Postgraduate Research Academic Integrity, Research Integrity and Research Ethics

The University is a signatory to the QAA Academic Integrity Charter and Research Integrity Concordat which outlines our commitment to upholding the highest standards in relation to academic integrity and research integrity respectively. These commitments include PGRs.

Academic Integrity reflects a commitment to good study practices and shared values. It ensures your work is a true expression of your personal understanding and original ideas, while giving credit to others for their contributions.

Research Integrity involves conducting research in such a way to establish trust in your methods and findings. It encompasses researchers' values and behaviours, resulting in high-quality, ethically sound, and rigorous research across all stages, from project planning to dissemination of outcomes.

Research Ethics centres on safeguarding the well-being of individuals, animals, society, and the environment impacted by your research. In conjunction with legal requirements, it encompasses the ethics peer review process to prevent potential harm and assess any risks, ensuring ethical considerations guide your research endeavours.

All PGRs should complete the academic integrity, research integrity and research ethics training, whatever stage you are at in your studies.
We understand that you will already have experience in producing academic work and are likely to be familiar with the practices and conventions covered in the training.  Some of this content might also be familiar to you if you completed your undergraduate or taught postgraduate studies at Leeds. Nevertheless, the training will ensure that your formal assessments at the transfer and thesis examination stages meet the University’s academic integrity and research integrity expectations.

For new PGRs, completing the PGR Academic Integrity Tutorial and Test, and the online tutorials in research integrity and research ethics should be included in your training plan agreed between you and your Supervisors within the first 3 months.

All new PGRs are expected to complete this academic integrity, research integrity and research ethics training within the first 6 months of study (9 months for part-time study) before the First Formal Progress Report stage.

Academic Integrity Tutorial and Test

What is the PGR academic integrity tutorial?

The PGR academic integrity tutorial will give you an overview of academic integrity, and what good academic practice means during your research degree at Leeds. It will cover:

Definitions and expectations of academic integrity
Good academic and study practices
Referencing, citing, and quoting
Note making and summarising
Plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice
Sources of advice and support

The tutorial will take about 20 minutes to complete and at the end there is a test to check your understanding

How do I access the PGR academic integrity tutorial and test?

The PGR academic integrity tutorial and test is available through the PGR Academic Integrity Tutorial and Test Minerva organisation. All PGRs (both new and continuing) will be automatically enrolled onto this tutorial.

To access the tutorial:

Select ‘Organisations’ from the left hand menu

Access the PGR Academic Integrity Tutorial and Test Organisation in Minerva

Select “PGR Academic Integrity” from the menu on the left-hand side

This will launch the tutorial. At the end of the tutorial there will be a test containing 8 questions. You must score 8/8 to pass the test and you can take the test as many times as you need to. Passing the test will record the tutorial as “complete” in Minerva

What if I cannot access the tutorial?

If you have any trouble accessing the tutorial, please check that you have completed registration. After completing registration, please wait at least one day to try again, and if you are still having difficulty, please log a ticket with IT.   

Research Integrity and Research Ethics Online Training

This training is designed to help you explore what research integrity means and your responsibilities as a researcher in maintaining standards of good research practice. The resource encourages your reflection on why research integrity matters and how to tackle challenges you may face on your research journey. This training also introduces your responsibility to fully consider the ethical implications of your work, apply the core principles of research integrity and how to apply for ethical approval (as appropriate to your project). The ethics review process should be approached as a positive experience and not a barrier to your research, alongside the training please talk to your supervisor about research ethics and the possible requirement for ethical approval before starting your project. You can access the training through the OD&PL Training Catalogue.

Examination expectations

All research degrees are assessed by the written thesis and a viva examination. Your viva may be in-person on Campus, fully on-line or a hybrid. The purpose of the viva is to ensure that the work you have submitted for examination reaches the University standards for the degree, that the work submitted is your own, and that you understand and have intellectual ownership of the work you have submitted. The most productive way to approach the viva is to regard it as an academic discussion about your work – this is your chance to discuss what you have been working on with two or three other academics from outside your supervision team. It is also an opportunity to discuss your work with experts in the field - including plans for publication and further development. At the same time, the viva is a formal University examination so there are some formal requirements. There are certain expectations about the material you can have with you and who might be in attendance. The Guide to the thesis examination process covers these in more detail. You can find the Guide to the thesis examination process on the Policies and Procedures page of the Student Education Service (SES) website.

Other advice and support

Your supervisors will provide you with academic support as you work on your transfer or thesis. If you have any queries about academic integrity you can talk to your supervisors, your Director of Postgraduate Research Studies or your Graduate School.

Please take time to read the Postgraduate research proof-reading policy and guidance which includes information regarding the University policy on Artificial Intelligence tools in academic work.

The Researcher@Library website includes various sources of research support and advice, as well as courses that are available to book. They also have resources covering academic integrity and plagiarism.

Support with academic writing is available through Organisational Development and Professional Learning (ODPL). Academic Writing Skills courses are also offered by the Language Centre

More information about good Research Practice please visit the Research Practice page on For Students Website.