Academic Misconduct

Library Skills: Citing Sources: [http://www.libraryskills.com/Plagiarism/Handling-Plagiarism-Posters]

Academic Integrity and

Why is Griffith committed to academic integrity?

For the following reasons:
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Because if everyone cheats and plagiarises the Universitys reputation is affected

Because Griffith wants to protect the standard of its awards
Because Griffith wants to ensure that students receive due credit for their work
Because Griffith wants to protect the interests of students who do not cheat
Because Griffith wants to provide students with guidance on best practice in studying
and learning
Because Griffith wants to educate students about intellectual property and legitimate
access to it
Because Griffith wants to ensure that its graduates have appropriate competencies

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Definitions of academic integrity and misconduct

Perceptions and definitions vary between cultures and academic
disciplines.
Broadly, academic misconduct is a breach of academic integrity and covers:
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all fraudulent behaviour (including misrepresentation)

cheating
fabrication of results
plagiarism
collusion
duplication

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Academic Integrity at Griffith

Griffith takes academic integrity very seriously
The most common breach of academic integrity is plagiarism,
therefore, you need to be aware of the following:
! What constitutes plagiarism
! Where you can get help if you dont understand how to avoid plagiarism

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Examples of plagiarism
Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following:
! When an assignment is not all your own work
! When you have not acknowledged the work of others i.e. you have not
named your sources or materials
! When you recycle an assignment that has been previously submitted for
another course
! When you let another student copy from your assignment
! When you copy the work of another student and submit it as your own

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How can you avoid plagiarism?

Be aware of the following strategies:
! Select quotes carefully and use minimally
! Words and phrases copied directly from a source must be indicated as a
quote, unless you have completely paraphrased them
! When you use someone elses ideas, give them credit by citing them
correctly
! Learn how to paraphrase and reference correctly
! Make sure you use the correct citation style that is required by your
school or discipline
! Finally, always identify where your information came from. We do
check!

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Text-matching software
You should be aware that the University uses text-matching software
to safeguard the quality of student learning and to assist with the
detection of plagiarism.
This software may be available for you to use by submitting a draft, in order
to check your assignment prior to submission. This advice will be
specified in the course profile
Some students think that if the percentage of text-matching in a report is
below a certain percentage figure that it is ok this is not the case as
each report is interpreted individually by academic staff.

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Breaches of academic integrity

Breaches will be given a level of seriousness according to a matrix
that includes a number of factors for consideration. These factors
are:
! Type and extent of the misconduct
! Experience and intent of the student

Breaches are divided into Tier 1 or Tier 2 breaches:

! Tier 1 breaches and some Tier 2 breaches will be dealt with by the Course
Convenor
! The more serious Tier 2 breaches will be dealt with by the Dean (Learning and
Teaching)

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Examples of Tier 1 and Tier 2 breaches

A tier one offence could be:

A tier 2 offence could be:

A first year student who:

A student who is in a second semester

program and has completed
instruction in avoiding plagiarism and
who:

Does not understand how to reference

correctly
This student has plagiarised
inadvertently due to lack of
understanding

Has plagiarised a significant portion of their

assessment

OR a second or third year student who:

Has repeatedly cheated or
! Where the plagiarism is
deliberate or planned or
! The student has
purchased or stolen
another persons work

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University process for dealing with breach

! Firstly, you will receive an official letter via your student email from your
Course Convenor or the Dean (Learning and Teaching) advising you of
the concern
! You will be given an opportunity to explain within 14 days
! A decision will be made regarding appropriate action by the decisionmaker i.e. either the Course Convenor or the Dean (Learning and
Teaching)

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Possible responses to a tier 1 breach

These are set out in the Student Academic Misconduct Policy and
include the following:
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An official warning
Requirement to seek study skills
Requirement to undertake an online tutorial on academic integrity
Receipt of a mark for the portion of the assessment that is unaffected by the academic
misconduct
Permission to resubmit the assessment item to achieve a mark no higher than a pass
mark
Requirement to undertake a supplementary assessment

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Possible responses to a tier 2 breach

The tier 2 decision maker may choose one or more of the tier 1
responses and/or one or more tier 2 responses.
Tier 2 responses include:
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Requirement to exclude the affected work from an honours/postgraduate coursework

thesis or dissertation
Requirement for student to rewrite an honours/postgraduate coursework thesis or
dissertation within a specified timeframe
Receipt of a nil mark for the assessment item affected by the academic misconduct
Receipt of a fail grade for the course in which the academic misconduct occurred
Exclusion from the University

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Finalising the process

! All final decisions will be centrally recorded on the Student

Academic Integrity Management system which is separate from
your student record
! Previous breaches will be taken into account when determining a
response to a subsequent breach
! You will receive a letter via your student email confirming the
outcome and advising you of your right if any to appeal

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What can students do to ensure academic integrity in

their work
! Talk to your tutors or lecturers about their requirements
! Ensure that you are not attempting a heavier student load than you are
able to commit to
! Check what information your school provides on referencing
! Go to classes on academic writing and referencing, in particular, learn
how to paraphrase correctly
! Ensure that you understand what is required in a group assignment
! Use text-matching software (if available) to check your work
Finally, dont become a statistic on the Academic Integrity Management
System.
Look at the student website on academic integrity in the portal for more
information http://intranet.griffith.edu.au/student-academic-integrity
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Academic Integrity Workshops

Register online for a workshop on your campus

griffith.edu.au/academic-integrity

Gold Coast Tuesday 25 March

Nathan Tuesday 25 March
Mt Gravatt Wednesday 26 March
Logan Thursday 27 March
South Bank Friday 28 March

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