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Question 1

Material from the internet is free to be used without acknowledgement.

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b)
Correct! Of course material from the internet must be acknowledged in the same way as any printed material. Remember to include in your reference the url of the webpage, the date it was posted or last updated, and the date you accessed it. Incorrect! Material taken from the internet must be acknowledged in the same way as printed material. It is someone else's work and is not therefore your own. Submitting material from the internet as your own work is plagiarism. Always reference your source, remembering to include the url of the webpage, the date it was posted or last updated, and the date you accessed it.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 2

If you lend an essay to another student to use and they hand a copy in as their own work, you may also be accused of plagiarism.

a)
b)
Correct! This is a form of plagiarism called collusion, and if you willingly lend a student your work, knowing that the other student will copy all or part of it and hand it in as theirs, both of you may be found guilty. Incorrect! This a form of plagiarism called collusion. The University policy is that "the submission by a student of the work of another student, in circumstances where the former has willingly lent the latter the work, and where it should be evident to the student lending the work that by so doing an advantage is conferred on the other student [...] both students are guilty". If you lend someone their work, knowing they will copy all or part of it and submit it as theirs, you may also be found guilty of collusion.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 3

You can use material from lectures and lecture notes without referencing; the lecturer will know where it came from.

a)
b)

Correct! The lecturer will certainly recognise where the material came from, and you should still reference the source. Remember to give the speaker's name, the date of the lecture, the name of the lecture and lecture series, and the place that the lecture was given. For example:

Heywood, K. 2006 (9 May): The Southern Ocean and Global Climate. Lecture presented as part of a series on climate change at the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

Remember too that the lecturer may have been summarising the work of another scholar. In such instances, you should look up the original and reference this directly.

Incorrect! The lecturer will certainly recognise where the material came from, and wonder why you have not acknowledged them! If the text has no acknowledgement, then it appears that you are trying to present it as your own work, not the lecturer's.

Remember to give the speaker's name, the date of the lecture, the name of the lecture and lecture series, and the place that the lecture was given. For example:

Heywood, K. 2006 (9 May): The Southern Ocean and Global Climate. Lecture presented as part of a series on climate change at the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

Remember too that the lecturer may have been summarising the work of another scholar. In such instances, you should look up the original and reference this directly.

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Question 4

If you read about a theory or finding, and then put it in your own words by translating, summarising or paraphrasing, you still have to reference it.

a)
b)
Correct! If the original idea, theory or data is not the product of your own thinking or research, then you must reference it, even if you explained it in your own words. Summary and paraphrase are often better than direct quotation, as giving your own explanation shows your understanding, but you still need to acknowledge someone else's thinking or research.Incorrect! If the original idea, theory or data is not the product of your own thinking or research, then you must reference it, even if you explained it in your own words. Summary and paraphrase are often better than direct quotation, as giving your own explanation shows your understanding, but you still need to acknowledge someone else's thinking or research.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 5

You must never discuss an assignment topic with another student; this is collusion.

a)
b)
Correct! You can learn a lot from working with your fellow students, putting your knowledge together and testing out ideas. Discussing the subject and developing your understanding with other students is encouraged both in and out of class. Some group assignments actually require you to work together with others and submit a joint piece of work, and this will be made clear to you by the lecturer. However, unless explicitly stated, the written work you actually submit should be entirely your own, that is, written by you alone and including your own synthesis and discussion of the material and issues.

Incorrect! Collusion is unauthorised collaboration between two or more students, but thinking and talking together to develop your understanding is authorised, indeed encouraged in most cases! In fact, some assignments are meant to be group work, and the work you produce together will be assessed as a joint effort. Your lecturer will make it clear when this is authorised. Otherwise, the written work you actually submit should be entirely your own, that is, written by you alone and including your own synthesis and discussion of the material and issues.

Collusion happens when two or more students produce and submit a piece of work that is supposed to be written alone, even if the ideas can be discussed with other students in or out of class. This collaboration is unauthorised, as the work submitted is passed off as that of one student, when in fact it is written by another student either wholly or in part. See the University policy on plagiarism for more information.

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Question 6

The point of academic work is to bring together proven ideas from well-regarded scholars, not to put forward your own views.

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b)
Correct! Both are necessary in a good piece of work. It may seem that you are in a contradictory position: having to write something original yet support everything you write with the scholarship of others; having to learn to write 'academic English' like other scholars yet use your own words; think critically about the work of published scholars even though you are only a student. However, lecturers are interested in your ability to find, synthesise and critically review evidence and opinion, reaching your own informed view based on good evidence and reasoning.Incorrect! Actually, a good piece of academic work will do both. This may seem like a contradiction. You have to write something original yet support everything you write with the scholarship of others; learn to write 'academic English' like other scholars yet use your own words; think critically about the work of published scholars even though you are only a student. But lecturers are interested in your ability to find, synthesise and critically review evidence and opinion, reaching your own informed view based on good evidence and reasoning.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 7

Forgetting to include a full reference or quotation marks is not punished as severely as handing in an essay bought from an essay website.

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b)
Correct! Not all cases of plagiarism are punished with the same level of severity. The evidence will be considered, and a range of penalties is possible which reflects the extent of plagiarism and the intentions of the student. A disciplinary committee will decide on the level of penalty they consider to be appropriate. However, bad academic practice such as incomplete referencing will certainly mean that work will earn fewer marks!Incorrect! Actually, a range of penalties for plagiarism is possible, which reflect the extent of the plagiarism and intentions of the student, so not all cases of plagiarism are punished equally. The university recognises that plagiarism can arise for a wide range of reasons from deliberate cheating to misunderstanding of academic conventions and poor writing or note-taking skills. You needn't worry that accidental plagiarism can have you expelled from the university unless you are a very persistent offender; on the other hand, it is a good idea to make sure you understand good academic skills and practice. This will also improve your work and earn you higher marks! Your answer has been saved.
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Question 8

You don't need to reference something that is common knowledge.

