Academic Integrity Policy

Last updated

Good research belongs to the person who did it. Everything I offer is built around that. This page sets out what I do, what I don’t, and why.

The short version

  • You are the author. The ideas, data, analysis and conclusions are yours. I help you see and fix problems; I don’t replace your thinking.
  • I teach students. I don’t do their work. Students write their own assignments and dissertations and run their own analysis.
  • Your institution’s rules come first. If a university or journal rule says no, the answer is no.

Students

I offer dissertation coaching and SPSS and NVivo tutoring to postgraduate students.

I do:

  • teach and explain research methods, statistics and software;
  • check your understanding with questions and practice exercises;
  • give feedback on drafts you have written, where your university allows it.

I don’t:

  • write assignments, dissertations, proposals or any part of them for you;
  • run analysis for you to submit as your own;
  • rewrite, paraphrase or edit your work so it can be handed in;
  • sit exams, tests or quizzes, or help during them;
  • offer proofreading or editing to students.

In England, it is a criminal offence to provide, or to advertise, a service that completes all or part of an assignment for a student in a way that could not reasonably be considered the student’s own work (Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, sections 26 to 28). I follow that law for every student, wherever they study.

Some universities limit the feedback anyone other than your supervisor can give on a draft. Check your handbook before we start, and tell me what it says. If your university does not allow a kind of help, I won’t give it.

Researchers

For researchers preparing manuscripts for journals, I edit, check reporting and analysis, and help with journal choice, submission and responses to reviewers.

  • You remain the author and approve every change. Edits come as tracked changes with comments, so you can see and decide on each one.
  • Where a journal asks authors to acknowledge writing or editing support, I’ll help you word the acknowledgement.
  • I don’t add authorship, invent or alter data, fabricate references, or help anyone submit work that isn’t theirs.
  • I don’t name clients or share manuscripts.

AI tools

I follow your university’s or journal’s policy on AI tools. If I use an AI tool for anything on your work, I’ll tell you what for. I don’t offer “humanising”, AI-detector checks or any service meant to hide how a piece of work was produced.

Work I turn down

I decline any request that would break a university’s or journal’s rules, including requests to write or complete assessed work, to sit an assessment, or to disguise authorship. If I’m unsure whether something is allowed, I’ll ask you to check with your supervisor or the journal first.

Questions

If you’re a student, supervisor or editor and you have a question about how I work, contact me. I’m happy to explain.