice. Available at: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-registry/handbook/regulations/uap/ (Accessed: 22 July 2020).
Recycling of data or text in more than one assessment, when this is explicitly not permitted by the Department will be viewed as Unacceptable Academic Practice: Regulation on Unacceptable Academic Practice : Academic Registry, Aberystwyth University.
If it is permitted by your Department and you re-use any part of a previous assignment you have written for another module or course in your current work, you must acknowledge this, otherwise it is known as self-plagiarism.
In some computing contexts it is expected that you will reuse code, from libraries or other sources. Please remember the following when incorporating other people's code in your course-work:
1.Show that you have permission to use the code.
2. Give credit where credit is due
3. Make sure you understand the code
4. Explain your design choices
For further information and guidance contact your Department.
Information that is found online and freely available should be cited unless it is common knowledge.
What is Common Knowledge?
Events, facts and information that can be found in a number of places and known by those studying a particular topic.
Examples;
The sky is blue.
Boris Johnson is the British prime minister.
World War One began in 1914.
If in doubt then cite!
Contract cheating can entail:
• Paying someone else to write your assignment, then submitting it as your own work.
• Purchasing materials from an essay mill and incorporating them into your assignment without acknowledgement.
• Collaborating with other students, friends, or family members in order to complete work that is submitted as your own.
Contract cheating usually (but not always) involves a commercial transition. It is the most serious form of plagiarism and is subject to severe penalties. Engagement with essay mills can also leave students vulnerable to blackmail and identity theft.
Find out more about what the University considers to be plagiarism and what happens if you plagiarise, in the Regulation on Unacceptable Academic Practice.
Aberystwyth University. (2019) Regulation on Unacceptable Academic Practice. Available at: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-registry/handbook/regulations/uap/ (Accessed: 22 July 2020).
The uploading of study materials, lecture notes, sample essays to public file-sharing websites could lead to a disciplinary case.
These may include the intellectual property of the university and uploading them would break University Rules and Regulations, which could lead to a disciplinary case.
Uploading sample or marked essays or downloading such material could also lead to an investigation through the Regulation on Unacceptable Practice procedure.
