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Plagiarism and Collusion

What is 'plagiarism' and 'collusion'?

Plagiarism occurs when you pass off another person's work as your own, or copy without acknowledgement of its authorship the work of any other person.

Collusion occurs when you enable or obtain agreement from another person for a fraudulent act, with the intent of obtaining an advantage by submitting an assignment or other work completed by another person.

What are the penalties?

The University regards plagiarism and collusion as serious academic offences and, if proven, the penalties may be severe. If the Faculty Academic Progress and Discipline Committee (FAPDC) finds a student has committed an act of academic misconduct (plagiarism and/or exam cheating), it may impose one or more of the following penalties:

• A reprimand,
• A fine not exceeding $500,
• Allocated a zero mark in the relevant task or such other mark as is appropriate,
• Allocate a zero mark in the relevant unit or such other mark as is appropriate,
• Allocate a zero mark in such other units in which the student is enrolled ,
• Suspend the student for up to one year, or
• Exclude the student for a minimum period of one year.

What's the process?

1. If a lecturer believes a student has committed plagiarism or collusion, the unit chair contacts the FAPDC and provides evidence of the alleged offence.
2. The FAPDC sends a letter to the student, advising them of the allegation and seeking a response.
3. The FAPDC considers the evidence and the student's response, and decides whether, in its opinion, academic misconduct has occurred and if so, what penalty should be imposed.
4. The student is advised in writing of the FAPDCs decision and the penalty, if any, that has been imposed.

How to avoid plagiarism?

The University makes available to students and staff plagiarism detection software called 'Turn It In'. Students are encouraged (and may be required, in some units) to use this software to ensure they have not inadvertently committed plagiarism. (A useful resource Plagiarism and Collusion Self-Test is provided by Academic Skills website.)

To avoid the risk of plagiarising by failing to reference external sources of information, students should make themselves familiar with the requirements of academic referencing.