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b)
Correct! However, deciding what is really common knowledge is actually trickier than it sounds. If it is standard knowledge within the discipline, not attributable to a particular person's research and can be found in several sources, then you probably don't need to reference it. Examples might be the date of a famous battle or the chemical composition of a common substance.Incorrect! If a fact is really common knowledge, such as the date of a famous battle or the chemical composition of a common substance, you don't need to find a reference before you can write about it. However, what counts as common knowledge is a difficult thing to decide. If it is standard knowledge within the discipline, not attributable to a particular person's research and can be found in several sources, then you probably don't need to reference it.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 9

There is only one correct way to reference in academic writing.

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b)
Correct! There are certainly many wrong ways to present your references, but there are also several correct methods of referencing that you can choose between. As long as you include all the necessary information, stick to one of the methods and are consistent, you could use the Harvard method, the Chicago Method, the MLA method, footnotes, endnotes, etc. Find out what style your subject usually uses (see your handbook and the kind of scholarly literature you are reading) and find out what your lecturers' preferences are. Note that there are also slightly different styles of referencing for each of the main methods, with minor differences in punctuation and layout. This is because each publisher has their own 'in house' rules. As long as you use one version consistently, you needn't worry too much. Read the guide on Referencing available from the Dean of Students' Office for more information.Incorrect! There are certainly many wrong ways to present your references, but there are also several correct methods of referencing that you can choose between. As long as you include all the necessary information, stick to one of the methods and are consistent, you could use the Harvard method, the Chicago Method, the MLA method, footnotes, endnotes, etc. Find out what style your subject usually uses (see your handbook and the kind of scholarly literature you are reading) and find out what your lecturers' preferences are. Note that there are also slightly different styles of referencing for each of the main methods, with minor differences in punctuation and layout. This is because each publisher has their own 'in house' rules. As long as you use one version consistently, you needn't worry too much. Read the guide on Referencing available from the Dean of Students' Office for more information.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 10

Plagiarism is never accidental, it is deliberate cheating.

a)
b)
Correct! Some cases of plagiarism are due to deliberate cheating, but many others are the result of a poor understanding of plagiarism or academic skills such as note-taking, time management, referencing, paraphrasing or presenting quotations. Poor academic practice can lead to accidental plagiarism. However, ignorance is not an excuse and it can be very difficult for a lecturer to distinguish between intentional and unintentional plagiarism.Incorrect! You may not mean to plagiarise, or even know that what you have done is plagiarism, but it can happen accidentally. It is true that some cases of plagiarism are due to deliberate cheating, but many others are the result of a poor understanding of plagiarism or academic skills such as note-taking, referencing, paraphrasing or presenting quotations. Poor academic practice can lead to accidental plagiarism. However, ignorance is not an excuse and it can be very difficult for a lecturer to distinguish between intentional and unintentional plagiarism.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 11

Your essay can consist of as many quotations as you like; it's not plagiarism if they are all correctly referenced.

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b)
Correct! If all your quotations and paraphrased extracts are correctly and clearly acknowledged with references, then even if the majority of your essay consists of presenting other people's work, this is not technically plagiarism. However, it may be a bad essay! Lecturers don't just want to see that you can find appropriate quotations; they want to see that you can think critically and originally, comment on other scholars' work and on academic debates, explain concepts in your own words, build on others' ideas and reach your own conclusions. Essays should be more than just a collage of quotations from, and paraphrases of, other people's work.Incorrect! If all your quotations and paraphrased extracts are correctly and clearly acknowledged with references, then even if the majority of your essay consists of presenting other people's work, this is not technically plagiarism. However, it may be a bad essay! Lecturers don't just want to see that you can find appropriate quotations; they want to see that you can think critically and originally, comment on other scholars' work and on academic debates, explain concepts in your own words, build on others' ideas and reach your own conclusions. Essays should be more than just a collage of quotations from, and paraphrases of, other people's work.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 12

Images, pictures and diagrams don't need referencing as they are not text.

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b)
Correct! If you did not create the image, picture or diagram yourself, then it needs to be acknowledged as someone else's work. Text is of course not the only thing that can be plagiarised, and remember that copyright may also be an issue! Even if you reformat data or redraw a diagram or figure, you should still reference the original source.Incorrect! Text is not the only thing that can be plagiarised. Plagiarism includes everything that is not your own work, including ideas, images, sound etc. Make sure you properly reference any images or diagrams you use, in the same way as you would reference text. Even if you reformat data or redraw a diagram or figure, you should still reference the original source.Your answer has been saved.
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Question 13

It is fine to re-use material from one of your own essays which you submitted on a similar topic for another assignment - you can't plagiarise yourself.

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b)
Incorrect! Regulations on this issue vary from university to university, but UEA does recognise the concept of self-plagiarism. It is defined in the UEA Policy on Plagiarism and Collusion as the "reproduction without acknowledgement of a student's own previously submitted work". In addition, by re-using your work you are missing out on the opportunity to widen your learning.Correct! Regulations on this issue vary from university to university, but UEA does recognise the concept of self-plagiarism. It is defined in the UEA Policy on Plagiarism and Collusion as the "reproduction without acknowledgement of a student's own previously submitted work". In addition, by re-using your work you are missing out on the opportunity to widen your learning.Your answer has been saved.
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