Re-using your own work

You must not re-use exactly the same work that you have previously submitted for assessment, either at this University, or for credit at school, college or any other educational institution.

Why is this a problem?

We expect that your academic understanding will develop over time, meaning that it is inappropriate to re-use earlier work. It would also be unfair to award you marks more than once for the same piece of work.

What can I do to avoid problems with my work?

1) Check the exact nature of the assessment you are working on. There may be exceptions to the ban on re-use if an assignment is intended to help you to design or prepare for a later piece of work. You will be told when this is the case.

2) In other instances, while you might review reading and other work for earlier assessments, take care to rethink your approach to show why it is relevant to the current task, and how your understanding has grown in the interim.

3) Focus on new reading and thinking to develop your understanding.

What are the penalties if something goes wrong?

Our response will reflect the extent of re-use, but we may require you to submit new work for a reduced or zero mark. Penalties for serious or repeated cases are severe, including permanent exclusion from the University. For more information, see the Academic Misconduct Procedure available on the Student Cases webpage.