Plagiarism

The School of Computer Science & Software Engineering recognises that the issue of plagiarism is a difficult one. It is the responsibility of students to ensure that the methods they adopt for the preparation of work for submission conform to the expectations of the unit co-ordinators concerned. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the unit co-ordinators to define clearly what is expected in terms of group work, collaboration between students, and individual work so as to ensure that no confusion arises.

The School sets work for assessment with the expectation that it is

• the sole effort of the student;
• or the sole effort of a designated group of students who hand in a joint piece of work;
• or the effort of a individual student who may have discussed general principles with others in order to understand the topic, but who is responsible for submitting an individual piece of work;
• or the sole effort of the student based on an outline answer given as part of the course material.

Students will be told which of the above applies for each piece of assessed work. Any contribution from others, outside the above limits, must be acknowledged as part of the submitted work. Students must inform the unit co-ordinator if their work is done jointly or borrows heavily from others. Failure to do so is plagiarism.

If a possible case of plagiarism is detected, the unit co-ordinator and a staff member not involved in the unit (usually the Head of Department) will interview the people concerned. Should plagiarism be confirmed, appropriate measures will be taken as follows:

• In the case of assignments where collusion has occurred: The mark for the work is assigned to the students concerned in a manner determined by the unit controller, with the approval of the Head of School. Students should note that such a penalty may lead to a decision that insufficient progress has been made, and the student could be excluded from the final exam in this case.
• In the case of copying another's assignment or work without consent: A mark of zero is awarded for the assignment and the student is referred to the Sub Dean of the relevant faculty for disciplinary action under University Statute 17.

It is particularly easy to copy computer files, although it is also easy to detect when this has occurred. The School has a number of programs that are designed to detect the copying of computer code. Unauthorised copying is stealing. Severe penalties exist to punish instances of theft. If a student suspects that some work has been stolen, the unit co-ordinator should be informed immediately.

You are referred to the Faculty Policy on Plagiarism for additional information.

March 2003