plagiarism

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is using someone else’s work, idea or creation as if it were your own. This can include everything from outright copying from an article or another student, to not correctly citing a source. Swinburne has rules and disciplinary procedures related to cheating and plagiarism. Penalties can be as severe as exclusion (expulsion) from your course.

It is also an offence under Swinburne policies and procedures to facilitate other students to plagiarise using your work.

Suggestions to avoid plagiarism.

There is a Plagiarism Guide which is written specifically for Swinburne students.

• Never leave work on a computer, USB, disc etcetera unattended,
  even for short periods of time.
• Never loan other students drafts or completed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep your work secured and not enable plagiarism of your work by others to occur.
• When working in a group ensure you follow all of the assessment requirements and seek clarification from teaching staff if you are unsure of what is expected both from the group and you as an individual.
• Make sure you use appropriate referencing and seek advice if you have any doubts.

Note

If you change someone else’s words this may still be plagiarism unless you reference the source of that idea. In general, it is good policy to err on the side of caution when referencing. This may mean that you may need to find sources for something even though you already know that information. Lecturers are often very aware of the sources students may use and plagiarism detection software is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

If you get an assignment back and you have had marks deducted for suspected plagiarism you do not have to accept that decision! You are entitled to request that your work be either graded based on the quality of the work submitted or that a formal discipline process be instituted.

Help

Please contact an SSAA Academic Advisor for any assessment discipline relating to plagiarism for advice and support.