May
Defeat the cheat! Say no to essay mills
As we all get used to new ways of working and studying online it’s important to remember the rules around academic integrity. Companies are making money from students tempted to pay someone else to write their essays, particularly in this current crisis. It’s important to ‘defeat the cheat’ and say no to these essay mills.
To ensure academic integrity in your work, follow our three steps:
Write it: make sure it’s all your own work.
Reference it: correctly credit your sources.
Report it: call out companies trying to sell essays to students.
What does Academic Integrity mean?
Awareness of academic integrity means that you take responsibility for your own work, fully acknowledge the work of others wherever it has contributed to your own and avoid(ing) actions which seek to give you an unfair advantage over others. The University have a full guide here: Academic Integrity Guidance for Students.
You can also take a look at one of our previous blogs for more top tips and advice: Academic Integrity and Exams: Why It Matters.
Any student wanting to report a company selling essays targeting our students or any suspicious email promoting such companies, should email defeatthecheat@soton.ac.uk.
If you want further advice on this, or you have been contacted about a breach of academic integrity, The Advice Centre are here to help. They can be reached via advice@susu.org, 023 8059 2085 or their Facebook page. Their support is free, confidential and independent from the University.
The Advice Centre also have further online resources to help:
- Academic Integrity Guide
- Avoiding Academic Integrity Problems Whilst Studying Online
- How to write an Academic Integrity Statement
- What happens at the Academic Integrity meeting?
