Week 8 is Plagiarism Week!
We have pushed hard on two key issues during this week. The first is making students more aware of the issue, potential risks, and how to avoid being accused of plagiarism. The second is pushing the University to handling all alleged plagiarism cases in a clear, fair and consistent way.
Fighting for Fairer Treatment
As part of Plagiarism Week we pushed the University to ensure all students accused of plagiarism are dealt with fairly and consistently - we know that some departments do things differently but we feel this is unfair, inequitable and should not be allowed to continued!
The Vice President Education, Pete Jeffreys, met with key people in the University to push towards a more fair and consistent way of handling alleged plagiarism cases. We will post more progress as it emerges but feel free to contact p.jeffreys@reading.ac.uk in the meantime.
Supporting Students
A key role played by the students' union is that of supporting student accused of plagiarism and other academic misconduct offences. We have a wealth of professional experience available free and confidential to any student via our Student Advice Team based in the Hub in the students' union building.
In particular is the Student Advisor for Academic Support, who can work alongside students and support them through the processes. Often our Student Advisors act as a 'friend' to students accused of plagiarism to attend meetings with them and to ensure that all sides understand the background to the case.
More information can be found at the Student Advice Homepage or by visiting the Hub reception.
Plagiarism Awareness
There are a a number of support services around campus who provide support to students to avoid plagiarism. The message is - it's really easy not to be suspected of it - just don't do it! Plagiarism can be avoided by brushing up on good academic practice such as using reliable and reputable sources, using good references and acknowledging the work of others.
Each module or programme handbook will have information on plagiarism, and should also have information about what referencing system is expected of you. This may change between departments so make sure you check for each module!
The University Study Advisors produce guides and run workshops which can help to improve skills and provide ongoing support. More information about them is available from the Carrington Building or at the Study Advisors Website. Some specific resources include:
LearnHigher Resources
Study Advisor Appointments
Study Advice Referencing Guides
Top Ten Tips on Referencing & Avoiding Plagiarism
Study Advisors Website
The University Library produces many resources to support you in your subject-specific work, including their 'Info Tip on Plagiarism Page.' These guides are available from the Library or at the University Library website, and subject specific guides on Citing References are also available.
The Skills Opportunities at Reading (SOAR) website has lots of helpful information on transferable skills including where to go for support on good academic practice. All these can be found at the SOAR Homepage.
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