Avoiding Academic Malpractice

Make sure to cite your sources in the main text and that you list them all at the end in a reference section. This allows the marker to see which references you have used and how/where they have informed your analysis and argument.

The University Library’s My Learning Essentials is an award-winning skills programme which offers a number of online tutorials and workshops.

  • The ‘Writing’ resource will take you through the writing process from start to finish and help you to produce a well-structured, coherent piece of work that answers the question, evidences your own analysis and is easy for the reader to follow.
  • The ‘Referencing’ resource explores the principles behind referencing, highlighting why it is good academic practice. It outlines when and how you need to reference and how to read a reference when following a source listed on a reading list or bibliography.
  • The ‘Original thinking allowed: Avoiding plagiarism’ resource explores some of the issues surrounding academic integrity, providing you with techniques to help you to avoid plagiarism when referring to the work of others and to add your own voice into your work.

In addition to the online tutorials workshops are also available:

  • Academic writing – structuring for effective essays
  • Academic writing – referencing in your writing
  • My Learning Essentials (The University of Manchester Library)

Failure to properly cite and reference material may raise questions about plagiarism, which the University and AMBS take very seriously. You should read and make sure you understand the contents of the University document Plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice - Guidance for students before you submit your coursework to make sure that you don’t commit academic malpractice unintentionally or otherwise.

When you are ready to upload your work online you will be acknowledging a disclaimer at the point of submission that the work you are submitting is your own.

Proofreading

Please note the following University statement on proofreading:

If a student chooses to approach another person to proofread their written work, or seeks to use the services of a proofreading service or agency, they must take account of the following principles:

  1. It is the responsibility of students to ensure that all work submitted is their own and that it represents their own abilities and understanding. Any proofreading of work that is undertaken by a third party must not compromise the student’s own authorship of the work;
  2. Proofreading undertaken by a third party must not take the form of editing of text, such as the adding or rewriting of phrases or passages within a piece of student’s work;
  3. Proofreading undertaken by a third party must not change the content or meaning of the work in any way.

Note: The University Library’s My Learning Essentials provides an online tutorial, 'Better safe than sorry: Proofreading your work', which allows you to learn and apply techniques to ensure you check your work properly.

Plagiarism detection software

The University uses electronic systems, such as TurnitinUK, for the purposes of detecting plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice and for marking. Please note that work submitted to TurnitinUK or other electronic system may be copied and then stored in a database to allow appropriate checks to be made.

The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can be a useful tool, but its use must be responsible, transparent, and must not replace your own intellectual contribution.

Academic assessment is designed to evaluate your understanding, judgement, and ability to develop and justify your own position. Academic integrity therefore requires that you remain the author of your work. Where tools are used to assist you, the final position, argument, interpretation, and verification must remain yours.

All submissions are subject to the following expectations of academic conduct:

  • Accuracy: GenAI tools can produce fabricated or misleading information, including false facts, citations, data, or interpretations. Students are fully responsible for the accuracy of any work they submit. Submitting inaccurate information derived from GenAI reflects a failure of academic judgement.
  • Authorial voice: Your work must preserve your authorial voice. This means your submission should communicate your intellectual presence in the work: where you stand, what you consider important, how you make sense of the question, how you judge and interpret evidence to be relevant, and how you communicate the reasoning that leads to your conclusions. GenAI may support your process where permitted by the assignment, but it must not substitute for your authorship.
  • Transparency: Any use of GenAI within the permitted scope of an assessment must be clearly declared. You must state how and to what extent GenAI contributed to your work. The aim is not to penalise you on your GenAI use, but to foster an environment where we can be open and honest about our GenAI use. Transparency protects your position as the author and helps maintain the integrity and fairness of the assessment process. Undeclared or misleading use of GenAI may be treated as a breach of academic integrity.

These expectations are intended not only to protect academic standards and fairness, but also to help you develop essential capabilities, including analytical reasoning, critical judgement, and the ability to justify decisions. Uncritical reliance on GenAI undermines these capabilities.

Each assessment should specify the permitted scope of GenAI use, any disclosure requirements, and the forms of evidence students may be asked to provide in order to demonstrate authorship.

Where there are concerns that GenAI use has exceeded what is permitted and may constitute a breach of academic integrity, you may be required to attend a viva voce (oral examination) and/or provide draft materials or other evidence showing the development of your work. Your submission will be considered in light of this information and may be referred to the Academic Malpractice Committee.

Other information sources: 

Other University of Manchester resources you are encouraged to familiarise yourself with are: