Universities UK response to calls for tougher action to tackle plagiarism

Universities UK has responded to the government's calls for tougher action to tackle plagiarism and academic misconduct. The Universities Minister Jo Johnson is calling for new guidance aimed at universities and information for students to help combat the use of essay mill websites, as well as other forms of plagiarism.

Dame Julia Goodfellow, President of Universities UK, said: “Universities take plagiarism and cheating extremely seriously. Submitting work written by someone else is cheating and devalues the efforts of students who work hard to achieve their degrees. Universities have severe penalties for students found to be submitting work that is not their own. Such academic misconduct is a breach of an institution's disciplinary regulations and can result in students, in serious cases, being expelled from the university.

“With information now so readily available online, it has become increasingly important to engage with students from day-one to underline the implications of cheating and how it can be avoided. University support services are also there to help vulnerable students struggling with anxiety and stress around coursework and deadlines.

“The higher education sector has already done a lot of work in this area and universities have become more experienced in detecting and dealing with such forms of cheating. Universities UK will continue to work with higher education bodies to share current good practice. We will also work with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and the NUS to update sector guidance in this area.”