Academic Integrity 

Academic integrity is defined as upholding honest and truthful standards of academic behaviour at UCLan. It is a fundamental principle within the University and is strongly linked to good academic practice. As students at UCLan, there are commitments which you must uphold to promote and comply with the University Academic Regulations

 

• Engage with assessments in a timely, honest, and professional manner
• Use best efforts to meet assessment deadlines 
• Engage positively with the support services available 
• Make use of Turnitin as an education and detection tool
• Engage positively with any investigation, including retaining and providing copies of drafts of assessed work
• Take steps wo secure your work from improper use by others
• Understand what constitutes academic misconduct and how it can be avoided 

 

But why is Academic integrity so important? 

Simply put, academic integrity provides you with the best chance to succeed. 

A 2020 study by Guerrero-Dib et al., showed that students who were reported committing actions against academic integrity also reported being involved in dishonest activities and students who saw breaches of integrity as less serious were frequently involved in academic misconduct. 

 

“We recognise that all staff and students of UCLan must work together as an academic community to maintain the high standard and credibility of UCLan awards. We have worked with the Students’ Union to design robust procedures for dealing with reported cases of academic misconduct, with an initial focus on education and prevention, and the ability to impose severe outcomes in cases of serious or repeat academic misconduct.  In 2020/21, over 20 students were withdrawn from the University for having engaged in serious or repeat academic misconduct.  Please don’t take any risks with your future studies or career and make use of all the sources of support outlined in this article that are there to help you succeed”.

Lisa Brooks, Head of Student Casework’

 

 

Academic Misconduct 

At the University, academic misconduct is defined as:

Any action or attempted action by a student which gives or has the potential to give an unfair advantage in a summative assessment or might assist another student to gain an unfair advantage or otherwise undermines the academic integrity of the University.

 

Academic misconduct takes many forms including but not limited to:

 

Plagiarism: Copying words or ideas from another person and claiming those words or ideas as your own without proper citation/acknowledgment. 

 

Collusion: Working with others on an assessment that will be assessed on an individual basis. It is also having access to another students work or them having access to your work either with or without your consent. 

 

Cheating: A form of examination malpractice relating to formal invigilated examinations or other assessments.

 

Fabrication of Data: This is when data, evidence or experimental results are created or enhanced to present them as if the results were real. 

 

Contract cheating/Essay mills: Submission of an assessed piece as your own work when a third party has been commissioned to complete part or all of the piece of work. This includes the use of essay mills, buying work-on-line or the use of proof-reading services that include re-writing the original assessed piece of work. 

 

This is one of the most serious forms of academic misconduct. The advertisement or running of these services is soon to be made a criminal offence. If you think you have been contacted my an essay mill company, contact the Student Casework Team at StudentCasework@uclan.ac.uk

 

Academic misconduct is taken seriously at the University and non-compliance of the University’s academic regulations breaches the Student Charter. 

 

 

Tips and Advice

So, we’ve covered what academic integrity and academic misconduct are, but how can you avoid it whilst at University?

 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! The University has a range of support services (you can find them below) that are readily available to help you. Don’t hesitate to ask your lecturers for further guidance if you’re unsure. 

 

Don’t wait until the last minute! A majority of students often cite having not enough time to complete their assessment as the main reason they use unfair means to complete their assessment. 

Don’t let this be you! Student coaches are able to assist you with time management and organisation. Giving yourself enough time to complete an assessment allows you to produce an excellent piece of work. 

 

Always remember to cite your sources! Remember that presenting work that is not yours as yours is dishonest and an example of academic misconduct. Use tools such as RefWorks to keep track of your citations and references as you write your work. 

 

Look after yourself! There may be times where you are stressed and overwhelmed with difficulties in your personal life or academic studies which can hinder your academic abilities. 

If you are experiencing difficulties, you can submit mitigating circumstances (MC) to get an extension on an assessment. The University has a wonderful student support and wellbeing team that can support and advise you further. The team is based in the Student Centre and are there to help Monday to Thursday, 9am to 9pm, Friday 9am to 7pm and from 10am to 6pm Saturday, Sunday, and Bank Holidays. You can also contact them at WellBeing@uclan.ac.uk. 

 

 

Support Available 

WISER

The WISER team at the University is here to support you develop your academic skills and is available to all students at all levels studying at UCLan. There are various online and in-person tutorials, workshops and drop-ins which run across the year for you to attend. You can find out more here or contact them at WISER@uclan.ac.uk.

 

Student Coaches

Within each school at UCLan, there are 2 student coaches designated to help you. You can find out more of about your student coaches here. 

 

Students’ Union Advice Service 

The Students’ Union is independent from the University, and we are here to offer free and confidential advice, guidance, and support. If an allegation against academic misconduct has been made against you: 

 

• We explain the University’s academic regulations
• Provide advice on your response to an allegation of misconduct
• Provide advice on how to prepare you for your misconduct hearing
• Accompany you to your misconduct hearing
• Support you through your misconduct process 

 

The Advice Service opening hours are 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday.

You can contact them via email: suadvice@uclan.ac.uk or telephone: 01772 894880.

You may also find the answer to your academic query on our website: https://www.uclansu.co.uk/gethelp/advice/academic/