Understanding Academic Integrity
Learn about the University's expectations for academic integrity. Understand the importance of honesty, fairness, and respect in your studies.
All information in an assessment item that has been used, copied or paraphrased from another person’s work, including ideas, concepts, images, as well as text, must be acknowledged in the assessment item.
Refer to your Department guidelines for the referencing style to be followed. The Library offers reference guides, chat support, and consultations with librarians to ensure that you are referencing correctly and applying the appropriate style.
The correct acknowledgement and citation of sources used in assessments is essential to avoid the possibility of a complaint of student misconduct through plagiarism. The guidelines on dealing with plagiarism or cheating in respect of assessment are published in the Student Discipline Regulations.
Further details may be provided in School, Faculty, or Division handbooks and websites, and you are strongly recommended to familiarise yourself with these guidelines.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
University of Waikato current guidelines state that you cannot use an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, such as ChatGPT, to produce or rewrite your assignment or test answer, and submit it as your own, unless the assignment instructions specifically permit or require you to use an AI tool, such as ChatGPT.
Always acknowledge your use of generative AI tools for your assessment tasks. Your lecturer can give you advice on this.
Please see the Use of Generative AI Tools guidelines on the Regulations and guidelines page of this handbook for more help on appropriate use.
Download and read the Guidelines for student use of generative AI tools (PDF)
Academic integrity Moodle course
If you are unsure what constitutes academic misconduct, or plagiarism, enrol yourself into the free Academic Integrity Moodle module and work through the tasks in your own time.
This module will highlight a number of common types of academic misconduct and guide you on how to avoid getting into trouble.
For more information on academic integrity definitions and processes, see the University of Waikato Academic Integrity website.