WSU Academic Integrity Guidelines

A guide to academic integrity for Western students

Updated November 2024

Western cares about your success as a student and in your future career. Studying with integrity safeguards your professional reputation and your degree.

What is studying with integrity?

When you begin your studies, studying with integrity means learning and following rules and guidelines for learning at university and acting on the values of the Student Honour Code. These values define who you are as a person, as a student and as a future professional.

  • Values of the Student Honour Code are integrity; honesty; responsibility; respect; courage; appreciation of knowledge and learning; and active and independent learning.
  • These values are linked to the University’s values: boldness, fairness, integrity and excellence.

Read the Student Honour Code

As you study, you will learn more about ethical standards and guidelines that apply to your area of study, and why integrity is important to you, your professional reputation and future career.

As a Western student, you must:

  • Be familiar with the University policies related to academic misconduct
  • Apply principles of academic integrity
  • Act honestly and ethically in producing all academic work and assessment tasks
  • Submit work that is your own and acknowledge any sources used in your work.

These rules and guidelines are in place so that we can be sure we are graduating students who have met learning outcomes and are competent and ethical.

The consequences for not following these rules can include:

  • Losing marks
  • Failing an assessment task or subject
  • Being excluded from university for 6 months or more, or permanently
  • Having your award cancelled (revoked) after graduation
  • Not having the opportunity to enter your chosen profession.

As a student, you might receive messages and emails from academic cheating services offering you ‘support’ or encouraging you to share assignments or learning materials. If you use these services, you risk blackmail and identity theft as well as sanctions for misconduct, including revocation of award.

  • Avoid these risks by using academic support provided by the university.
  • Find out how to avoid academic cheating services below.

Assessment declaration

When you complete assignments, you agree to following University rules and guidelines in the assessment declaration.

Rules and guidelines in the assessment declaration
Each time you submit an assessment, you declare that you have completed it yourself, unless it is a group assignment. In the case of a group assignment, each group member should be ready to document their individual contribution if needed. You will also declare that:
  • You hold a copy of the submission if the original is lost or damaged.
  • No part of the submission has been copied from any other student’s work or from any other third party (including generative AI) except where due acknowledgement is made in the submission.
  • No part of the submission has been submitted by you in another (previous or current) assessment, except where appropriately referenced, and with prior permission from the teacher/tutor/supervisor/ Subject Coordinator for the subject.
  • No part of the submission has been written/produced for you by any other person or technology except where collaboration has been authorised by the teacher/tutor/ supervisor/Subject Coordinator either in the assessment resources section of the Learning Guide for the assessment task, in the instructions for the assessment task or through vUWS.
  • You are aware that the submission will be reproduced and submitted to detection software programs for the purpose of investigating possible breaches of the Student Misconduct Rule, for example plagiarism, contract cheating, or unauthorised use of generative AI. Turnitin or other tools of investigation may retain a copy of the submission for the purposes of future investigation.
  • You will not make the submission available to any other person unless required by the University.

    • What is academic misconduct?

    Academic misconduct means not following rules and guidelines for learning at university. Academic misconduct is:

    • Behaviour that breaches any academic policy of the University.
    • Behaviour that puts the academic integrity of any assessment task, subject or program or the University’s academic reputation at risk.

    Examples of academic misconduct include:

    • Submitting work that is not your own
    • Working with other students or using technology when not permitted
    • Copying and sharing assessment tasks or questions without permission.

    More examples are listed below.

    Information to help you study with integrity is available on the Study with Integrity webpage. It is your responsibility to apply these principles to all work you submit for assessment.

    Consequences for academic misconduct

    Consequences for academic misconduct

    Western’s approach to misconduct (including these guidelines) is based on the Student Misconduct Rule. This contains the University’s official rules and procedures for academic, general and research misconduct, and applies to all students including those in Western Sydney University programs taught by other education providers.

    If you behave in a way that is not acceptable based on the University’s Student Misconduct Rule, you may be penalized. Some examples of consequences are listed above. For more details, see examples of sanctions received by Western Sydney University students for academic misconduct.

