Centre for European Studies

Centre for European Studies

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    • Plagiarism and non-originality
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Plagiarism and non-originality

You should note that UCL has a sophisticated detection system (Turn-It-In) to scan work for evidence of plagiarism. This system gives access to billions of sources worldwide, including websites and journals, as well as work previously submitted to the Department, UCL and other universities. You are urged to pay serious attention to the UCL webpage Plagiarism and the UCL Academic Committee’s policy statement on plagiarism (Academic Manual, Plagiarism), on which the following comments are based.

1. UCL is subject to the University of London’s General Regulations for Internal Students and the policy detailed below has been drawn up in accordance with those Regulations.

2. Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another person’s thoughts or words or artefacts or software as though they were a student’s own.

3. Any quotation from the published or unpublished works of other persons must, therefore, be clearly identified as such by being placed inside quotation marks, and students should identify their sources as accurately and fully as possible.

4. A series of short quotations from several different sources, if not clearly identified as such, constitutes plagiarism just as much as does a single unacknowledged long quotation from a single source. Equally, if a student summarises another person’s ideas, judgements, figures, diagrams or software, a reference to that person in the text must be made and the work referred to must be included in the bibliography.

5. Recourse to the service of “ghost-writing” agencies (for example in the preparation of essays and reports) or of outside word-processing agencies which offer “correction/improvement of English” is strictly forbidden, and students who make use of the services of such agencies render themselves liable for an academic penalty.

6. Where part of an examination consists of “take-away” papers, essays or other work written in a student’s own time, or a coursework assessment, the work submitted must be the candidate’s own.

7. Some departments give specific advice about non-originality, plagiarism and the use of other people’s material, and students must make themselves aware of such departmental guidelines and abide by them. For some assessment it is also illicit to reproduce material which a student has used in other work/assessment for the course or programme concerned. Students should make themselves aware of their department’s rules on this “self-plagiarism”. If in doubt, students should consult their Personal Tutor or other appropriate Tutor.

8. Failure to observe any of the provisions of this policy or of approved departmental guidelines constitutes an examinations offence under the University Regulations. Examinations offences will normally be treated as cheating or as irregularities under the regulations for Proceedings in respect of Examinations Irregularities. Under these Regulations students found to have committed an offence may be excluded from all further examinations of the University and/or the UCL.