Referencing and academic integrity

Find specific guidance for your particular referencing style:

APA | Chicago | Harvard | MHRA | MLA | OSCOLA | RSC | Vancouver

Developing your own ideas is a key part of studying at Sussex, and good academic practice helps you show where your thinking comes from. Referencing and academic integrity are central to this.

Many students feel unsure about how to reference correctly or worry about accidentally breaking the rules. That’s completely normal, and you’re not alone.

This section of Skills Hub will guide you through the essentials of referencing and help you understand how to maintain academic integrity. You’ll find clear, practical advice to support you throughout your studies, whether you’re writing your first assignment or working on your final project.

What is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity means being honest in your studies. It’s the foundation of good academic practice. Just as you trust that the researchers and lecturers you learn from are truthful in their work, the same honesty is expected from you in everything you submit.

It’s about showing respect for others’ ideas, taking responsibility for your own learning, and demonstrating that your work is genuinely yours.

Academic Integrity Values

At the University of Sussex, we follow a set of Academic Integrity Values that guide how we learn, teach, and work together. All students are expected to understand and uphold these values throughout their studies.

HONESTY

The work you produce for assessment is your own and where you have used others' work, this is clearly acknowledged by including references in your assessments. 

TRUST

Your tutors and fellow students can trust you to be honest about the work you produce and submit for assessment.

FAIRNESS

All students should be fairly treated and should not try to gain unfair advantage by presenting work for assessment that is not their own.

RESPECT

You treat everyone in the university community with respect, your peers, tutors, and support staff.

RESPONSIBILITY

You take responsibility for your own learning and follow the University of Sussex Academic Integrity values and assessment regulations.

 

Carlee and Amelia talk about their understanding of academic integrity

  • Video transcript

    Carlee: I think academic integrity to me means that I know with confidence the work that I'm submitting and the work that I'm producing is a reflection of my ability and is a reflection of me. And so I think if I were to use something or improperly cite a source or just completely copy/paste something from another source and turn that in, if I were to get marked off on that, not because I plagiarised or because I copy pasted over, but because it was wrong, I'd be like, Oh, well, that wasn't my work. So it doesn't really matter, you know? And I think sometimes you can kind of rationalise it in that way, but this is sounding kind of negative. But it's more so to me knowing that when I'm writing something, these are my thoughts and this is my effort that I'm turning in and I'm trying to show to my tutors.That's a reflection of my knowledge and my understanding. And so, I mean, academic integrity does come in a lot of different ways. It is making sure that you are citing material. If you've paraphrased from someone and just saying, Hey, this wasn't my original thought, this was theirs, but this is what I think about their thought.

    Amelia: Like, everyone hates citing and like, it's like you write your essay and then you cite usually, and then you're like ugh, and it takes like 3 hours to usually get everything in correctly and do it correctly.And then and I feel like we're only kind of taught it as like, just don't plagiarise and this is why you have to do it. But then in my foundation year, the way we looked at it and it is so annoying but was like, look at how these researchers found their information and the idea of collectively using information together is a nicer way to look at it. And any academic research you read has a million citations in it. It's never absent. You can't do your work alone. And it's important like knowledge only gets increased off of other knowledge.

What is academic misconduct?

Academic misconduct means doing anything that gives you, or someone else, an unfair advantage in an exam or assessment. It also includes actions that could damage the honesty and fairness that are essential in academic work.

Sometimes students commit academic misconduct without fully understanding why they have done something wrong. Even if it’s accidental, it’s still considered misconduct, so always check the rules and ask if you're unsure.

To learn more about academic misconduct and what happens if there is a concern about your work, visit the Academic Misconduct page.

Avoiding Academic Misconduct: Three Key Principles

    1. All the work you submit must be your own. If you use someone else’s words, ideas, or data, whether from a book, article, website, or another person, you must clearly acknowledge your sources using the correct referencing style.
    2. If you’re ever uncertain about what’s allowed, whether it’s about referencing, using AI tools, or collaborating with others, please ask. Your tutor or academic personal tutor can help you with academic questions. See Academic Skills Workshops page for more information on support with referencing and writing.
    3. If you’re facing personal challenges, such as illness, bereavement, or other difficulties, don’t keep it to yourself. These situations can affect your ability to study and complete assessments. The Student Centre offers confidential support and can help you access extensions, mitigating evidence processes, or other forms of help.

