PREAMBLE

Plagiarism erodes honesty and integrity which is at the core of scientific inquiry. It undermines learning and knowledge creation and above all, it is an intellectual crime. Students plagiarize for several reasons including fear of failure; fear of taking a risk in their own work; poor time management skills; viewing the consequences of cheating as inconsequential; when assignment requirements are not specific or outside the scope of the course syllabus. Members of staff also plagiarize for reasons including promotion and recognition from their peers and colleagues. It is for the above reasons that the University finds it necessary to develop an anti-plagiarism policy so as to curb the vice.