Have I plagiarised in my coursework?

It is fine to quote other peoples work as long as you’ve appropriately referenced them correctly. But plagiarism isn’t allowed, and this includes copying (without crediting) information from a book, a report or an online article; copying another students written assessment or copying quotations that are not attributed.

A good tip to avoid plagiarism is to read around the chosen subject, make notes and summarise what you’ve understood in your own way. We have a useful article on on to write essays about working on a written assessment and a very useful article on plagiarism.

Without knowing the extent of the possible plagiarism and whether the coursework will be assessed internally or externally, it is difficult to say whether you have plagiarised and advise you how best to deal with the situation. However, if you feel that you have seriously increased the chances of being disqualified, it’s better for you to discuss the situation with someone at the school or college. Once you have told your tutor then they should be able to advise on what the best thing to do will be. Not raising your concerns may risk the possibility of appealing against any outcome or being able to re-sit your course in the future.

Ultimately, no-one can tell you what to do and so maybe talking it through with someone close you can trust first will make your mind up and help you make the decision you think is best.

We hope this helps, but if you need any further advice please do not hesitate to contact us again.