Plagiarism and cheating

To ensure that you have understood the common rules you will at the start each course take a quiz (about safety, cheating etc) and by taking this you certify that you have read and understood the rules. If you are in any way unsure about which rules that apply within a specific course you must discuss this with the course leader (for example regarding cooperation with fellow students during projects, what material you are allowed to bring to the examination, and plagiarism).

During written exams, the following rules apply

• You may be told where to sit in the locality.
• If you are late for the exam, you are allowed to participate if you don't arrive more than 30 minutes after the start. However, you will not get extended writing time.
• You are not allowed to leave the examination room earlier than 60 minutes after the start.
• You are not allowed to have a jacket or bag at your desk.
• You are not allowed to have a mobile phone, iPad or any other electronic devices, including watches, available (such items must be placed in jacket/bag away from your desk). It is thus not allowed to have a mobile phone in your pocket, even if the phone is turned off.
• You are not allowed to communicate in any way with other students.
• Visits to the restroom are only allowed for one student at the time.
• If you are allowed to use a hand calculator this may be examined.
• Be prepared to show an ID.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism means imitating or copying someone else’s work, for instance a text, picture or diagram, presenting the material as your own. When you are writing an assignment, e.g. a literature study, a project report or a degree project you must follow the rules that apply for citing and referencing. Examples of plagiarism include:

• Copying the work of a fellow student (past or present) and passing it off as your own
• Using ‘essay-writing services’
• Copying text or images from a source (book, journal, article or website) and using this within your own work without acknowledgement
• Quoting others’ words without indicating who wrote or said them
• Copying ideas and concepts from a source without acknowledgement, even if you summarize them

If you are suspected of plagiarism, you will be reported to the Disciplinary Board (see below). 

You can read more about plagiarism at Lund University Libraries.

For home exams, the following rules apply

The course leader will explain to you what is and is not allowed, for example regarding cooperation, how to cite and use text from other sources. If you are not sure about the rules ask the course leader. All exams will be handed in through Ouriginal (former Urkund), a database system designed to detect copied text and plagiarism.

Rules for written projects, e.g. course projects or degree projects

All written projects larger than one week of work will be handed in through Ouriginal (previously Urkund). Ouriginal automatically compares your work against other texts from the Internet, published material and Ouriginals’s own archives of student papers. You can read more about Ouriginal at the Lund University website. If you are not sure of that you have used citations and/or text from other sources in a correct way, ask the course leader before you hand in your project.

Use of GAI-tools, e.g. ChatGPT

Generative Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT are very powerful for producing texts and other material - but have to be used with care!

The general rule at the Department of Biology is:

In cases where the examining teacher informs the students that the use of GAI-tools is allowed for certain course components the students must clearly report if and how they have used such tools. In all other cases the use of GAI-tools is not allowed for creating documents that are handed in for or presented during the examination.

Be aware that  although GAI-generated texts may look good and are useful in certain situations, they may produce incorrect or false information, provide copyrighted information and do not always provide a balanced view of the subject. Using GAI tools therefore places high demands on your ability to critically assess, analyze and evaluate material.

• Be sure that you know if and how AI-tools can be used in the examining components on the course you take
• You are responsible for and have to take ownership of material that you hand in for examination
• The contents of what you hand in has to be your own, but you may be allowed to get help with formulations (and calculations) using different tools
• In written projects you will likely be asked to make a comment about if and how you used GAI and other tools
• You always have to be prepared to explain, motivate and defend what you have handed in. Therefore the oral parts of examinations (e.g. project presentations) will be increasingly important.
• Always ask teacher (supervisor/examiner for degree projects) if you are unsure of what you can and cannot do
• If you use GAI tools in an unauthorized way to complete an assignment or exam, this means that you mislead the examiner about how you have performed the task and about your own knowledge and skills. Such an action can be considered a disciplinary offense according to the Higher Education Ordinance

Read more about GAI at the LU web page 

Your responsibility as a student

As a student, you must inform yourself about the rules that apply during projects, exams and such. at the department where you study. Please note that the rules may differ between departments, as well as between courses within the same department.

This is what happens if cheating is suspected

All cases of suspected cheating are reported by the Director of Studies to the Vice-Chancellor at Lund University. The Director of Studies at the department informs the student that a report has been handed in.

The Vice-Chancellor initiates an investigation, and finally, a disciplinary committee makes a decision. If a student has been considered to cheat he/she either receives a warning or is banned from all teaching activities at the university for up to six months.