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Upholding academic integrity
Posted on behalf of: Student Communications
Last updated: Monday, 11 December 2023
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As a University of Sussex student, you are expected to uphold academic integrity by demonstrating this in all your academic work. Breaching our academic misconduct regulations goes against these values. The consequences of academic misconduct can be serious and can jeopardise your degree result with penalties ranging from marks reduction, reduction of your overall final classification and ultimately expulsion from the University in the most serious of cases.
We know that assessment periods can be very stressful. Sometimes you might find yourself in a situation where you have deadlines that are close together or overlap and this can heighten stress levels. It is often in these situations that the temptation to cheat might be considered as a way to cope, and Essay Mills or paid cheating services exploit this.
Essay Mills can be either a company or individual who will write an assignment for a fee, and although they can appear legitimate, Essay Mills are illegal in England (under the Skills and Post-16 Education Act). Essay Mills use tactics such as infiltrating WhatsApp group chats or sending DMs that appear friendly and approachable.
Using one of these services is not worth it for a variety of reasons:
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This would count as ‘personation’ and is against our academic regulations.
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You will be missing out on the opportunity to develop essential skills such as consolidating your learning, critical thinking, research, writing and getting feedback on your work – key reasons for doing a degree.
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The work purchased or generated online can be of a very low quality or inaccurate.
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The University uses detection software that is capable of identifying that this is not your own work.
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Engaging with one of these unethical companies can be risky and you could find yourself being blackmailed or issued with fake legal letters demanding additional payments. Essay Mills take advantage of students when they are stressed and vulnerable.
The psychological stress of cheating can itself have negative effects on mental wellbeing.
There are other ways to manage assessment deadlines and we can help you with this. Handing in a late submission, a non-submission or unfinished work are all likely to have better outcomes than risking a misconduct case.
If you are concerned about your ability to complete your assessments, or are experiencing ill health or other exceptional circumstances, there are University services in place to support you.
There is a wealth of information, advice and guidance on the Skills Hub on topics such as referencing and academic integrity, revision and exams and time management.
You can also access our academic skills workshops and support page for a full list of workshops and how to book your place. There are other areas of support that you may benefit from, including support and advice from student mentors and one-to-one library support.