What is academic integrity?
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:
- Being honest and ethical in scholarly work.
- Acknowledging the work and ideas of others.
- Using your own words.
Support to succeed in your studies
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Academic Skills
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Library guides
Online guides to the research resources and tools offered by the University of Melbourne Library.
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:
- Plagiarism
- Collusion
- 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) to gain academic advantage or advancement
- Copying or possession of unauthorised materials in examinations
- Falsification or misrepresentation of data
- Submitting work generated from artificial intelligence software that is not correctly cited or where not permissible in a subject.
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Read the full definition of academic misconduct
A person commits student academic misconduct if the person, is a student and:
- By act or omission does anything which is intended to or is likely to have the effect of obtaining for that student or any other person an advantage in the performance of assessment, by unauthorised, unscholarly or unfair means whether or not the advantage was obtained
- In relation to an examination or assessment, includes but is not limited to, a student who:
- Engages in cheating
- Engages in plagiarism
- Resubmits in whole or in part one's own work for another assessment item
- Gives or provides one’s own work to someone else
- Falsifies or misrepresents data or results
- Improperly colludes with another person or persons
- Fails to comply with examination or assessment rules or directions
- Engages in other conduct with a view to gaining unfair or unjustified advantage
- Uses or possesses any unauthorised or prohibited information, books, notes, paper or other materials
- Directly or indirectly assists any other student or accept assistance from any other person
- Copies from or otherwise uses the answer of any other person engaged in the performance of the same or comparable component of assessment or permits any other person to copy from or otherwise use the student’s answer
- Forges or falsifies documents to gain for the student, or for any other person, any academic advantage or advancement to which the student or that other person is not entitled
- Purchases or obtains assessment materials from commercial services or other individuals
- Sells assessment materials to entities or individuals
- In relation to research, commits research misconduct.
Plagiarism, collusion and other examples of academic misconduct
Find out more about different kinds of academic misconduct and how to avoid them.
Policy and penalties
Find out what can happen if you are investigated for academic misconduct.
