Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is a fundamental principle within the University and is strongly linked to good academic practice.

The University seeks to maintain the academic honesty of students’ work and safeguards against breaches of academic honesty.

There are processes to investigate alleged breaches of academic honesty and, where a breach of academic honesty is admitted or found, appropriate penalties are applied.

It is therefore important to engage with all resources to raise awareness of what can be classed as a breach of academic honesty to avoid being invited to a meeting and possible sanctions being applied if a case is found.

One of the most common breaches of Academic Honesty is the use of generative artificial intelligence tools to gain an unfair advantage.

To avoid a possible breach of Academic Honesty, it is important to be aware of the University's guidance on the use of AI tools:

Principles for the use of Generative AI

If you have received an invitation to attend an Academic Honesty meeting, contact the Students' Union Advice Service.

Attach a copy of all the documentation you have received about the meeting and allegation to the form when you initially contact us.

The Students' Union Advice Service can advise you on how to prepare for your meeting and can attend your meeting and answer any questions you may have in advance of your meeting.

A caseworker may also be able to attend the meeting with you.

To request advice please see this link: The Advice Service

The purpose of the meeting is for the Academic Integrity Lead or the Academic Misconduct Board to discuss any specific concerns they have with you about potential unfair practice within your work, and to determine whether they feel a breach of Academic Honesty has taken place.

At the meeting you should be prepared to be able to explain how you drafted your work. And you should be prepared to clarify this in detail, showing drafts/sources. You will be expected to answer questions on the work itself and how it was produced to show it is your own work.

Its always a good idea to contact the LBSU Advice Service so they can help prepare you for the meeting. Attach a copy of all the documentation you have received about the meeting and allegation to the form when you initially contact us.

It is important to ensure you attend any sessions provided by your course staff or utilise the resources provided by the library that show you how to avoid a potential breach of the Academic Honesty regulations. This helps you to avoid being invited an Academic Honesty meeting which could result in a penalty if a case is found.

There is lots of useful resources that exist to help you reference your work properly and avoid unfair practice.

https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/student-information/academic-skills-and-advice/academic-honesty/

The University’s guidance on how to view and interpret your Turnitin Report

Please see the following link for more information on correct referencing practice and how to seek further guidance and support in terms of correct referencing and citing the use of Artificial Intelligence tools:

http://libguides.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/subject_support/referencing_and_plagiarism