To avoid plagiarism in STEM, credit every idea, piece of code, dataset, figure and result that is not your own, and submit only work you did yourself or are permitted to share. Technical work is checked for copying just as essays are.
This page explains how plagiarism rules apply to code, lab data, problem sets, figures, earlier work and AI tools. It includes acceptable and unacceptable examples and a short checklist.
The Rule Behind Avoiding Plagiarism in STEM
If someone else wrote it, measured it, drew it or worked it out, say so and cite them. If you worked with others, follow your course's collaboration rules and declare what was shared.
When the rules are unclear, ask your tutor before submitting, not after. A short question costs nothing; a misconduct case costs a great deal.
Code
Code similarity tools compare submissions with each other and with online sources, and they are not fooled by renamed variables or reordered functions.
- Write your own code unless the brief allows reuse.
- When reuse is allowed, credit the source in a comment with the author, the location and the license.
- Credit libraries in your report or README; you do not need to cite standard language features.
- Do not share your code with classmates for an individual assignment, even "just to look at".
Acceptable attribution in code.
# Adapted from the merge sort in Cormen et al., Introduction to
# Algorithms, 4th ed., section 2.3. Changes: iterative bottom-up
# version, works on Python lists.
def merge_sort(items):
...Lab Data and Results
Data integrity is a core rule in science. Misusing data is treated at least as seriously as copying text.
- Report your own measurements, including awkward or unexpected ones.
- If lab partners share a dataset, say so, and write your own analysis and report unless told otherwise.
- Never copy data from another group or a previous year.
- Never invent, adjust or selectively remove data to fit a prediction. If you exclude an outlier, state the rule you used.
- Cite published datasets with their creator, year, repository and DOI.
Problem Sets and Calculations
Problem sets are often marked on method, so copied working is easy to spot: identical steps, identical slips.
- Discussing general approaches with classmates is often allowed; writing up together usually is not. Check your course rules.
- Do not copy solutions from solution manuals or answer websites.
- If a textbook example helped, you can note it, but the working must be your own.
Figures, Tables and Equations
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Reproducing a published figure exactly | Cite the source in the caption, for example "Reproduced from [4]", and check copyright rules for publication |
| Redrawing or adapting a figure | Cite it as "Adapted from [4]" |
| Plotting someone else's data yourself | Cite the data source in the caption |
| Standard equations, such as F = ma | No citation needed; this is common knowledge in the field |
| A specific derivation or model from a paper | Cite the paper where you use it |
Reusing Your Own Earlier Work
Submitting work you have already handed in for credit, without permission, is often treated as self-plagiarism. This catches students who reuse a lab report section or a coursework essay.
Ask your tutor before reusing earlier work. If it is allowed, cite your earlier submission, and expect to build on it rather than copy it.
AI Tools
University policies on AI tools vary widely and change often. Some modules ban them, some allow limited use with a declaration, and some build them into tasks.
- Read your module's AI policy before using any tool.
- Declare any permitted use in the way your course asks.
- Check every AI-generated fact, formula and line of code. These tools can produce confident errors and invented references.
- Never present AI-generated text, code or data as your own work where that is not allowed.
Acceptable and Unacceptable Examples
| Acceptable | Unacceptable |
|---|---|
| Using a cited library function for matrix inversion | Copying a classmate's implementation and renaming variables |
| Sharing raw data with lab partners and writing separate reports, as allowed | Submitting a partner's analysis as your own |
| Redrawing a figure with "Adapted from" in the caption | Pasting a figure from a paper with no citation |
| Paraphrasing a method in your own words with a citation | Copying a method paragraph and changing a few words |
| Excluding an outlier using a stated rule | Deleting results that do not fit the hypothesis |
A Quick Integrity Checklist
- Every source, dataset and figure is cited.
- Reused code is credited in comments and the README.
- Paraphrases are in your own words and cited.
- Collaboration is within the rules and declared.
- All data is genuine and complete.
- AI use follows the module policy and is declared if required.
- No earlier submission is reused without permission.
How STEM Donkey Helps with Referencing and Integrity
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Custom papers from STEM Donkey are written from scratch, plagiarism-checked and intended for study and reference. Submit only work that your institution's rules allow.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It is if you present it as your own. Where reuse is allowed, credit the source in a comment and your documentation. Where it is not, write your own code.
Often yes, if they collected it together and the course allows it. The analysis and report are usually expected to be individual. Check your lab handbook.
Not if you cite it. Write "Adapted from" followed by the citation in the caption.
No. Widely known equations such as Ohm's law are common knowledge. Cite specific models, derivations or constants taken from a particular source.
Only as your module allows. Policies differ, so read yours, declare any permitted use and check every output.
Ask your tutor or your university's academic skills team before you submit.
Yes. A paraphrase changes the words but not the source of the idea, so cite it. A paraphrase that keeps the original sentence structure with a few words swapped can still count as plagiarism.
Code checkers compare program structure, not just text, so renaming variables, reordering functions or changing comments does not hide copied code.