• Section 1 - Preamble
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Policy
• Our commitment to academic integrity
• Principles for the management of student academic integrity
• Breaches of student academic integrity standards
• Responsibilities
• Section 5 - Procedure
• Section 6 - Definitions
•  

Section 1 - Preamble

(1) This Policy is effective from 24 June 2024.

(2) This Policy is pursuant to the Academic Board Regulations.

Section 2 - Purpose

(3) This Policy outlines the principles and responsibilities for promoting, supporting and upholding student academic integrity standards at the University.

Section 3 - Scope

(4) Reference to students in this Policy applies to students of the University as defined at Section 6 – Definitions, and to all other learners or individuals that submit scholarly work for assessment by or through the University.

(5) Where students conduct research, they must also comply with the Research Conduct Policy and the Research Integrity Breaches Procedure.

(6) This Policy applies to staff in relation to the promotion of student academic integrity standards and the detection and management of allegations of breaches of student academic integrity.

Section 4 - Policy

Our commitment to academic integrity

(7) The Academic Board is responsible for establishing and regulating academic integrity standards for the University.

(8) All staff and students at Deakin University undertake to act with honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility in their activities and to promote a culture of ethical academic and scholarly conduct.

(9) Academic integrity is an integral part of the scholarly process. It ensures Deakin University graduates have clearly demonstrated the learning outcomes associated with their course and have developed a professional identity that has integrity at its core.

Principles for the management of student academic integrity

(10) The management of student academic integrity at the University takes a whole-of-organisation approach, supported by the Deakin Academic Integrity Framework, to ensure consistency for staff and students in processes and outcomes.

(11) The University prioritises an educative approach that supports students throughout their course to act with academic integrity, that is, to use, generate and communicate information and ideas in an ethical, honest and responsible manner.

(12) The University aims to embed a culture of integrity that encourages the extension of these behaviours into a student’s professional life after graduation.

(13) The University responds to allegations that students have breached academic integrity standards in a fair, consistent, transparent and timely manner and according to the Student Academic Integrity Procedure. Appropriate outcomes are applied where behaviour is found to have breached academic integrity standards.

Breaches of student academic integrity standards

(14) Breaches of student academic integrity standards include (but are not limited to):

1. Plagiarism – a student uses the words, ideas, code, media, research findings or other material, including designs and physical artefacts, of others as their own without appropriate attribution or referencing (excluding poor academic practice eligible for early intervention). This may include materials sourced from file-sharing sites, previous students or text that has been modified through paraphrasing tools
2. Contract cheating – a student requests another person or service (including artificial intelligence content production tools) to produce or complete all or part of an assessment task to submit as their own work
3. Collusion – a student synchronously works with another student or students to submit some or all of the other student(s)’ work as their own or vice versa
4. Impersonation – a student pretends to be someone else, or allows someone or something else to pretend to be them, for an assessment task or course requirement
5. Falsification, fabrication or misrepresentation of data or information – a student creates, invents or deliberately alters information that is required as part of an assessment, including, but not limited to, experimental data, survey or questionnaire outcomes, quotes and references
6. Academic fraud – a student seeks unfair academic advantage through fraudulent documentation supporting assessment submissions, including, but not limited to, providing false or altered information such as medical certificates and assessment submission receipts
7. Non-compliance with instructions/requirements in an invigilated or supervised assessment – a student acts in a manner that compromises the purpose of the task, including, but not limited to, accessing unauthorised materials during examinations, copying or attempting to copy another student’s work or providing assessment information to others without permission
8. File-sharing – a student shares, without permission of the Unit Chair or Course Director, University resources or other material related to assessment, including completed assessment or copyrighted materials, this may include to file-sharing sites (in contravention of clause 15 c iv)
9. Promoting ways to breach academic integrity – a student provides other students with techniques or advice on ways to breach academic integrity or uses University resources to support others in breaching academic integrity
10. Reuse of previous work – a student submits, in whole or in part, work they have previously submitted to be assessed at Deakin University or any other institution, without the permission of the Unit Chair.

Responsibilities

(15) It is the responsibility of students to:

1. engage actively with educative resources provided by the University
2. understand the expectations of the University and their discipline with respect to academic integrity and where to seek advice when required
3. apply principles of academic integrity to their learning and assessment, and through their interactions with the University, students, other stakeholders and the general public, including by:
   1. complying with instructions for assessment tasks
   2. submitting their own original work for assessment
   3. acknowledging all ideas, designs, words or work of others, including in group assessments, in accordance with expectations of the discipline
   4. taking reasonable steps to prevent their own work from being copied by other students
   5. providing accurate and truthful documentation to the University with regards to assessment and academic performance
4. support a culture of ethical academic conduct and encourage other students to act with integrity.

(16) It is the responsibility of staff to:

1. demonstrate academic integrity through their own actions at the University
2. design assessment tasks to minimise the opportunity for breaches of academic integrity standards in accordance with the Assessment (Higher Education Courses) Procedure
3. develop students’ understanding and skills in relation to academic integrity including in the context of specific assessment tasks, e.g. when and how working with others is acceptable
4. take action to prevent breaches of academic integrity standards
5. maintain currency of training and skills in detecting breaches of academic integrity standards
6. investigate and report potential breaches of student academic integrity standards
7. be fair, consistent, transparent and timely in their dealings with students and colleagues in managing student academic integrity issues.

(17) It is the responsibility of Faculties and Institutes to:

1. support staff to meet their obligations under clause 16
2. convene and support an Academic Integrity Committee to receive, investigate, hear and determine allegations of academic integrity breaches of students enrolled in units in that Faculty or Institute
3. ensure that student academic integrity standards are maintained in contractual arrangements with any third party involved in the delivery of courses in partnership with the University.

(18) It is the responsibility of the Office of the Dean of Students to:

1. support Faculties and Institutes to meet their obligations under clause 17
2. support Faculty/Institute Academic Integrity Committees in the investigation and management of allegations of breaches of academic integrity standards
3. maintain records of investigations and outcomes of allegations
4. monitor and report annually on trends in student academic integrity breaches to Academic Board (and other stakeholders as needed), including identifying systemic issues
5. use identified trends to support faculties/institutes in addressing issues related to academic integrity
6. maintain and review this Policy and its related procedure.

Section 5 - Procedure

(19) The Student Academic Integrity Procedure documents how to comply with this Policy.

Section 6 - Definitions

1. Academic Integrity: demonstrating academic integrity is part of the moral code of academia. It involves using, generating and communicating information in an ethical, honest and responsible manner.
2. Faculty: an academic organisational unit established as a Faculty by Council in accordance with Council Regulations Regulation 16.
3. Institute: an Institute established by Council in accordance with Council Regulations Regulation 17. Institutes may be established either within or outside a Faculty in accordance with the Vice-Chancellor Regulations Regulation 8.
4. Student: has the meaning given in the Deakin University Act and includes a person who was a student at the time the relevant conduct occurred, as defined in the Academic Board Regulations at the time the relevant conduct occurred, as defined in the Academic Board Regulations.