Academic Honesty

Effective 1 January 2002 and April 4 2005, The University has introduced 2 new policies on Academic Honesty which includes plagiarism or copying. The main aim of the policy is to educate students about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour with regards to plagiarism.

• Academic Honesty in Coursework Policy
• Plagiarism Policy

Academic honesty is a core value of The University of Sydney. Our emphasis on academic honesty is designed to

• ensure that students are rewarded for their own intellectual input
• educate students about the value of their own intellectual property and that of others
• inform students on the appropriate methods of using and building on the work of others via suitable methods of referencing/citations/acknowledgements
• aid students in the formation of their individual set of ethics

The University is committed to the basic academic right that students receive due credit for work submitted for assessment. Integral to this is the notion that it is clearly unfair for students to submit work for assessment that dishonestly represents the work of others as their own. Such activity represents a form of fraud. The University has a responsibility to the community in general, and the engineering profession in particular, that graduating students have adequately displayed competency in the required areas.

• Copying some or all of another student's assignment without acknowledgement
• Copying from textbooks or other copyrighted material without acknowledgement (trying to pass off other peoples' ideas as your own)
• Recycling reports from students from earlier years
• Fabrication of data
• Engaging another person to complete an assessment or examination
• Communicating with other students during an examination
• Bringing forbidden material into an examination
• Attempting to read another student's work during an examination
• Knowingly assisting another student in an act of academic dishonesty

Depending on the nature of the dishonest behaviour penalties may vary from counselling and a note on your record, through to failure of a Unit of Study, and ultimately to exclusion from the University.

In Engineering it is common for students to work in groups to solve problems. This is perfectly acceptable and we encourage you to work together to help you understand course content. Unfortunately, this approach often leads to students submitting identical assignments, either in whole or in part, which is not acceptable. Any written assignment should be only your own work unless the course lecturer has informed you otherwise. In most circumstances, it is acceptable to discuss assignments with other students, compare completed assignments, methods and answers, or ask another student how to do a particular problem.

Written assignments and tutorial questions are designed to help your learning of important concepts. It is important to master the concepts in the early year courses as these form the basis for most of the more advanced engineering courses in later years. If you attempt to learn by following other student's assignments you will struggle with the course and with examinations. It is highly recommended that you never prepare/write your own assignments with the assignment of another student in front of you.

You should never let someone take your assignment away from you, or let them copy from you as this can be penalised as dishonest behaviour. Experience also suggests that you should be wary of letting another student submit an assignment on your behalf.

Many students are tempted to copy someone else's work due to either not fully understanding the concepts or because of other demands on their time. This is unacceptable. Staff in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will make every effort to assist students understanding the topics, and to ensure that the workload is reasonable.

There may be more specific instructions concerning academic honesty applicable to each unit of study in which you enroll. If ever you are in doubt about acceptable or unacceptable practices, you should consult with the relevant staff member. Further details of the University's Academic Honesty policy and the responsibilities of staff and students can be found at the University of Sydney Policy Homepage.