This guide brings together information and resources, to help you develop good practice in your academic work, and to avoid the risk of committing academic misconduct.
ARU Academic Regulations (2025) define academic misconduct as "the generic term used to define cases where a student(s) has sought to gain unfair academic advantage in the assessment process for him/herself or another student(s)."
Students at ARU also agree to abide by mutually agreed standards outlined in the Student Charter.
Anglia Ruskin University takes a formative approach to the development of good academic skills which will help students avoid types of misonduct, such as assessment offences like plagiarism. There are University Library resources on information and referencing skills, and study support help available to foster good academic practice.
Statements on expectations regarding academic honesty are included in module guides and student handbooks. All new students will be expected to complete the Good Academic Practice (GAP) Course. New students should check their Canvas module sites directly for the link to the latest GAP course.
The information in this table is adapted from the ARU Academic Regulations (2025). Go to Section 10 of the regulations for full details on academic misconduct and how allegations are processed at ARU.
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Misconduct |
Definition and detail | Examples |
| Plagiarism |
Plagiarism is when you present someone else’s work, words, images, ideas, opinions or discoveries, whether published or not, as your own. It is also when you use the artwork, images, creative practice or computer-generated work of others in your own work, without properly acknowledging where this is from. Referencing sources used in your work is essential to avoid plagiarism. It is important that you do not plagiarise – intentionally or unintentionally – because the work of others and their ideas are their own. There are benefits to producing original ideas, in terms of awards, qualifications, reputation etc. and to use someone else’s ideas without giving them credit is a form of theft. Plagiarism is something that is taken seriously not only at University, but also in the wider world; politicians, writers and academics have had their careers ruined when plagiarism was discovered in their past. If you use AI as a source of information, it is similar to any of kind of source - any idea or set of words that are not your own must be correctly referenced. See Using AI Tools guide for more information. |
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| Collusion |
Collusion occurs when two or more individuals collaborate to produce a piece of work to be submitted (in whole or in part) for assessment and the work is presented as the work of one student alone. If students in a class are instructed or encouraged to work together in the pursuit of an assignment, such group activity is regarded as approved collaboration. However, if there is a requirement for the submitted work to be solely that of the individual, joint authorship is not permitted. Students who, improperly, work together in these circumstances, are guilty of collusion. |
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| Cheating | Cheating is when someone aims to get unfair advantage over others. |
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| Fraud | Fraud occurs when someone has deliberately and knowingly allowed or paid another person to do their work, or sit an examination for them. |
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In exceptional circumstances, where assistive technology is not a viable option, proofreading may be recommended.
There is a significant difference between proofreading and editing.
Proofreading support must follow these principles:
A proofreading service may:
A proofreading service must not:
This includes asking an AI tool make changes to your own work or style of writing. If you want to use AI to improve your writing style we recommend that you use a prompt that explains where you are going wrong and how you can improve your work but does not change or add text to what you submit into the program. An example of a suitable prompt is set out below:
I am a higher education student in my third year studying Film. Can you review the following draft of an assignment and provide specific feedback on the following areas?
Clarity: Are my ideas communicated clearly and logically?
Conciseness: Are there any sentences or paragraphs that could be expressed more succinctly?
Grammar / Mechanics: Please point out any errors in grammar, punctuation, or sentence structure.
Style: Are my word choices appropriate and varied? Is the tone consistent with the assignment's purpose?
Additionally, please provide a few examples of how I could improve my writing in these areas. My goal is to understand my mistakes and learn from them.
ARU has provided guidance for students on appropriate use of AI tools in academic assignments on the AI Tools guide available via the ARU Library website. Please check this guide for the current advice to students for how to use AI tools appropriately.
Improve your skills and increase your confidence by attending our workshops. The workshops cover a range of topics from starting assignments to finding reliable information, mastering referencing and developing your critical writing.
Our Study Coaches offer up to five one to one coaching sessions in an academic year, tailored to your specific needs. They cover academic writing and critical thinking.
We also offer specialist IT and Maths and stats guidance appointments.
Our Subject Librarians are here to enhance your research strategies and resource selection.