What are the different types of academic misconduct?

Collusion

Collusion is when you work with another student on an assessment that is meant to be completed on your own, or when you share your work in a way that lets someone else copy it.

This includes:

  • Working closely with someone else and producing work that is very similar.
  • Letting another student see or access your work before submission.
  • Helping someone else with their work in a way that goes beyond general discussion.
  • Copying any part of another student’s work, even if they said it was okay.

Collaboration is only allowed when your tutor or module convenor has approved it. For individual assessments, you must produce and submit your own independent work.

  • 4 tips to avoid collusion
    1. Know what is expected of you

      You should never work directly with other students on your module or anyone else when creating your work. This includes students from other universities. Even if your tutor encourages you to discuss ideas with classmates, do not assume it is acceptable to write your work together.

      If you are expected to complete a joint assignment, your tutor and the assessment guidance will make this very clear. If you are unsure whether group work is required, or what the boundaries are, be cautious and speak to your tutor first.

    2. Avoid discussing questions in detail

      Do not discuss an assignment question in detail with other students who are working on the same task. Even if you are not working together, they may reach the same conclusion after talking with you, and this could be considered collusion.

    3. Be careful with your work

      Do not lend your work to course-mates or leave it where others can access it. If you share a laptop or computer, you are responsible for keeping your work secure. Allowing someone to use your work is considered collusion. Even if you trust them, you could still face problems if they copy your ideas.

    4. Follow proof-reading guidance

      It is OK to have someone proofread your work, to check grammar and spelling mistakes, but they must not be a student on the same module completing the same assessment. Read our proof-reading guidance for the rules on proofreading at Sussex. You must not accept help from anyone to create new content for your work. As a general rule, the person proofreading should not change the meaning of what you have written.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you use someone else’s words, ideas, or work without properly acknowledging the original source.

This includes:

  • Copying sentences or phrases without referencing.
  • Paraphrasing someone else’s ideas in your own words without citing them
  • Using information, images, or data without giving credit.

Plagiarism can happen accidentally, especially if you're unsure how to reference correctly. If you use anything from another source, a quote, idea, fact, or piece of writing, you must reference it so it’s clear which work is yours and which comes from others.

  • 10 Tips to Avoid Plagiarism
    1. Leave plenty of time!

      Put all assignment deadlines in your diary at the start of term and begin work well in advance. Rushing often leads to sloppy note-taking, incorrect referencing, or the temptation to copy text. Visit our page on time management for more support.

    2. Keep accurate notes

      As you read, record the details of every source you use. If you copy a direct quote or use a diagram, note the page number immediately so you don’t lose track later. Visit our page on note-making for more guidance.

    3. Reference as you go

      Insert your citations while drafting, not afterwards. This reduces mistakes and helps you keep track of where ideas come from. Make sure you use your module's required referencing style. 

    4. Check your references

      Before submitting your work, double-check that all direct quotes use quotation marks or are clearly indented, every citation appears in your reference list and your reference list is complete and correctly formatted.

    5. Use your own words

      Summarising and paraphrasing sources in your own voice shows that you understand the material and helps you develop your own ideas. It also allows you to integrate evidence into your work while avoiding plagiarism. Do not worry about sounding ‘less eloquent’. Your tutors want to hear your thinking in your own words.

      You should also make sure you clearly distinguish your own ideas from those of other writers. Good academic writing shows where you are building on, questioning, or extending someone else’s argument. For more guidance, see the Australian National University’s resource on style and authorial voice.

    6. Never reuse your previous work

      Unless your module guidance explicitly says otherwise, you must not submit the same material twice. Reusing work across assessments (self-plagiarism) may lead to penalties or mark adjustments.

    7. Use Turnitin Draft Check

      Use the Turnitin Draft Check site in Canvas modules to review your work before submission. This helps you spot missing citations or sections that are too similar to your sources. Visit the Student Hub for more guidance on Submitting work to Turnitin and Canvas.

    8. Avoid essay-writing services

      It is illegal in the UK to use or provide contract cheating services.

      Many companies claim to offer ‘custom-made' essays online, often advertising through social media. They may present themselves as legitimate, safe, or even approved by universities, but these services are part of an illegal and highly effective scam. The essays they provide are often copied from other sources, poorly written, or easily identifiable by tutors and examiners. Some students have also been blackmailed by these companies, who demand additional payments and threaten to report them to their university.