    Information for students about misconduct processes and support available to students involved in misconduct processes is available on the Misconduct FAQs page.
    Examples of academic misconduct

    Examples of academic misconduct

    Examples of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to:
  • Working with another person or technology in order to gain an unfair advantage in assessment
  • Copying another person’s answers or improperly obtaining answers including from a third party (including any generative AI) to questions in an examination or other form of assessment
  • Sharing assessments and exam questions or learning materials without the explicit permission of your teacher in writing
  • Bringing unauthorised materials or devices into an examination or assessment activity
  • Submitting work for assessment that is not your own work
  • Re-submitting work for assessment that has previously been submitted for a different assessment without approval
  • Communicating in an examination, (including via various media) or other test, with other students, or bringing into the examination room any textbook, notebook, memorandum, other written material or electronic device or any other item not authorised by the person who set the examination or the examinations supervisor in charge or other supervisor of a test
  • Writing an examination answer, or consulting another person or materials, for an examination answer, outside the confines of the examination room, without permission to do so
  • Attempting to read another student’s work in an examination, or, in other circumstances, without their permission
  • Where an individual work is required, making or receiving available notes, papers or answers related to the content of an examination or assignment (in whatever form) to or from another student, without the permission of the teacher of the Subject
  • Not following the directions about seating location and movement about the examination room
  • Where a student submits work in which ideas, words or other work are taken from a source and presented as if these are the student’s own work, without appropriate acknowledgement of the original source, ‘Appropriate acknowledgement’ being the conventions of citation or acknowledgement recognised as acceptable to the University
  • A breach of the Student Code of Conduct or Student Honour Code.

    • Submitting falsified documentation with requests to redo, resit or extend submissions, including sitting of deferred examinations are examples of general misconduct.

    How can I avoid academic misconduct?

    Follow academic integrity guidelines

    Follow academic integrity guidelines

    Follow the guidelines on this page, including the assessment declaration (above). If you are unsure, see the next section ‘Ask questions and get help’.
    Ask questions and get help

    Ask questions and get help

    The University is here to support your success.  Asking questions and getting help when you need it will help you succeed.

    Always ask questions or ask for help when:
  • You don’t understand the assignment question
  • You don’t know what’s expected or what you should do
  • You need help with academic writing
  • You need more time to finish your assignment.

    • Where to get help
  • Ask your Subject Coordinators or teaching staff for help.
  • Find out more about study help, support and wellbeing services.
  • Apply for an extension or disruption to study if needed.
  • Contact support and wellbeing resources and services.
    • Acknowledge your sources

    Acknowledge your sources

    In the workplace, professional standards and guidelines are the basis of trust. By following standards and guidelines, professionals establish their identity as ethical and trustworthy. Learning and following guidelines for acknowledging sources in your discipline or subject is the same at university, and part of developing your professional identity and judgement.

    Following guidelines on acknowledging sources will help you to demonstrate your learning through referencing, evaluating and giving your position on the ideas of others, By following the guidelines, you also establish trust in the integrity of your work. Not following rules and guidelines for acknowledging sources may affect your grades and your reputation as a student. It can even affect your future professional reputation.

    You are expected to follow assessment task instructions on using sources and acknowledge when you have used work, words or ideas of others in all assessment tasks. This applies to anything created by a person, group of people, organisation or generative AI, even if you can't find the name of the author or creator.

    Acknowledging generative AI Where you are allowed to use generative AI, be ready to provide details of the generative AI tools you have used and how you have used them. Check with your Subject Coordinator on requirements. You may be asked to include examples of your prompts and responses from generative AI or details of how you used the output of generative AI. Learn how to acknowledge the use of generative AI.

    Find out more
  • Check with your Subject Coordinator on task requirements
  • Talk to a librarian about referencing
  • Check Library guides on referencing and citation
    • Avoid external ‘support’ sites or other external help

    Avoid external ‘support’ sites or other external help

    Avoid academic cheating services including websites, individuals or groups that claim to offer study support. They may send targeted messages to you or your study group by email or through social media.

    Students who engage with academic cheating services risk blackmail, identify theft and sanctions for academic misconduct. Outcomes for graduates may include revocation of award.

    Avoid blackmail

    Students have been blackmailed by academic cheating services. Avoid blackmail by following the steps to avoid cheating services below.

    If you have concerns about blackmail, we will help you.  Contact Student Wellbeing Services on 1300 668 370 (option 5).

    Avoid identify theft

    Do not share your university account or login details with anyone.  Reputable study support services will not ask for your account or login details.

    Sharing account or login details may give others access to information about you and others stored on university systems and put you at risk of identity theft. It is also a form of general misconduct.

    If you have concerns about identity theft, we will help you.  Contact Student Wellbeing Services on 1300 668 370 (option 5).

    The Australian Government monitors current and past students’ use of academic cheating services and may report student material found on these sites or students’ use of cheating services to the University. Current students with items found on academic cheating sites face sanctions under the Student Misconduct Rule. Outcomes for graduates may include revocation of award.

    Use this form to report cheating sites. Contact a staff member if you see any material on campus promoting academic cheating services.

