Updated in September 2025

Table of Contents

Introduction to Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

What is Academic Integrity? .......................................................................... 2

What is Plagiarism? ........................................................................................... 2

What’s wrong with Plagiarism? .................................................................... 3

PolyU’s Regulations and Rules for Plagiarism

What are PolyU’s penalties for Plagiarism? ............................................. 4

What electronic tools does PolyU use to deter Plagiarism? .............. 4

Tips and Resources on Academic Integrity

How to avoid Plagiarism? ............................................................................... 6

What is the Online Tutorial on Academic Integrity (OTAI)?............... 8

Why should you use the OTAI?.................................................................... 8

What are you required to do in the OTAI? ................................................. 8
How can you access the OTAI? .................................................................. 10

Where to get more supports and resources at PolyU? .................... 11

Contacts for Enquiries

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Introduction to Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

What is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity refers to the honest and ethical manner in which academic work is done,
whether it is an assignment, an examination, an oral presentation, or a research project or
report.
PolyU believes that academic integrity is central to the mission of a university, and is a
fundamental value that all students are expected to uphold. Therefore, any acts of violating
academic integrity are not acceptable. Acts of academic dishonesty include but are not
limited to the following:
• Cheating
• Plagiarism
• Unauthorised collaboration or help
• Fabrication and Falsification
• Aiding academic dishonesty

What is Plagiarism?
In brief, plagiarism is passing off someone else’s work or ideas as your own to gain some
benefit. For students, ‘benefit’ may mean trying to get a better grade or mark, or meeting a
deadline so marks are not lost. Whether you plagiarise deliberately or accidentally, it is
unacceptable.
Plagiarism comes in different forms. Test what you know. Place a x beside any of the
following actions that you think will be considered as plagiarism:

1. Copying from a classmate and pretending the work is your own.

2. Copying material, without acknowledgement, from any source (Internet, books,

journals, the newspaper).
3. Copying exactly and acknowledging the source of a text, but not indenting or
using quotation marks.
4. Copying a sentence but changing a few words to make it look different.

5. Rearranging another writer’s words and sentences, or taking sentences from a

number of different sources and joining them together to pass them off as your
own work.

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 6. Using someone else’s ideas, facts, graphs, tables, or code without
acknowledgement.
7. Allowing your own work to be copied by another student who hands it in for
marking.
8. You and your friend each does a part of an individual assignment and you
combine the ideas and writings to be your assignment.
9. Paying someone to do your assignments or buying them from Internet sites.

10. Not acknowledging help you have been given with your work from people
including friends, family or tutors.
11. Handing in the same assignment for more than one class.

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the answers. I Take a look on p.5
need to know!

What’s wrong with Plagiarism?

Here are a few reasons why plagiarism is wrong, and not worth the risks:
• Not doing your own work means that you limit your learning (you cheat yourself).
• Taking someone else’s work and not giving them credit is unfair to them (you cheat
others).
• You may damage your future study and employment prospects (who wants a
dishonest student or employee?).
• You won’t develop the skills you need to get and keep a job.
• You damage the reputation of the University (and other graduates who have done
their own work).
• You will be breaking PolyU’s rules.
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PolyU’s Regulations and Rules for Plagiarism
PolyU views any violations of academic integrity as a serious disciplinary offence because it
seriously undermines the value of the teaching, learning and research of the University. To
deter plagiarism, PolyU adopts the following regulations and rules:

What are PolyU’s penalties for Plagiarism?

Some plagiarism cases are handled by your teacher or your Department. Other cases are
referred to the Student Discipline Committee. Penalties vary according to the circumstances
but you might expect one of the following if you plagiarise:
• A reprimand
• A lower grade or a fail for the plagiarised work
• A lower classification than you might otherwise have got for your degree
• Suspension of studies for a specified period of time
• Expulsion for a specified or indefinite period

No gain,
ALL PAIN!

What electronic tools does PolyU use to deter Plagiarism?

