Simple explanations of key terms the University uses for academic misconduct.
The University loves acronyms, so if you are confused about what any terms mean, please contact Your Advice Service via the enquiry form at www.yoursu.org/getadvice.
- Academic Integrity-being honest about which ideas and words in a piece of academic writing are the author’s and which came from elsewhere.
- Academic Misconduct-when the university believes good academic practice has not been followed, on purpose or by mistake.
- ACO/ACE- Academic Conduct Officer, or Academic Conduct Educator (the same role)- an academic who investigates cases of academic misconduct.
- ACP- Academic Conduct panel- a group of senior academics who look into cases of serious, complex or repeated academic misconduct.
- ACV/Viva Voce- Academic Conduct Viva- a meeting where two academics ask questions about academic work to find out who wrote it and where the ideas in it came from.
- Citing- acknowledging the sources used in your work within the text itself.
- Common knowledge- a fact that’s so well accepted by the average reader that an author can use it in their work without citing a source.
- Contract cheating- when others complete academic work for you, often for payment.
- Essay Mill- a business that sells academic work written for students. It’s illegal to provide or advertise contract cheating services in the UK.
- Paraphrasing- summarising someone else’s idea in your own words.
- Pre PSP- an informal meeting between two academics and a student to decide whether their case should go to a professional suitability panel or not (most do).
- PSP -professional suitability panel, a group of senior academics and external practitioners who decide whether students on accredited courses like medical courses, Law courses, or social work courses are fit to practise as members of a professional body.
- Quotation- a short piece of writing copied by someone who isn’t the original author.
- Reference lists- a list of who wrote and published the sources used in your work and where to find them, usually in alphabetical order at the end of an essay or dissertation.