15. Plagiarism and Referencing

Queen Mary University of London expects all students to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical conduct in their studies. Engaging in academic misconduct undermines the value of your work and the integrity of the institution.

What Is Academic Misconduct?

Academic misconduct refers to any action that compromises the fairness or validity of an assessment. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism
  • Falsification or fraudulent reporting of sources or data
  • Collusion (unauthorised collaboration)
  • Use of third parties, including ghost-writing services
  • Impersonation or use of impersonators in assessments

Definition of Plagiarism

Queen Mary defines plagiarism as:

“Presenting someone else’s work as your own, irrespective of intention. This includes close paraphrasing, copying from another person (including another student), or using someone else’s ideas without proper acknowledgement. Self-plagiarism includes reusing work you have previously submitted—at Queen Mary or another institution—without appropriate citation.”

Definition of Collusion

Collusion is unauthorised collaboration between students in the preparation or production of submitted work.
Unless explicitly permitted, all work submitted for individual assessment must be entirely your own.
Study groups and legitimate academic discussions are not considered collusion.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Unless otherwise stated in your module guidance:

  • You may use generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) only as a research aid, similar to using search engines.
  • You must not include AI-generated text in your assessments unless explicitly permitted.
  • If permitted, you must:
    • Reference the AI-generated content appropriately
    • Save and retain your original prompts and the AI output
    • Be prepared to submit these to your module convenor upon request

Unpermitted use of AI-generated content will be treated as an assessment offence, equivalent to using a ghost-writing service.

Consequences of Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is a serious offence. If suspected, you will be subject to formal investigation.
Possible penalties include:

  • Formal reprimand
  • Failing the module
  • Capping the module mark at the minimum pass mark
  • Suspension or expulsion from the programme

For full details, refer to the Academic Integrity & Misconduct Policy.

Avoiding Plagiarism: Best Practices

To maintain academic integrity, follow these key recommendations:

  • Record your sources when taking notes and cite them accurately when used
  • Be cautious when copying and pasting between documents—ensure references are not lost
  • Use quotations and paraphrasing carefully and always provide appropriate citations
  • Reference all sources in-text and in your bibliography
  • Use Turnitin and other tools to check for potential plagiarism
  • When in doubt, ask your module convenor or the Programme Director  for guidance

Academic Integrity Course

All PG Law students are required to complete the Academic Integrity course by 3 November.
This course is designed to help you understand and avoid plagiarism and other forms of misconduct.

For further information on the policy click here: Academic Misconduct 2025-26