    Find out more 

  • Study with Integrity
  • TEQSA contract cheating information

    • Avoid academic cheating services

    Engagement with academic cheating sites will be regarded as misconduct. Engagement with cheating sites includes:

  • Sharing assignments or course material on any file sharing site
  • Using online tools provided by these sites to check for plagiarism, grammar or spelling
  • Purchasing writing services or obtaining a copy of an assignment.

    • Your safest option is to use the free services provided by Study Smart or Studiosity.

    Avoid web sites that market themselves as ‘support’ but:
  • Allow sharing of assignments or other material
  • Offer rewards for sharing material. Rewards might include: ocredits or tokens oaccess to additional materials, features or services
  • Provide answers to textbook or assignment/exam questions
  • Provide free sample assignments
  • Include order buttons and prices
  • Invite you to submit your assignment for plagiarism or grammar or other checks.

    • Do not upload your assignment to any external sites for spelling, grammar, plagiarism or generative AI checks. Cheating sites may share your assignment without your knowledge.
    Follow task and subject guidelines on using generative AI

    Follow task and subject guidelines on using generative AI

    Rules about the use of generative AI tools will vary in different assessment tasks and in different subjects. Use of generative AI as a tool is not permitted in some subjects and some assessment tasks.

    The University’s rules about the use of generative AI in assessment will continue to change over the next few years as technology develops. Make sure you stay up to date by checking these guidelines and Subject Outlines each session.

    Find out if you can use generative AI

    Information about the use of generative AI tools is included with assessment task information in Subject Outlines.

    See examples of statements in Subject Outlines and what they mean.

    If you are not sure about using generative AI tools in a subject or assessment task, check with your Subject Coordinator.

    When generative AI tools are permitted

    Where the use of generative AI is allowed, you will be expected to follow task or subject guidelines on how you can use it, and how to how to acknowledge the tools you have used.

    Whenever you are allowed to use generative AI, you should use it in responsible ways. This means you:

  • Do not assume that you can use generative AI. Check task and subject guidelines or ask your Subject Coordinator about how you can use it.
  • Follow guidelines on using AI tools below
  • Acknowledge the tools you have used and how you have used them, following subject or task guidelines and Library advice on acknowledging content from AI tools
  • Evaluate the output of generative AI. It is important to be aware of the limits of generative AI tools, e.g. the output from generative AI may be incorrect, outdated or biased.


    • Find out more
  • Study Smart Generative AI resources
  • Study Smart Generative AI Module


    • AI detection
    Staff use AI writing detection reports as a prompt to look at other indicators in your writing that may suggest inappropriate use of generative AI.

    Staff may ask you to confirm that the learning is genuine.  For example, you may be asked to:
  • Answer questions to demonstrate your understanding of the topic
  • Describe your process in preparing their submission
  • Describe how you used sources to complete the task
  • Explain any differences in writing style in the submission compared to any of your previous submissions
  • Provide examples of drafts or notes to support descriptions of your process in preparing the submission or to substantiate your use of sources.

    Inappropriate use of any generative AI tools in assessment tasks may lead to penalties under the Student Misconduct Rule.
    • Develop your academic skills

    Develop your academic skills

    Improving your academic skills will support your success at university.

    If you are having difficulties with understanding or completing an assessment task, contact your Subject Coordinator as soon as possible.

    Western has a range of study help services.

    Guidelines on Using AI tools

    Text generation

    Text generation

    Where the use of generative AI is permitted, students have access to tools listed on the Study Smart Generative AI resources page.
    Spelling and grammar tools

    Spelling and grammar tools

    Tools to assist with spelling and grammar can only be used where these do not use generative AI.

    Limit using these tools to assist with spelling and grammar. Do not use these tools to rewrite your assignment.

    All Grammarly products include generative AI prompts that may be detected with AI detection software. Generative AI features should not be used in writing assignments where generative AI is not permitted. See instructions for turning off generative AI assistance in Grammarly

    Paraphrasing and translation tools

    Paraphrasing and translation tools

    Paraphrasing tools should not be used unless required within a subject or assessment task instructions.

    All subjects at Western Sydney University apart from subjects in language degrees are taught and assessed in English. Use of translation tools for writing, audio or video translation is not permitted unless required within a subject or assessment task instructions.

    If English is not your first language, writing and speaking in English are the best ways to improve your English. If you need assistance with English language skills, see resources for academic and English language support.

    Code generators

    Code generators

    Code generators should not be used unless required within a subject or assessment task instructions.

    The Mathematics Education Support Hub (MESH) provides assistance with maths and statistics.

    Image, video and audio generators

    Image, video and audio generators

    Image, video and audio generators should not be used unless required within a subject or assessment task instructions.

    Where the use of generative AI is permitted, students have access to tools listed on the Study Smart Generative AI resources page.