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Policies & Procedures

Plagiarism Policy

Introduction

At Akademia College, academic integrity is a core value. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that all students uphold the highest standards of academic conduct. Plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity and is taken seriously by the college. This policy outlines what constitutes plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and collusion at Akademia College, and the penalties associated with such misconduct.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using work or ideas that are not your own without proper acknowledgement from the source/s. This includes copying from a website, artificial intelligence tool, book, thesis, article, or any other source without acknowledging the author(s) using the appropriate academic referencing style.

 

Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism may occur in any type of assignment when you:

  • Use a phrase, sentence, quote, or paragraph from another source and do not acknowledge the author(s) or source.
  • Copy word-for-word directly from a text or other sources without acknowledging the author(s).
  • Paraphrase or translate the words from a text or other source very closely without acknowledging the author(s).
  • Use research data, documents, questionnaires, transcripts, interviews, PowerPoint slides, data files, statistics, tables, or facts from another person or source without acknowledging the author(s).
  • Copy or download figures, photographs, or pictures without acknowledging your sources.
  • Copy comments or notes from a lecturer or a fellow student's essay.
  • Pay for work from other sources/buy essays and submit it as your own.

Definition of Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism, or auto-plagiarism, occurs when an author reuses substantial parts of their own published work without providing the appropriate references.

 

Definition of Collusion

Collusion is when two or more students work together on an individual assignment, submitting it as if it was their own work. This is not allowed and is considered unethical.

 

AI Protocol for Plagiarism Detection

To enhance the detection and prevention of plagiarism, Akademia College employs an AI-driven protocol integrated into the assessment process. The protocol utilises advanced plagiarism detection tools, including machine learning algorithms, to identify instances of potential plagiarism in student submissions. The AI protocol operates in two key ways:

  • Moodle Plugin: A Moodle plugin automatically generates a plagiarism report for every assignment submitted by a student. The plagiarism report calculates the overall percentage by cross-referencing online sources and other submissions within the college database. The faculty and administration staff have access to this comprehensive report. Students receive only the overall percentage score generated by the plagiarism report in Moodle. This score is used to determine any necessary penalties.
  • PlagiarismCheck Website: All students are provided with login codes to access the PlagiarismCheck website (www.plagiarismcheck.org). Students can proactively check their own work for potential plagiarism before submitting the final draft via Moodle. The AI-driven tool on the PlagiarismCheck website employs sophisticated algorithms to analyse and identify potential instances of plagiarism.

Penalties for Plagiarism and Poor Academic Practice

Categories of Plagiarism

The ACC Akademia College recognizes several categories of poor academic practice and plagiarism, with the first category considered acceptable. The last three categories attract a penalty based on the information below:

  • Category 1 Plagiarism: Using material of others and presenting it as your own work without acknowledging the author(s) or relevant source.
  • Category 2 Plagiarism: Copying a significant amount of text or material without acknowledging the author(s) or relevant source.
  • Category 3 Plagiarism: Copying an extensive amount of text and material without acknowledging the author(s), committing serious plagiarism as an attempt to deceive the marker.

Penalties for Plagiarism, AI Content and Poor Academic Practice

Penalties for poor academic practice, AI content and plagiarism are as follows:

  • Reprimand and a written notice to the student, if needed, agree on a session of counselling (Poor Academic Practice) (1%-12%)
  • Resubmit or revise and resubmit, the whole or part of the assessment or examination (Category 1 Plagiarism) (12%-20%)
  • Amend a mark or grade for the whole or part of the assessment or examination (Category 2 Plagiarism) (21%-25%)
  • Fail the student, grade F (Category 3 Plagiarism) (above 25%+)

 

How to avoid plagiarism?

Avoiding plagiarism is essential to maintain academic integrity and ensure that the work you submit reflects your own understanding and ideas. Here are some tips to help you avoid plagiarism:

  • Academic Skills Workshop: The Academic Skills Workshop each semester introduces students to academic writing skills, how to structure an essay, how to cite and reference correctly, how to avoid and check for plagiarism. Student attendance at this workshop is compulsory.
  • Explain and analyse ideas in your own words: Instead of simply copying and pasting from other sources, try to explain and analyse the ideas in your own words. This will help you to understand the material better and demonstrate your understanding to your lecturer or professor.
  • Use a variety of sources: Using a variety of sources can help you to expand your horizons and provide a broader perspective on your topic. This can also help you to avoid the temptation to rely too heavily on a single source, which can lead to unintentional plagiarism.
  • Use quotation marks when citing quotes: If you want to use a quote from another author, make sure to use quotation marks and properly cite the source using the appropriate academic referencing style.
  • Develop your own writing style: Developing your own writing style can help you to avoid unintentional plagiarism. By using your own words and ideas, you can ensure that your work is original and reflects your own understanding of the material.
  • Understand the rules of academic referencing: Make sure you are familiar with the rules of Harvard Referencing style used in Akademia College. This will ensure that you correctly acknowledge all sources used in your work.
  • Check before submitting your work: Check your work with PlagiarismCheck (www.plagiarismcheck.org) before submitting the final draft in Moodle. All students have logins allocated during the first month of studies. Any issues with access, please see the Student Affairs Office. 

By following these tips, you can avoid committing plagiarism and ensure that your academic work is ethical and of high quality. Remember, plagiarism is a serious academic misconduct that can have severe consequences, so it's important to take it seriously and do your best to avoid it.

Conclusion

Academic integrity is an essential aspect of academic life, and plagiarism is a serious violation of this integrity. As a student at Akademia College, it is important to understand what plagiarism is, the different types of plagiarism, and the penalties associated with it. By following the guidelines set out in this policy, including properly citing sources using the Harvard referencing system, you can avoid committing plagiarism and ensure that your academic work is of high quality and ethical.

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