Plagiarism Warning

Definition of Plagiarism

Regulation 6 of the University's Regulations Governing Conduct at Examinations (39/507 re-amended) states: "A candidate shall not engage in plagiarism nor employ nor seek to employ any other unfair means at an examination or in any other form of work submitted for assessment as part of a University examination. Plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use, as one's own, of work of another person, whether or not such work has been published." Two booklets distributed via the University's website educate students on the importance of academic honesty and how to avoid plagiarism:

1. "What Is Plagiarism?" and
2. "Plagiarism and How to Avoid It: A Guide for MPhil and PhD Students"

Handling of Plagiarism

The University perceives plagiarism from two perspectives, as a matter of assessment and as a form of disciplinary misconduct, calling for different penalties depending on the seriousness of the offence:

1. As part of the assessment process, the teacher will decide whether to recommend to the Board of Examiners (BoE) that the student should be given a fail or reduced grade;
2. As part of the disciplinary process, the teacher will decide whether to lodge a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee (DC) against the student by writing to the Registrar (within 1 month from the time when the matter of complaint arose). The Vice-Chancellor will then take one of the following actions:
   • (a) dismiss the case (where it is considered that the complainant has not established a prima facie case for complaint); or
   • (b) issue a strong reprimand letter; or
   • (c) refer the case to the DC for a formal hearing.

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. The Faculty of Arts upholds the principle that plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and any student found plagiarizing is liable to disciplinary action in addition to failing the examination concerned. For more details, please refer to the Faculty's Protocol on the Handling of Plagiarism.