Adapting to university study
It is a good idea when starting university to become aware of study expectations and good academic practices. At university it is important not to present the work of others as your own, either intentionally or accidentally. This is considered poor academic practice, and could lead to an investigation into your work.
How to ensure good academic practice
To understand good academic practices, it is helpful to explore the concept and values of academic integrity.
What is academic integrity?
The International Center for Academic Integrity defines academic integrity as being made up of five core values - honesty, responsibility, trust, respect and fairness – as well as the courage to act on, and play one’s part in, upholding these five values.
Academic integrity is central to all aspects of academic study and research at university; it applies to academic staff and students alike.
Understanding the core principles of academic integrity and why they matter can help to ensure that the work you produce always adheres to good academic practices.
Why is academic integrity so important?
Academic integrity is important when working on assessments, as you are required to take responsibility for producing assessed work respectfully, fairly and honestly.
This allows assessors to trust that you are not passing off someone else’s work as your own.
If you keep in mind these values when undertaking assignments, you will be taking a key step in ensuring that your work is produced to the best of your ability and naturally meets these standards.
The main point, for now, is to understand the importance of academic integrity: by doing so you will meet the scholarly standards by which universities adhere. This means that the value of a degree is maintained and, by embracing these values, you can be assured that the degree you are working for will be earned and a true reflection of your capabilities. Moreover, these attributes are highly valued by employers (Morris, 2011) and good standards to apply in life in general!
Increasing your confidence about academic integrity
We have provided some examples of good practices that you can seek to introduce to help you to develop your confidence once you start working on assignments:
- Start planning your assignments early so that you can clarify what's required and have time to check your references
- Make active, effective notes to ensure you keep track of where you have found information and how you have used it within your work
- Find out which referencing style you should be using for your course and familiarise yourself with the available guidance
- You should integrate evidence into your assessed work by paraphrasing, summarising, or quoting. The Academic Skills and Development team can offer advice on how to do this
- All Surrey students have access to the Turnitin 'similarity checker'. This is an online programme found on your SurreyLearn homepage that allows you to check that all of your references have been included in your work.
Depending on your prior education experiences, you may have already developed some good academic practices which you will be able to build upon at university. You’ll need to be mindful that university study may bring different levels of expectation, for example, being thorough in applying your subject’s referencing style.
There will be plenty of guidance and advice that you will be able to access once you’ve started your course, for example, course and module guidelines, your module tutors, or the Library’s Academic Skills and Development team.
Reflect on what you can already do and remember that you will develop expertise over time, provided you review your progress regularly (see our guide on shaping your Surrey ‘learning journey’).
Avoiding poor academic practice
Few students deliberately set out to cheat, but sometimes bad academic practices can occur accidentally by:
- Not being realistic about the time needed to work on assignments: Rushing to meet a deadline can result in shortcuts, such as failing to check that all references are in place. This is one of the reasons for thinking carefully how you plan and organise your time (see our guide on planning and organising your time)
- Taking poor approaches to note-making: For example, forgetting to note references to sources can lead to plagiarism, so developing effective note-making strategies is critical (see our guide on active note-making strategies).
Key takeaways
Top tips
Familiarise yourself with the specific referencing expectations of your course once you start.
Seek help to develop your understanding of referencing requirements if needed.