      Remember that your work at Sussex has to be your own.

    9. Proofread carefully

      Make time to proofread your work and check your referencing is accurate. You can ask someone to proofread for grammar and spelling, but they must not be a student on the same module taking the same assessment. Read our proof-reading guidance for the rules at Sussex. You should never accept help from anyone to create new content for your work, and the person proofreading should not change the meaning of what you have written.

    10. Get help

      The University offers a wide range of free Academic Skills Workshops and Support to help your with your writing. These include essay-writing workshops, student mentors, RLF fellows, English Language for Academic Study, and support from your Academic Personal Tutor. If you need help with your writing, speak to one of these services or to your tutor. If someone offers to help you for money, consider whether they truly have your best interests at heart.

Personation

Personation is when someone else completes any part of your assessment for you, or when you do the same for someone else. This includes situations where another person prepares the work, contributes to it, or provides substantial assistance that goes beyond acceptable academic support.

This includes:

  • Someone writing all or part of an assignment for you.
  • Someone sitting an exam (in-person or online) on your behalf.
  • Buying or commissioning work from an online service, tutor, or essay bank.
  • Using AI tools to generate work that you present as your own when this is not permitted for the assessment.
  • Making or accepting significant changes to your work through a proofreader or another person.

You do not need to pay for personation to occur, even free help can count.

Always follow the University’s proof-reading guidance to make sure you are getting the right kind of support. 

Unauthorised/inapprioriate use of digital technologies

You are expected to use digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), translation tools, paraphrasing tools, and other automated systems, appropriately and in line with the rules for each assessment. Using these tools without permission, or failing to acknowledge them when required, can count as academic misconduct.

This includes:

  • Using AI, translation tools, or other digital tools in an assessment where their use is not permitted.
  • Submitting work that has been generated or significantly shaped by AI or other tools without providing the required acknowledgement, even when their use is allowed.

Always check what is permitted for each assessment on your Canvas site or ask your tutor. For more guidance, see Using generative AI in your assessments.

Students registered with the Disability Advice team and in receipt of reasonable adjustments are still permitted to use other assistive technology as recommended by the University in their Learning Support Plan.

Fabrication

Fabrication means creating false or misleading information in your assessed work, or manipulating real information in a way that misrepresents what actually happened.

This includes inventing or altering:

  • Data, results, or observations in practical, laboratory, placement, or project work.
  • Quotations, evidence, citations, or sources.
  • References or materials that do not exist.

Fabrication also includes selectively choosing or manipulating data, images, or research consent in a way that gives a false or distorted impression.

This includes:

  • Reporting results from an experiment you didn’t carry out.
  • Pretending to observe something during a placement.
  • Using fake or altered references to support your argument.

It is always better to submit incomplete, inconclusive, or unexpected results than to create or manipulate information.

Exam misconduct

During in-person exams, you must follow strict exam-room rules. Having any unauthorised materials or devices on your person after the exam has begun is considered misconduct, even if you do not use them.

This includes:

  • Books, notes, or any written material, including writing on your hands or body.
  • Unauthorised calculators.
  • Mobile phones, smartwatches, and any internet-enabled devices.
  • Any other electronic device not permitted by the exam instructions.

Breach of protocols also includes:

  • Communicating with another student during the exam.
  • Copying or attempting to copy another student’s work.

Make sure you check the exam instructions carefully so you know exactly what you can and cannot bring.

Remote or online exams

Remote exams follow the same principles: you must not use unauthorised materials, share answers, or receive help from others unless the assessment explicitly allows it.

Breach of research ethics

A breach of research ethics occurs when research is carried out without following the University’s Research Ethics Policy or Code of Practice for Research. This includes failing to gain the required ethical approval and not complying with the conditions of that approval.

This includes:

  • Beginning research or contacting potential participants without ethical approval.
  • Conducting research without the necessary permissions from organisations or gatekeepers.
  • Breaching confidentiality or mishandling private or privileged information collected during the study.
  • Failing to follow data protection legislation when handling personal data (including data from social media).
  • Coercing, pressuring, or bribing participants,
  • Inappropriately manipulating or misrepresenting research consent.

Students must obtain ethical approval before carrying out any research activity, including advertising a study or approaching participants.

Research that involves human participants, personal data, non-human animals, or potential environmental impact must always be reviewed through the ethical approval process.

