• the work and ideas of the author/creator of the material
• the work and ideas of others
• the sources from which the ideas and work of others have been drawn

We suggest you read:

• the HSC rules and procedures guide for students
• assessment advice for students
• your school assessment policy and program.

Malpractice is any activity that allows you to gain an unfair advantage over other students. It includes but is not limited to:

• copying someone else's work in part or in whole and presenting it as your own
• using material directly from a book, journal, CD, the internet etc without acknowledging the source
• building on the ideas of another person without acknowledging that person.

The consequences of malpractice, including plagiarism, could be:

• zero for an assessment task
• the withholding of an HSC course
• ineligibility for the HSC
• specific school sanctions e.g. the withholding of a school reference.

Issues

Honesty and integrity in students' learning and work are essential principles of ethical scholarship.
Students have rights and responsibilities in ensuring the ethical integrity of their work.
Students being dishonest in their learning and work can have serious consequences.
Ethical scholarship leads to fairness for students in their learning and assessment.

Strategies/handy hints

Students should:

• follow the principles of honesty and integrity in their study habits
• be well organised
• seek clear guidelines from teachers regarding set tasks
• record details of sources used in the preparation of a task
• be clear about what is their own work and what are their own ideas
• acknowledge the work and ideas of others used in a piece of work
• list all the resources used in the development of a piece of work
• seek help if they are overwhelmed with competing demands on their time.