Academic integrity

Find out what constitutes plagiarism, and the difference between collusion and collaboration.

The University of Melbourne expects the highest ethical standards in all areas of academic work and professional behaviour.

The University of Melbourne believes that excellence in teaching and learning can be achieved in an intellectual environment where academic integrity is highly valued and carefully upheld.

The University of Melbourne’s position on academic honesty and plagiarism is based on two core values:

  1. Education and awareness-raising are fundamental for advancing respect for truth and for the ethics of scholarship.
  2. Work submitted for assessment purposes must be the independent work of learners, or approved groups of learners, to demonstrate their mastery of subject objectives.

What is academic integrity?

...Academic work submitted for assessment or publication must be the original work of the author or authors. If the ideas or words of others have been drawn upon, this must be thoroughly and clearly acknowledged using agreed scholarly conventions.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Provost (Academic and Undergraduate)

James, R. (ca 2019). Academic integrity at the University of Melbourne [Video file]. University of Melbourne.

What are plagiarism and collusion?

Presenting the work of another person as your own is plagiarism. Failing to properly acknowledge where the work or idea came from is dishonest and unacceptable. This applies to all written documents, interpretations, computer software, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, and ideas that were created by someone else.

Collusion is when work is presented as your own but was actually developed by others and either they have not consented for you to use it or you haven’t acknowledged their contributions. This is equally dishonest and unacceptable, unless you have been required to produce a shared piece of work with other students, or you are specifically permitted to work with others as part of the learning objectives for the assessment task. You may not present the work of someone else as your own, even with their permission – you need to acknowledge the contribution of others. Both the person submitting the assessment and people willingly supplying unauthorised material are considered participants in acts of collusion.

Working collaboratively for your professional learning is not collusion

Please note that often you will be asked to work collaboratively with others during your micro-credential study, and you may be asked to prepare an assessment in a team – this is not collusion. Your micro-credential Coordinator will assist you with strategies to acknowledge the work of others to avoid both collusion and plagiarism.

The use of generative AI tools to produce assessment materials

Academic integrity considerations include the use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. The existing University of Melbourne policy does not prohibit students from using AI generated material in the preparation of assessments however, it must be appropriately acknowledged. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.

Examples of strategies to prevent plagiarism and collusion include:

  • Only submitting work that is your own.
  • Using the specified citation system (eg Harvard, Vancouver or APA) to acknowledge the work of others that you have referred to in your submission. See the Re:cite tool available from the University of Melbourne Library: Acknowledging the work of your peers where you may have collaborated on a group assignment.
  • Checking your Turnitin Similarity Report prior to submitting your assessment. Turnitin compares submissions to billions of pages of content located on the internet and proprietary databases as well as the work of others whose papers have also been submitted to the system. Learn more about Turnitin here.

Consequences of suspected plagiarism or misconduct

Should you be suspected of plagiarism, collusion or other forms of misconduct while undertaking the micro-credential, the allegation will be reported to the Academic Director, Curriculum and Transformation who will manage the process to be considered by the University for action.

The University’s approach to managing suspected cases of plagiarism and misconduct associated with undertaking the micro-credential is to determine and deal with the learner’s intent and provide an educative response wherever possible. However, if a severe disciplinary penalty is required, it may include cancellation of your registration and not issuing or revoking the micro-credential digital certificate. All reports, investigations and outcomes will be recorded by the University for future reference should a learner repeat such transgressions.