To help rather than punishing you, PolyU supports the use of electronic plagiarism
prevention and detection tools with some reasons as follows:
• These tools can help students to be more aware of plagiarism and improve their
work.
• The plagiarism detection function of these tools thoroughly checks students’ work
for plagiarism and so students get the marks and grades they deserve (as well as
the penalties!)
• PolyU can be confident in telling employers that “our students do their own work”.

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PolyU provides licensed use of such tools called Turnitin-LTI operated on the Blackboard
e-learning management system. The system works like this:

2 Your work is compared to billions of

2.
pages of reference material including
professional publications, student essay
cheat sites, and other student work
1 Your work is
1. including that of your classmates.
submitted to the
detection system.

Plagiarism
Detection System
33. An originality report is made
on every piece of submitted
work. Any text matches found in
the detection system’s databases
4 Your teacher can review
4. are highlighted and linked to the
the originality report and sources.
determine whether or not
plagiarism has occurred.

For more information about how to use this system at PolyU, you may refer to the Quick
Student Guide to Using Turnitin-LTI Assignment.

x Quiz Answers
All of the actions in the Quiz except cases 3, 7, 10 constitute
plagiarism. Cases 3, 7, 10 are not plagiarism but they are
academically improper, so you MUST also avoid them.

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Tips and Resources on Academic Integrity
At PolyU, various resources are available to provide a fair and honest learning environment
which encourages you to maintain high academic standards. Make use of the tips and
resources below to avoid misconduct in your academic work.

How to avoid Plagiarism?

One solution might be that you only write about your own ideas and avoid using other
sources altogether. But that’s NOT a good idea because you learn a great deal from what
other people have thought, invented, created, constructed, composed or written. Here are
some far better strategies for making your work plagiarism-free:

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

PolyU’s stance

PolyU takes an open and forward-looking stance on the use of generative artificial
intelligence (GenAI) tools (such as ChatGPT) as a positive and creative force in education,
and the incorporation of such use in innovative learning, teaching, and assessment practices.
While embracing the use of new technology in education, PolyU upholds the principle that
students must adhere to high standards of academic integrity in all forms of assessments.
The Student Code of Conduct and the policy on academic integrity apply to the use of GenAI
in student work.

In accordance with the above stance, the University emphasises that:

• students are accountable for their own work; and

• the use of GenAI (if permitted) in student work should be properly acknowledged.

Please refer to Guidelines for Students on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence for
more details.

Academic Dishonest Acts

The University attaches great importance to academic integrity and honesty and upholds
high standard in examination and in continuous assessment. In case of proven dishonesty,
including plagiarism, disciplinary actions will be taken by the department concerned or the
Student Discipline Committee according to the Regulations on Student Discipline.

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Use sources with care and respect
• Take careful notes so you remember where you got your information.
• Keep track of all the sources you have used for each assignment.
• Cite all your sources in your finished work making it clear who said what. By citing
sources in your writing, you can provide background information about previous
investigations, support your own ideas, illustrate a point you want to make, and
demonstrate the breadth of your research on a topic.
• Include all your sources in your reference (or bibliography) section.
• Acknowledge all the help you get.

Find out the expectations of the University, your Department and your
teacher
• Read your Student Handbook. In the Regulations and Rules section, under Academic
Studies, you’ll find Academic Integrity and Plagiarism.
• Ask your Department for specific citing and referencing guidelines.
• Ask your teacher how much you can work with your classmates on individual or
group assignments if you are not clear. If you don’t know the difference between
co-operation and collusion, then ask.
• Read and understand the Honour Declaration before you sign it.

Develop your academic and personal skills

• Plan carefully and start early so you have time to do your own work.
• Attend courses to improve your writing and referencing skills.
• Ask for help (from your teacher, the Library, or the English Language Centre) if you
are unsure about what you must do.

Play safe!
• Don’t leave your completed work lying around.
• Talk and study with your classmates but don’t lend your work to others in case they
copy it. It may be difficult to prove who did the work first.
• Don’t be lazy. Do your own work!

