Academic Ethics

ISM University of Management and Economics uses Academic Good Practice – A Practical Guide by the University of Oxford to define plagiarism:

‘Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional’

There are multiple types of plagiarism, for example:

• when using verbatim (word-for-word) quotation or paraphrased ideas of other authors, students do not clearly acknowledge the original source and author;
• when students do not use the appropriate format to accurately cite and reference sources
• when students fail to attribute received assistance from fellow students or other people or use materials written by professional agencies or other persons
• when the same (full or partial) work is submitted for assessment several times for the same or different courses

ISM University of Management and Economics requires students to follow APA Style. For more information, go to Academic writing – APA Style page.

Turnitin is an internet-based ‘plagiarism detection’ service, which ISM University uses to confirm that students’ submitted coursework is free of plagiarism. Many of your written assignments will be submitted to Turnitin, which produces a report – called a ‘similarity report’, that allows your teacher to discover how ‘similar’ your work to other authors’ work: the content within a database of other students’ coursework, copyrighted pages from books, newspapers, and journals, and with the publicly accessible Internet.

To learn more, consult the Turnitin website, particularly its description of ‘similarity reports’.

You may self-assess your understanding of plagiarism by using an online test by Turnitin:  Turnitin Plagiarism Quiz

Alternatively, use the APA Style Knowledge Quiz:  APA Style; 7th Edition, Test Your APA Style Knowledge Quiz

According to ‘The Complete University Guide‘, cheating is a deliberate and dishonest act in relation to submitting academic work.

Cheating can include, but is not limited to:

• copying from another student’s test or exam;
• communicating to other students during an exam;
• taking or receiving copies of an assignment without the permission of the lecturer;
• using notes, ‘cheat sheets’, or any other information devices inappropriate to the prescribed test or exam conditions;
• allowing someone other than the officially enrolled student to represent same.

If a student is reported as having potentially committed an ethical violation, the case will be considered by the Committee on Ethics. If a violation is established, the Committee may issue a warning, a penalty, or recommend expelling the student from the University.

Examples of disciplinary penalties:

• The required completion of an academic integrity assignment(s) or course(s);
• The required completion of a make-up assignment or rewriting of an assignment or examination;
• The awarding of a lower grade for an assignment, examination or other piece of work;
• The awarding of a lower grade for the course;
• The awarding of a fail for the course;
• The denial of Erasmus+ opportunities for one or more semesters;
• The denial or revocation of an ISM-awarded scholarship;
• The delay or denial of a BA, MA or PhD thesis submission and/or defence for one or more semesters.

If an exchange student commits a violation, notification is also sent to their home university.

Information about the ethical requirements for lecturers