Students are responsible for:

  • Meeting all requirements set out during the approval process.
  • Consulting their supervisor as required.
  • Submitting formal amendments if their research changes after approval.

Elena talks about plagiarism and collusion

  • Video transcript
    Elena: Academic integrity involves various different aspects, such as, I don't know, cheating, but that one's quite obvious and easier to avoid. The two most challenging aspects of academic integrity to avoid is plagiarism and collusion. So with plagiarism, many papers which are plagiarised are done by mistake. They are not done intentionally. And that is that can be because of maybe incorrect referencing or mistakes during referencing or just you're working on this project and it's really late at night and you read something on a website or an article and then you try to rephrase it.But because you're so tired, you just use the same exact words that the article used. So most of the time it's not done on purpose. But for this reason it's very important to raise the awareness to students for students, and maybe also provide them with information and with guidance of how to prevent this and how to not make them fall into the trap, fall into the pithole. So yeah, I think that's very important. And I think that the Sussex Skills Hub also has a very, very good section on plagiarism and how to prevent it, on academic integrity. Another one is collusion, which can happen also by mistake. Well, for collusion, if you're working, especially on a lab (report) together with your partner, you obviously will have the same results. You obviously will be discussing the results together, and this can then affect what you write and it can be very similar to what your partner writes, even though you're doing it separately because or you discuss, it's the same dataset, it's the same results, it's your same thinking process. So that can be also challenging. So it's important to make sure, yes, you can help your peers. Yes, it's good to help your peers to develop your teamwork and collaboration skills. But you always must think about the possibility of collusion and maybe don't tell exactly to your peer. If someone asks you for help, don't tell them, Oh, you need to change this or you need to change this. This is not good. This is right. This is wrong. You need to lead them into understanding, Oh, this might be improved or Oh, this is actually really good. Why don't you try and make this section better? Why don't you try using the method you used in this section to improve this section? So I think that's how you can also prevent collusion.

Why do I need to reference?

Referencing is a key part of academic integrity. Your assignments should reflect your own thinking, but they should also engage with the ideas, evidence, and work of others. When you use someone else’s words or ideas—whether you quote them directly or paraphrase—you must acknowledge the source. This is known as citing or referencing.

Referencing helps you to:

  • Support and strengthen your arguments.
  • Show that you’ve researched the topic.
  • Demonstrate a broad range of reading.
  • Help your reader find the original sources.
  • Avoid plagiarism.

You can reference ideas from books, journal articles, websites, news reports, videos, lectures, or teaching materials. Always include enough detail so someone else can locate the original source. To learn how to format your references correctly, see the guidance for the specific referencing style you’ve been asked to use.

Referencing: Key Terms

Referencing styles vary in their rules and conventions, but understanding a few key terms will help you navigate any system with confidence. The terms below are useful to know regardless of which style you are using.

Quoting: If you use someone else’s exact words, put them in quotation marks (or indent them, depending on your style). Always include a citation and a full reference.

Paraphrasing: If you restate someone’s ideas in your own words, you still need to cite the original source.

Common knowledge: You do not need to reference information that is widely known. For example, Everest is the highest mountain in the world. If you’re unsure, it’s safer to include a reference or check an academic encyclopaedia.

Citation: A citation appears in the body of your text (such as an author-date reference or a number). It points your reader to the full details of the source.

Reference: A reference appears in your reference list or bibliography. It gives the complete information about the source so your reader can find it.

Reference list vs. bibliography: A reference list includes only the sources you cited in your text. A bibliography includes all sources you used or consulted, even if you didn’t cite them directly. Always check your module guidance to see which is required.

What goes in a reference: No matter what type of source you use—books, journal articles, webpages, videos, lecture notes, or teaching materials—you must include enough information for someone else to locate the original. Different referencing styles require the same basic details, but format them differently.

When making notes, always record page numbers, authors, titles, and other key details as you go. This will make referencing easier and help you avoid mistakes.

