Academic integrity at the University of Melbourne

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What is academic integrity?

Academic integrity means acting with core values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage in all academic endeavors, ensuring ethical and transparent scholarship.

As a member of the University of Melbourne community, you share responsibility for establishing and maintaining appropriate standards of scholarship.

Academic integrity is the way you demonstrate good scholarship, by:

  1. Being honest and ethical in scholarly work.
  2. Acknowledging the work and ideas of others.
  3. Using your own words.

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Why academic integrity matters

You want your degree to mean something. Completing your studies on your own merit is not only rewarding for you, but it also maintains your integrity, that of your classmates, and of the University. Bachelor of Biomedicine student

Academic integrity is about understanding and upholding the academic values expected in a scholarly community, in this case, the University of Melbourne. When you enrol at the University, you agree to the terms and conditions, statutes, regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines in place to uphold academic integrity. You also consent to having your work checked for plagiarism, collusion and other forms of cheating.

Preparing material for assessment is an important part of the learning experience. It allows you to demonstrate your understanding of concepts and apply what you have learned in different domains and settings. The process of assessment supports the development of analytical skills, evaluative judgement, communication skills, and presentation skills. These are essential capabilities for graduates.

Above all, good scholarly practice includes only submitting work that is your own. It also includes using reputable sources of information, and fully acknowledging the authors and creators of ideas and materials that have informed your work.

Overwhelmingly, students do this and go on to demonstrate good ethical practices in their future careers. We provide the tools you need to ensure this is also your experience, and to help you to maintain integrity - your own, your degree's and the University's. Following good scholarly practice will set you up for success, underpinning your behaviour in the workplace and reflecting personal honesty and integrity in all aspects of life.

Avoid academic misconduct

Academic misconduct is any breach of academic integrity, whether intentional or unintentional, that constitutes unethical and unacceptable behaviour. Academic misconduct can have serious consequences.

Examples of academic misconduct include:

  • Submitting work or ideas that are not your own without acknowledging, citing or referencing the original source
  • Working with other students to produce work submitted for assessment that has been restricted to individual work
  • Purchasing, commissioning, selling or sharing essays or other assessment materials
  • Sharing University teaching materials with third-parties, including uploading lecture notes, slides or recordings to websites
  • Forgery or falsification of documents (such as transcripts or medical certificates) to gain academic advantage or advancement
  • Copying or possession of unauthorised materials in examinations
  • Falsification or misrepresentation of data
  • Using generative artificial intelligence in assessment work in way that has not been authorised or disclosed.