Plagiarism Policy

Some definitions are:

• Presenting another person’s work as your own
• The unacknowledged incorporation into a learner’s work or materials derived from published work by another person and presented as if it were the learner’s own work
• Translation of a third parties IP from a foreign language
• Plagiarism is a malpractice so it is important to also the Malpractice Policy and Procedure.

Plagiarism can occur in different way such as (non exhaustive):

• Extracting, copying and/or pasting someone else’s work (whether or not published) word for word, without using quotation marks and acknowledgement of the source;
• Making use of diagrams, images, course notes, etc without acknowledgement of the source;
• Buying any work such as essays or learner material to submit one’s own work; and
• Downloading any content including text, images, diagrams etc. from the internet without acknowledgement of the source.

The purpose of learning is that learners should understand newly obtained knowledge, therefore they are required to present their own work to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the work. References to other sources should therefore be limited. This should also be borne in mind when you are writing online “open-book” tests.

It is the responsibility of GDP’s staff, associates, trainers or assessors enrolling or entering candidates for a qualification with a non-examination assessment component, to authenticate the work submitted for assessment. It is the responsibility of the learner to confirm that the work produced belongs to him/her and that it is not the property of anyone else. GDP Global will not accept any work without a signed learner authenticity statement. If plagiarism is discovered prior to the signing of a declaration of authentication the incident need not be reported to the accreditation body, but will be dealt with via the GDP’s internal procedures.

GDP mitigates plagiarism in the following ways:

• Provides clear guidance for learners, assessors and internal verifiers regarding plagiarism;
• Learners sign declarations of authenticity stating they have understood and followed the requirements for the subject;
• Use of different methods to identify plagiarism including online searches;
• Induction programmes and tutorial support that include plagiarism, why it is not acceptable and how to reference correctly.

Allegations of plagiarism whether observed by GDP staff, their agents or a third party must be noted and reported to GDP immediately. If GDP is required to investigate an allegation the procedure will align with this policy.

When investigating, GDP in the first instance will ensure that a “learner statement of authenticity” has been completed and then establish the facts that relate to an allegation in a systematic way in order to:

• Collect evidence of allegations
• Establish the cause and scale of the irregularities
• Decide opportunities for remedial actions
• Assess future measures to mitigate recurrence.

Any individual alleged to be involved in Plagiarism will be informed of the allegation that has been made and the evidence that supports that allegation and the individual will always be given the opportunity to submit a written statement to the investigating team, and informed of the consequences should the allegation be proven.

If plagiarism is established, GDP will determine the sanction or penalty to be applied, considering the least severe sanction/penalty first. Penalties could include:

• Written warning with conditions
• Disqualification of learner from certification of current and previous qualifications
• Learner disbarred from future registration
• Other sanctions that may be considered appropriate.