SALT College Statement on Cheating(Plagiarism)

Students must complete a STUDENT DECLARATION with every formal assignment submitted, to certify that it is their own work, and has not been copied from anybody else.

Passing off someone else’s work as one’s own is a serious academic offence (known as ‘plagiarism’). This can result in DISQUALIFICATION for a subject or course of study.

Identifying Cheating

The SALT College Education Office is responsible for dealing with cases where cheating is suspected in submitted written work. Written work includes both assignments and examinations where marks are awarded.

Plagiarism (cheating) is any attempt to gain unfair advantage for ourselves in dishonest ways. In SALT College subjects, cheating will usually take place in order to gain higher marks, or to hurriedly complete a subject, to aid personal advancement.

Examples of Plagiarism

Cheating can include, but is not limited to, the following:

Copying the work of someone else, in whole or in part.
This may be the work of another student, either current work, or work from a previous year. It may also be work taken from another person who has studied with a different learning institution. Written work must be completed mainly in your own words, so that your own learning is clear to your tutor.

Copying at length from a book, or from the internet, without stating your source. It is good to use short quotations from other writers. It is also important to state clearly where you got the material from.

Working with another person, or other people, where the final written work is not your own. Talking or consulting with other people on a particular topic is to be encouraged, and can aid learning. However, the final written work must be your own. For this reason, spouses are not permitted to study for the same subject at similar times.

Copying your own work, submitted either for an earlier assignment, or to a previous learning institution (e.g. Officer Training College).

Taking unauthorised notes into examinations, whether on paper, or by any other means.

Copying from another person during an examination.

Leaving an examination room to consult notes, books, or another person.

Sanctions for Cheating

Remember the important principle: Your tutor must be left in no doubt as to which parts of any assignment or examination are your own work and which are not.

Suspected cheating will be referred to the Education Department by a tutor. The Education Department will make a judgement for further action, taking into account the previous performance of an individual student in subjects taken.

The following steps apply to cheating highlighted by tutors:

Awarded 0% marks, with a request to re-do an assignment, or Disqualification from the Subject, or Possible disqualification from the SALT College courses, including the loss of entitlement to certificates awarded at Certificate and/or Diploma Level.

On each occasion, cases of plagiarism will be communicated to Territorial Leadership, for the student the student to explain their actions, and to understand the seriousness of the issue. Serious plagiarism means that 15% or more of an assignment is clearly not your own work. Your tutor is unable to detect the level of your own learning, and cannot therefore award any marks.

Persistent cheating has a strong impact on the integrity of Christian leaders, and questions the ability of an individual for effective ministry. If you are found cheating, it could potentially ruin your reputation.