UK Academic Integrity Guide for Nepali Students explains how to use sources honestly, cite and paraphrase correctly, follow collaboration and AI rules, and avoid contract-cheating services. The binding requirements are the student’s current university, programme and assessment instructions, because definitions and permitted tools can differ.
Information checked on 24 July 2026 using QAA and UK government sources. Always read the live academic-integrity policy and assessment brief before starting work.
Academic integrity facts at a glance
| Item | Practical rule |
|---|---|
| Direct quotation | Mark the borrowed words and cite the source in the required style |
| Paraphrasing | Rewrite the meaning genuinely and still cite the source |
| Reference list | Include every cited source in the required format |
| Collaboration | Work with others only to the extent the assessment permits |
| Generative AI | Use and disclose it only under the assessment and university rules |
| Contract cheating | Never submit work produced by another person or service as your own |
| Evidence | Keep notes, drafts, sources and version history showing your process |
What academic integrity means
Academic integrity means presenting an honest record of what you know, what you created and which ideas came from other people. It protects the value of the qualification and lets assessors judge the student’s own learning.
It is broader than avoiding copied sentences. Data, code, images, translations, designs, laboratory results and collaborative input can all require acknowledgement.
Read the policy before the assignment
Find the university’s academic-integrity or academic-misconduct policy, the programme handbook and the assessment brief. Note the required referencing style, collaboration boundary, word-count method and permitted tools.
Do this at the start. A rule discovered after submission cannot repair an undeclared source or prohibited assistance.
Direct quotations
When using another author’s exact words, mark them as a quotation and provide the citation required by the course. Longer quotations may need block formatting.
Changing punctuation or one or two words does not turn copied language into an original paraphrase. Use quotations selectively and explain their relevance.
Paraphrasing correctly
A paraphrase restates an idea in a genuinely new sentence structure and vocabulary after the student understands it. The underlying idea still belongs to the source and normally requires citation.
A useful method is to read the source, close it, explain the idea from understanding, compare for accuracy, and then cite it.
Reference lists and in-text citations
An in-text citation shows where a specific claim or idea came from. The reference list gives enough publication detail for a reader to find that source.
Use the university’s required style consistently. Reference software can help format entries, but the student remains responsible for author, title, date, link and page accuracy.
Common knowledge and uncertain cases
Widely known facts may not need citation, but specialised facts, interpretations, statistics and distinctive frameworks usually do. Expectations vary by discipline.
When uncertain, ask the tutor or library academic-skills team before submission. Adding an appropriate citation is safer than disguising where an idea came from.
Self-plagiarism and previous work
Submitting the same work, or a substantial part of it, for more than one assessment can breach policy even though the student wrote it originally. Reusing data or text may need permission and disclosure.
Do not recycle a previous personal statement, report or code project into assessed work without checking the rules.
Collusion and unauthorised collaboration
Discussion can be encouraged while jointly writing an individual answer can be prohibited. Sharing a completed file may expose both students to an allegation if wording or structure is copied.
For group assessments, record roles and follow the brief. For individual work, keep brainstorming separate from the final independent response.
Contract cheating and essay mills
Contract cheating occurs when a third party produces work that a student submits as their own. QAA warns that this can damage academic and professional careers.
The UK government criminalised providing or advertising commercial cheating services in England in 2022. That law does not make purchased work acceptable elsewhere; university misconduct rules apply across the UK.
Proofreading versus rewriting
Permitted proofreading may identify grammar, spelling or clarity issues without changing the student’s argument. Rewriting paragraphs, adding analysis or solving questions can cross into authorship.
Use an approved university service and keep the original and feedback. Ask what level of editing the assessment allows.
Translation and language support
Translating another source does not make its ideas original. Cite the source and follow any requirement to identify the translation.
A person or tool that substantially rewrites assessed language may also create an authorship issue. Use English-language support within the published policy.
Generative AI and assessment rules
AI permission is assessment-specific. One module may allow brainstorming with disclosure while another may prohibit generated text, code or analysis.
