These values define our conduct and our focus in providing an environment, a culture and a service that will shape and allow us to fully live and exemplify our values:
Plagiarism is taking someone else's thoughts, ideas or writings and passing them off as your own. It's a serious academic offence, which can result in a student being expelled, and impacting on the student's standing with other universities and academic institutions.
Here are some tips to ensure you don't plagiarise:
There are many online tools that you can use to check your work for plagiarism. It's always a good idea to submit this check along with your assignment.
All academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by a student is expected to be the result of his or her own work. The university views acts of copyright infringement and plagiarism as a serious offence.
Plagiarism is the act of taking words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting it as your own. It is a form of theft which involves a number of dishonest academic activities. Please read the University’s Policy on Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism, the Policy on Academic Integrity and the Student Disciplinary Code.
Students are advised to study the Disciplinary Code, especially chapter 3 (1.19).
Enlisting the help of a third party to complete examinations, assignments or coursework on your behalf is considered contract cheating. Examples of contract cheating include
Contract cheating usually occurs due to a lack of time or understanding of assignment content or course expectations. The risks are, however, far greater than the benefits of this practice. Those who engage in contract cheating risk devaluing the quality of a degree, threaten the security of student identity and data, and jeopardise the reputation and brand of the institution.
Some of the consequences of contract cheating include receiving zero for an assignment or exam, suspension, expulsion or even the revocation of a degree or credential.
You can help prevent contract cheating by
The university appeals to students with any information on dishonest or fraudulent activity related to Unisa exams to report it to the Fraud/Corruption Hotline on telephone number 0800 005 311.
We wish to remind all students that Unisa has a zero tolerance for any form of assignment and examination dishonesty or cheating.
Any student who is found to have participated in any fraudulent or dishonest activity related to exams (eg possession of unauthorised notes or exam papers, external parties assisting with assessments) will be referred to the Student Disciplinary Unit for investigation and disciplinary action. If found guilty, they will have their modules cancelled and their marks withdrawn. They will also face up to a maximum of five years suspension from the university and from all universities in South Africa. Click here for the Unisa rules for students and the Student Disciplinary Code.
The university appeals to students with any information on dishonest or fraudulent activity related to Unisa exams to report it to the Fraud/Corruption Hotline on telephone number 0800 005 311.
All the below actions include any part of your assignment, even a single paragraph:
Plagiaristic actions |
Examples |
Collaborating on any form of formative or summative assessment without the permission of the lecturer |
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Completing or taking an assessment or examination on behalf of another student |
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Possessing, distributing and/or using unauthorised materials or technology before or during an examination or when preparing formative assessments
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Contracting (ghost or contract cheating) another person or professional agency to produce academic work, sometimes original work, on your behalf and then submitting it as your own academic output Copying from another student for the purpose of completing any assessment |
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Last modified: 2022/05/20