Academic integrity and plagiarism

Writing is central to knowledge development and synthesis and therefore involves students at all levels and academics with varying experience. Whether writing an undergraduate or postgraduate essay, or writing for publication, specific conventions need to be followed. These are articulated in essay criteria and student policy as well as journal guidelines for publication. Integrity is a fundamental principle of academic writing. Be it an essay or a paper for publication, writing with integrity requires us to be honest about the origins of the ideas, information and knowledge we present in our work (Hayes & Introna, 2005). Writers who disregard this convention are at risk of plagiarism—the focus of this piece.