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What is the Online Tutorial on Academic Integrity (OTAI)?

As part of the University’s continuous effort in maintaining a fair and honest learning
environment at PolyU, an online tutorial has been developed to
• raise your awareness of the University’s expectations for honest academic
behaviour
• explain to you the importance of upholding academic integrity
• provide you with information about what might constitute academically dishonest
behaviour and plagiarism
• explain ways for you to stay clear from academic misconduct and plagiarism

Why should you use the OTAI?

• You will learn useful information and basic referencing skills that are essential to
your study.
• It offers you the flexibility in terms of time, pace and place in learning about
academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism.
• It complements PolyU’s current provisions on educating students about academic
integrity. These include briefings at orientations, web-based materials and this
Student Guide on Academic Integrity.

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What are you required to do in the OTAI?
Overview of Tutorial

Introduction Instructions to Users

Key Terms in Chinese

Part 1 Pre-test

Module 1: Module 4: Module 5:

Module 2: Module 3:
Understanding In-text & GenAI &
Part 2 Academic
Understanding Avoiding
End-of-text Academic
Plagiarism Plagiarism
Integrity Referencing Integrity

Post-test

Part 3 Honour Declaration

eCertificate

1. Read the Introduction to familiarise yourself with the following:

• Overview of the Tutorial

• Instructions to Users
• Key Terms in Chinese

2. Complete the Pre-test

3. Learn from the five modules to enhance your understanding of academic integrity
and ways to avoid dishonest behaviour and plagiarism:

• Read the explanations

• Do the exercises

4. Complete the Post-test

Obtain a score of at least 75% to pass the Post-test. (You may re-visit the modules
and re-attempt the Post-test if you do not obtain the score required.)

5. Sign the Honour Declaration

Upon signing the Honour Declaration, an eCertificate of successful completion will
be sent to you within 24 hours via email. Please save a copy for future reference.
You can use it as a proof of completion when requested.

The whole tutorial takes about 2 hours to complete. You may complete the modules at your
own pace.
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How can you access the OTAI?
The OTAI is accessible on LEARN@PolyU (理學網): [Link] To log in to
the Tutorial, simply follow the following three steps:

1. Log in to LEARN@PolyU ( 理 學 網 )
using your NetID and NetPassword.

2. Go to "Courses" and click the link for

Online Tutorial on Academic Integrity.

3. Follow the instructions here on how to

use the tutorial. You can use the vertical
menu on your left of the webpage to
guide you.

For enquiries about the OTAI, you may refer to Online Tutorial on Academic Integrity FAQs.

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Where to get more supports and resources at PolyU?

Academic Registry (AR) maintains the updating of handbooks and guidelines related to
policies and operational arrangements on academic integrity matters.

• Information of Academic Integrity at PolyU

• Student Handbook (see Academic Studies in the Regulations and Rules section)
• Guidelines for Students on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

English Language Centre (ELC) provides information and referencing guides which offer
detailed explanations on the mechanics of citations and referencing examples. Advising
service is also offered to students to help improve their writing skills.

• Information on what referencing is, reasons for referencing, how to reference, and
how to write a bibliography provided by Centre for Independent Language
Learning (CILL)
• Referencing Guides on how to use academic referencing conventions and how to
reference correctly, covering APA, Harvard, IEEE and Vancouver styles
• Reference Machine, a generator of correctly-formatted references in different styles
to assist students in writing references
• Writing Assistance Programme (WAP), an advising service provides individual, one-
to-one advice and training on all aspects of writing.
Please also read English for Academic Purposes (book available in CILL) for advice
and examples.

Pao Yue-kong Library offers workshops and online courses, tips on plagiarism, citation
styles, and reference management tools for students.

• Online Guide: Library Support for Academic Integrity

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Contacts for Enquiries
For technical enquiries or problems on OTAI

ITS support hotline: 2766-5900

For general enquiries or feedback on Academic Integrity

CUS email for Academic Integrity: [Link]@[Link]

For more information

CUS website: [Link]

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