Academic Plagiarism

One of the most serious offences that a student can commit is plagiarism. This is the act of submitting work that has been copied or otherwise derived from someone else’s work without acknowledging the source. In other words, passing off work as if it is your own, when it is not.

Plagiarism may occur when students collude to create shared work outside of permitted joint project work. It may also be a failure to recognise the extent of any support that has been received during the production of a piece of work. Universities will usually use software such as Turnitin to detect plagiarism and validate the integrity of a student’s work.

Regulations regarding plagiarism can be complex and require careful attention. If you feel you have been unfairly accused of plagiarism, you should seek expert legal advice from specialist education solicitors and support as quickly as possible.

Due to the often complexity of plagiarism allegations, it can call for experienced and expert legal representation from a professional well-versed in the process. At IBB Law, we can support, advise and defend you through a plagiarism process.

Our academic plagiarism experts can advise on issues including:

• Contesting plagiarism allegations
• Academic plagiarism appeals
• Plagiarism in regulated professions

We advise students regularly on issues of plagiarism at university. Here are three examples of cases that have involved plagiarism.

• In this case, the student was accused of academic misconduct.
• In this case, the student was accused of plagiarism in her A level.
• In this case, a post graduate student was the subject of harassment, sex discrimination and plagiarism.

We cover the full range of issues at university, as illustrated by these short case summaries.

We only act on behalf of students. We do not represent universities. You can be assured that we are 100% on your side.

How our plagiarism solicitors can help

We offer a fixed fee initial consultation with an education solicitor in our team, to discuss your needs and see how we can help.

If you would like our further assistance after the initial consultation to draft a plagiarism appeal or attend a hearing, we will advise you of the likely costs involved in advance so you can make an informed decision before proceeding. We aim to provide certainty over the costs involved.

Looking for quick answers about plagiarism UK law? Take a look at our FAQs below.

Types of academic plagiarism issues with which our team can help

Contesting a plagiarism allegation

The rules around plagiarism can be confusing, and it can be easy to commit plagiarism inadvertently. This may be through a failure to reference correctly. It can also happen intentionally in the full knowledge that it may be contravening the rules around plagiarism.

If you are accused of plagiarism and believe it was inadvertent, then it may be possible to contest plagiarism allegations.

This can, in some instances, reduce the sanction and perhaps enable a student to carry on with their course rather than being withdrawn due to academic misconduct.

We understand allegations of plagiarism can be frightening for all students, possibly more so for neurodiverse students. We are here to help and to fight your corner.

Academic plagiarism appeals

If your university has found that you did commit plagiarism, this is not necessarily the end of the matter.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to appeal, which could clear your name or at least reduce any sanctions you receive.

Our academic plagiarism experts can provide a non-judgmental outside perspective on whether there are grounds for an appeal.

We can then support you through the entire academic appeals process, giving you the best chance of getting the result you need.

Plagiarism in regulated professions

Plagiarism consequences for anyone entering a regulated profession such as medicine, law, social work, accountancy, nursing, or dentistry can be severe.

Your professional body may demand that you appear before a panel to explain your plagiarism and justify why you should be allowed to be registered.

In some instances, it may result in your registration being refused. When that happens, you won’t be able to practice your intended profession.

Our academic plagiarism solicitors can provide you with expert representation with the aim of retaining your role in a regulated profession and ensuring a fair outcome.

Our academic plagiarism advice fees

We offer a fixed fee initial consultation with a specialist education solicitor in our team to discuss your needs and see how we can help.

The initial consultation meeting is online and can be arranged by contacting Rachael, our senior legal administrator.

If you would like further assistance, following the initial consultation, we then charge for our services based on the work to be undertaken, how much work is involved and which lawyer will be carrying out the work. Our aim is to provide certainty over the costs involved.

The cost of any work, after the fixed fee consultation, will always be agreed upon with you in advance, giving you certainty and transparency over the costs involved.

For more information on our education law pricing, please get in touch.

Common questions about academic plagiarism

What counts as plagiarism?

Essentially, plagiarism is passing someone else’s work off as your own. This might be as straightforward as copying someone else’s work, or it could be more complex, such as failure to properly reference sources, either when directly quoting or paraphrasing another’s work.

It is important to recognise that plagiarism law in the UK covers both published and unpublished work, other students’ work, and both printed and online sources.

What are the penalties for academic plagiarism?

Plagiarism is viewed very dimly by universities and colleges. It’s considered a serious breach of academic integrity and an attempt to gain an unfair advantage as a candidate.

Unless a coherent and convincing reason can be shown why the plagiarism occurred, it could result in disciplinary action being taken against the student, with punishments ranging from a formal warning to exclusion.

What defences are there against plagiarism allegations?

What defence there is against a plagiarism allegation will depend on the circumstances, but it may be possible to argue that the plagiarism was accidental (e.g. you simply forgot to properly reference a source) or unintentional (e.g. you inadvertently produced something that was derivative of another’s work that you had forgotten you had read or seen).

Whether a particular defence will be accepted can be hard to judge, so it is important to make sure any arguments you wish to make in your defence are realistic, coherent, well framed and well supported with evidence.

How do universities deal with academic plagiarism?

Universities use plagiarism checkers such as Turnitin to check student assignments and essays for plagiarism. The assignment will then be reviewed by the academic department.

If the university believes your work may contain plagiarism, they will arrange a meeting to discuss these issues.

Universities will generally aim to address plagiarism issues internally, which may result in penalties such as a mark of zero for the piece of work.

If the issue is escalated to a university misconduct hearing, the committee will have a wider range of penalties for more serious or repeated cases, such as terminating your course.

Is academic plagiarism a crime?

Academic plagiarism can have serious repercussions for your education and career prospects. In an undergraduate setting, it can lead to suspension or expulsion from your course.

If you are working in a professional academic setting, plagiarism or self-plagiarism can lead to legal action, including copyright infringement and fraud.

If you are facing claims of academic plagiarism, our solicitors can assist with putting together evidence to support your position and represent you at university hearings.

If you are facing legal action, our solicitors can represent you in court proceedings to achieve the best possible outcome.

Get personal advice on dealing with academic plagiarism allegations

If you would like to know more about how we can help you with your education law enquiry, please contact our education law senior legal administrator, Rachael, on 01895 207230 or by email on educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk. Rachael will be able to organise an initial consultation meeting for you.