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Research Ethics

Academic Integrity & Plagiarism

Understand academic integrity, plagiarism, responsible scholarship, attribution, research ethics and the responsible use of information and artificial intelligence.

Why this matters

Relevance to scholarship and knowledge

Academic integrity protects the credibility of the University and the wider scholarly community. At Veritas University, responsible scholarship requires students and researchers to present their own intellectual contributions honestly, acknowledge sources appropriately and conduct research according to accepted ethical principles.
1

Understanding academic integrity

Academic integrity means acting honestly, responsibly and transparently in learning, assessment and research.

  • Honesty in academic work.
  • Proper acknowledgement of sources.
  • Responsible use of data.
  • Transparent research practices.
  • Respect for intellectual property.
2

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism occurs when someone presents another person’s words, ideas, structure, data or creative work as their own without appropriate acknowledgement.

  • Copying text without citation.
  • Submitting another person’s work.
  • Paraphrasing without attribution.
  • Using images, datasets or code without acknowledgement where required.
  • Reusing previous work improperly.
3

Avoiding plagiarism

  • Take accurate research notes.
  • Record source information while researching.
  • Use quotation marks for direct quotations.
  • Paraphrase genuinely rather than changing a few words.
  • Cite ideas and evidence from other researchers.
  • Use reference management tools.
Practical example

If a researcher reads a study and adopts its argument, the researcher should acknowledge the study even when the argument is rewritten completely in their own words.

4

Responsible use of artificial intelligence

AI tools can assist research and learning, but their use should comply with University policies, assessment requirements and principles of academic integrity.

  • Do not submit generated material as original scholarship when prohibited.
  • Verify factual claims produced by AI.
  • Protect confidential research information.
  • Maintain responsibility for submitted academic work.
  • Disclose AI assistance when required by applicable academic rules.

Advantages

Protects scholarly credibility.

Encourages original thinking.

Builds trust between researchers and readers.

Protects intellectual property.

Supports ethical research culture.

Consequences of neglect

  • Academic misconduct investigations.
  • Loss of academic credibility.
  • Invalidation of academic work.
  • Reputational damage to researchers and institutions.
  • Potential disciplinary consequences under applicable University policies.

How the Library can help

  • Plagiarism awareness training.
  • Citation and attribution guidance.
  • Academic writing support.
  • Research ethics orientation.
  • Responsible AI literacy.

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