Carlee and Saira talk about referencing and academic integrity

  • Video transcript

    Carlee: So in my high school assignments I had to do referencing as well. So that was something that, if I recall correctly, it was probably drilled into us like how to write and cite academic sources and you have to cite academic sources, otherwise you're going to get in a heap of trouble. And I don't like getting in trouble, so I was like, okay, cite my references. And I think when I went to university, I learned that they cite very differently. So I think at the time I was citing in high school and MLA format and once I got into uni, especially because I'm a psychology student and I was at the time as well, we cite in APA, which is the American Psychological Association formatting and referencing. So I've been very lucky that I've used APA since the beginning of my university experience. I have many friends who have to know a bunch of different ones, whether that's APA or Harvard or something else that engineering students use, I think, that they have to be able to navigate all of these different ones. But for APA, for me, it was just kind of keeping up to date once APA seven came out, the seventh version, and how referencing changed a little bit.

    Saira: Yeah, I'd say in general with exams for me I haven't really had to experience anything that I've had to panic about because when we first came to university we had a seminar on it. So one of my seminar tutors actually explained everything to us. And also when it comes to referencing, that's something I guess people could accidentally put something in. And then their similarity score's really high, but they don't realise that could just be solved by referencing. So we had a good session on that to help everybody understand it. But I would say one thing, that for me, I've experienced as well is that if it does come to, for example, coursework, where, you know, the question's released early, everyone has to submit their own work, even though you want to help each other, I'd say stick to helping each other understand the content because when it comes to writing your own essay, you want it to be original and unique because if everyone's is the same, you're not really going to get a good grade. So if you have something special, you do want to make sure, okay, this is my idea. I want it in there and I don't really want everybody to just copy me because it's not really going to look that great then. So that's the way I think about it anyway.

What referencing styles are used at Sussex?

Sussex uses several referencing styles. If you’re unsure which style to use, check your module guidance or ask your tutor.

Find guidance for the most commonly used reference styles at Sussex below. Click on the individual styles to learn more.

APA | Chicago | Harvard | MHRA | MLA | OSCOLA | RSC | Vancouver

 

What referencing support is available?

Your module tutors, academic personal tutor, or the Library can all support you with questions about referencing.

You can also access workshops, guides, and one-to-one support through the Academic Skills Workshops and Support page, which offers help with referencing, academic writing, and effective study practices.

If you’re unsure where to start:

  • Check your module Canvas site for the required referencing style.
  • Ask your module tutor if you have questions about how to reference sources in your assignments.
  • Contact your academic personal tutor.
  • Contact the Library's Teaching and Learning team for referencing advice.

Referencing tools

Citation Generators

A citation generator is an online tool that helps you create correctly formatted references for your essays or assignments. 

At Sussex we recommend ZoteroBib, a web-based referencing tool that can be used to generate reference lists and in-text citations for your work, which is ideal for your assignments and essays.

Reference management software

Reference managment software can help you manage your sources by collecting, organising, and formatting your citations and reference lists. They can save you time and support good academic practice, but remember that you are responsible for checking that every reference is accurate and complete.

Reference managers are especially useful for dissertations and longer assignments. These tools allow you to:

  • collect, store, and organise references
  • create bibliographies and in-text citations
  • insert citations as you write in Word and other software
  • annotate and share PDFs

The Library provides guides and workshops for Zotero, and also supports EndNote.

Saira, Sara and Reuben talk about academic integrity and Zotero

  • Video transcript

    Saira: Form my understanding, to put it simply, academic integrity is essentially knowing that any work you submit is your own and that you're doing everything honestly and making sure that pieces that you submit are original.

    Sara: Since we do fill out like a lot of consent forms about academic integrity, I think it's producing your own work and not plagiarising or not doing it with other people.Of course, it's important to get ideas from other people. It's important to talk to them, but to make sure you're not taking their ideas or not, everyone is just writing the same thing. I think it's important to not only the work but to yourself to have that kind of integrity, to not steal anyone else's work, and to make sure what you're producing is a piece of what you wrote and what you think.

    Reuben: A tutor in my Foundation Year recommended using a program called Zotero as it's the most accurate one for getting references and for saving quotes. So if you are reading on a laptop or something, as you go through, you save the quotes and you highlight them all the way through. And then you can also press a button and it will help you do all your references for you and help you with the bibliography.
    I think there's an add-on package you can get, which means it saves all the annotations for you. I think it might be incorporated now into Zotero and you can just press a button and it saves all of your quotes that you've highlighted and then you can go back and when you click on the quotes, it takes you to exactly where they are within the text. But for anyone with dyslexia or anyone really, it is brilliant, it's literally saved my life. And I'm getting, from someone who really struggles to read and write. I'm getting really good grades now, and I think that is my main tool that I've used.