Academic integrity and protecting your degree

Monash is strongly committed to honesty and academic integrity. At Monash, you’re supported in a range of ways to maintain academic integrity throughout your education.

What is academic integrity and why is it important?

Academic integrity means acting in a way that is honest, fair, respectful and responsible in your studies and academic work. You, along with every student at Monash, have a part to play in this. Practising academic integrity builds trust in your own work, in the scholarly community at Monash, and in the academic and workplace communities you’ll participate in as a Monash graduate.

What could happen if you breach academic integrity?

Suspected breaches will be reported to the Chief Examiner of your unit, followed by an investigation of the breach. If an investigation finds that you’ve taken part in an academically dishonest activity, this could interfere with both your enrolment and employability. The penalty will reflect the seriousness of the breach.

Protect yourself and the value of your Monash degree

It’s important for all Monash students to be aware of academic integrity, so you can play an active role in avoiding the consequences of breaching your obligations. You can protect your degree by:

  • Only submitting your own work, and properly referencing content from other sources.
  • Not sharing your work, even if you are not intentionally helping someone cheat. By sharing your work, you may lose control of who uses it and how, and may still be held responsible for collusion.
  • Encouraging honest behaviour in others – don’t share websites where your classmates can buy essays and engage in contract cheating.

View do’s and dont’s of academic integrity and report contract cheating services to Monash by completing this online form. 

How Monash supports you to protect your degree

Monash provides free support to help you achieve your academic goals.

  • If you’re unsure about an assessment task or how to properly reference your sources, get in touch with your lecturer or make an appointment with a learning adviser for guidance.
  • Visit the Learn HQ website to access learning resources and engaging workshops that address all your learning and language needs.
  • The Monash library offers online tutorials for students who need help with citing and referencing.
  • The Academic Integrity compulsory module is in place to help you fully understand academic expectations.
  • To protect your Monash education and maintain cyber safety, websites suspected of facilitating contract cheating are blocked from the University network.
  • Book a counselling appointment if you’re facing personal challenges.
  • Monash student organisations also provide advocacy and support that's completely independent from the University.

As a Monash student, you’ve made a personal commitment to studying with academic integrity. This means that, whenever you work on an assignment or submit an assessment, you do so honestly, fairly, respectfully and responsibly. Remember, if you ever need help with your studies, there are a range of free Monash support services available to support you in safeguarding your degree and professional reputation.