Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is a core value of the University of Adelaide.

The University is committed to upholding the highest standard of Academic Integrity across its community. To this end, the University supports students and staff to develop Academic Integrity awareness and skills, and provides educative resources and tools that support best academic practice.

Academic Misconduct occurs when a member of the University community does not maintain the values and principles of Academic Integrity. The University considers Academic Misconduct unacceptable because it undermines the University’s core values, the quality of student learning, and graduate outcomes.

The Academic Integrity Policy supports Academic Integrity across all learning and teaching activities at the University, regardless of location or mode, by specifying the main principles of Academic Integrity, and the responsibilities of the University and its staff and students. It sets out the University’s approach to managing allegations of breaches of Academic Integrity and to continuously improving its Academic Integrity support and processes. 

• The Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures

A snapshot of the Academic Integrity Policy.

The snapshot explains the principles underpinning academic integrity at the University of Adelaide and the responsibility students have to act in accordance with these principles and avoid all acts which could be considered academic misconduct.

To support the implementation of this policy the University has developed Guidelines for Academic Integrity Investigations.

The University is committed to assisting staff and students in maintaining high standards of academic integrity by implementing highly visible procedures associated with educational opportunities and detection. Staff can also assist by employing approaches to assessment that minimise the opportunities for academic misconduct. 

Academic staff should provide examples of good practice in academic integrity by acknowledging appropriately the works, designs, ideas and words of others in their teaching and research. Providing appropriate examples of assessment work that display good practice in using citations, references and acknowledgements and providing opportunities for students to practise their use will assist in developing academic skills and in reducing the instances of plagiarism.

This document describes the key features of the Academic Integrity Policy and the responsibilities of staff in upholding and maintaining academic integrity. It outlines the role of Academic Integrity Officers and the process for investigating suspected breaches of academic integrity.

• Academic Integrity Policy Flowchart

A video recording and session slides from the most recent Policy Information Session are available to download.

The University of Adelaide's commitment to Academic Integrity is outlined in this overview of our Academic Integrity Plan 2020-2022 (available to the public).

University of Adelaide staff can read the full version of the Academic Integrity Plan 2020-2022, including evaluation metrics (UoA staff access only).

Find downloadable resources and teaching strategies here. There are a range of tips for setting academic integrity expectations in your course, as well as games, slides and activities to drop into MyUni or use in class.

On our Resources page, you can view recordings of our recent ADEPT training sessions, including understanding and interpreting Turnitin Similarity Reports, and detecting cheating using a variety of technical and technological indicators. View recordings.

This recent blog post may also assist markers with gathering evidence to substantiate academic integrity concerns.

This self-paced module covers topics for teaching staff such as promoting a culture of academic integrity and assessment design for integrity. 

For HDR students, this course can also be recognised as part of Career and Research Skills Training (CaRST). Fill in the form at the end of the course to claim your certificate for CARST.

• Enrol: Academic Integrity module for staff

From January 2022, the University of Adelaide requires that all assessments must be submitted and monitored through text comparative software where possible. Turnitin can be used for text based assignments submitted via file upload to MyUni.

Turnitin is a text-matching software which compares student submissions to published works, web content, and a library of student assignments across the globe. It can be automatically enabled in your MyUni assignments, and is also available for students to use as part of their writing process.

The University has provided guides to support you and your students in using Turnitin and interpreting the Similairty Report. access the guides here.

The TEQSA Contract Cheating Masterclass is an online course (with optional in-person component) and will strengthen your knowledge of academic integrity issues and develop your skills to prevent and investigate instances of contract cheating (where students outsource their cheating to a third party).