Never assume that access means permission. Record the tool, prompts, outputs and changes when disclosure is required, and verify every citation because generated references can be false.
Fabrication and falsification
Inventing survey responses, laboratory results, interview quotes, references or evidence is misconduct even when no sentence is copied. Altering inconvenient data can be equally serious.
Report limitations honestly. If data collection fails, ask the supervisor how to change the method rather than manufacturing results.
Code, calculations and technical work
Source code from a repository, forum or AI tool can require acknowledgement and may be prohibited. A working program is not automatically an academically acceptable submission.
Keep commit history and explain borrowed libraries or snippets as required. Be able to demonstrate understanding of submitted work.
Images, tables and multimedia
Charts, diagrams, photographs, maps, audio and video have creators and licences. Cite them and follow copyright and assessment instructions.
If adapting a figure, label it as adapted and cite the original. A web search result is not the source record.
Text-matching reports
A similarity percentage is not a final judgement of plagiarism. Correct quotations and references can match, while translated or custom-written cheating may not.
Use any permitted draft report to inspect individual matches. Do not pay a third-party site to upload confidential work, because that can expose or store the assignment.
Keep evidence of your process
Save research notes, source PDFs or links, outlines, dated drafts, data files, analysis steps and version history. These records support good writing and can explain how the work developed.
Use university storage where available and protect participant data under the approved research process.
If an allegation is raised
Read the notice and policy carefully. Preserve the submitted file and process evidence, meet deadlines, and answer honestly without altering records.
Use the university’s student union, academic adviser or support service. An explanation should address the evidence and rules, not attack the marker.
Academic-support scam warnings
- A service promising a guaranteed grade or undetectable assignment
- A writer asking for the university login or assessment portal access
- A company threatening exposure unless more money is paid
- A fake citation generator inventing books or journal articles
- A proofreader replacing the student’s analysis
- An AI tool claiming its output is automatically plagiarism-free
- A third-party checker storing unpublished work without clear terms
Step-by-step integrity checklist
- Read all rules. Check the policy, handbook and assessment brief.
- Plan source notes. Record full details while researching.
- Separate quotations. Mark exact words immediately.
- Paraphrase from understanding. Cite the original idea.
- Control collaboration. Keep individual work independent.
- Check tool permission. Follow AI, translation and proofreading rules.
- Verify references. Open every cited source before submission.
- Keep process evidence. Save drafts and version history.
- Run the final declaration. Disclose assistance as required.
Common academic-integrity mistakes
- Paraphrasing without a citation
- Copying the structure of a source too closely
- Reusing earlier assessed work without permission
- Sharing an individual assignment with a friend
- Using AI under the rules of a different module
- Submitting invented references or data
- Uploading work to an unknown checker
- Ignoring the response deadline for an allegation
Frequently asked questions
Is paraphrasing without a citation plagiarism?
It can be. Changing the words does not make the underlying idea yours, so cite the source unless the information is genuinely common knowledge under the course rules.
Can I reuse my own previous assignment?
Only if the university and assessment allow it with any required disclosure. Undeclared reuse can be treated as self-plagiarism.
Are essay mills illegal in the UK?
England criminalised providing and advertising commercial cheating services in 2022. Regardless of nation, submitting purchased work breaches university integrity rules.
Can I use generative AI for an assignment?
Only under the current university, module and assessment rules. Permission and disclosure requirements can differ between tasks.
Does a low similarity score prove the work is acceptable?
No. Similarity is one signal, not a final integrity decision. Authorship, sources, data and permitted assistance still matter.
Official sources
- QAA: contract cheating and academic integrity
- QAA: Contracting to Cheat guidance
- Department for Education: essay mills and the 2022 law
- UK legislation: Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022
Academic preparation from Nepal
For a visible review of programme expectations, academic documents, pre-departure planning and UK study readiness, use MKS Education study in the UK guidance. Students preparing for IELTS, PTE, GRE, GMAT or SAT can compare courses at MKS Prep. The university’s current policy and assessment team remain the final authorities.