Using source material honestly

Using sources: a guide for students, Authenticity: a guide for teachers, and Avoiding plagiarism: A guide for parents and carers, have all been published and are available now to order or download from the Ofqual website.

The guides contain all the information needed to ensure that a learner's assessed assignments such as essays, investigations, project or performance work, are all his or her own work.

George Turnbull, Ofqual's exams doctor, comments: "The first few weeks in January are a busy time for many learners.  These guides from Ofqual give invaluable advice on how to use resources, such as the internet, databases and images as part of research or work, in a way that avoids plagiarism. They also tell learners how to check the information they are using is accurate, how to be aware of bias, how to reference and how to write a bibliography.

"A number of resits and exams take place in January.  To help learners, Ofqual also offers plenty of advice on revision.  Hints and tips, such as how to manage your time and how best to perform once in the exam room, can be downloaded from the website."

The new guides form part of Ofqual's commitment to developing cultures of honesty and understanding about correct referencing within academic institutions. Ofqual is sponsoring the fourth International Plagiarism Conference in Newcastle which is being hosted by Northumbria University.

The guides were commissioned by Ofqual and written by PlagiarismAdvice.org, a national body founded by the Joint Information Systems Committee.

Notes to editors:

1. The Plagiarism Guides can be downloaded from http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/plagiarism
2. For further information please contact the Ofqual press office on 07595 087612 or if out-of-hours the duty press officer on 07798 924 552.