This is a term you will hear again and again in higher education so it is worth making sure you know exactly what it means and how it can be demonstrated in your work.

These pages will contain useful information about what it is – How do I do it? – How do I demonstrate it? – A Criticality ‘Checklist’, & much more.

Please visit the  Critical Thinking page for more information.

Plagiarism is a term given to a particular type of lack of academic integrity. It is about taking and using another person’s work and claiming it, directly or indirectly, as your own. ‘Work’ means anything that has been written by another, including published work or work that has been presented publicly in some way, including the internet. It also includes work written by another student, so would include buying a ready written assignment from an internet source, or elsewhere, and presenting it as your own work.

Plagiarism can sometimes be unintentional, especially where students’ previous educational experiences have actively encouraged the compiling of material from outside sources as an approach to writing essays. In higher education this would be regarded as plagiarism, unless the sources were properly acknowledged and the content was accompanied by a critical commentary.

To find out more about plagiarism, how to avoid it and much more, please visit the Plagiarism page.