Writing guide

The dissertation modules of your course will be the longest part of your studies at WMU, which can seem overwhelming. During the beginning of the semester, the library starts to hold classes specifically designed to help meet your dissertation needs, keep an eye on the events calendar so you don't miss your spot. 

Here we also have advice on managing your studies and things to be aware of when writing your dissertation. 

The university gives access to RefWorks to all its employees and students. RefWorks is a reference management service that will help you manage your citations for projects and essays.

Google Forms will fill most basic survey and questionnaire needs. It is free to use and easy to learn with many guides to help you learn.

Keep an eye on the library events page for classes on formatting questionnaires.

Advanced surveys

If you find you need more adavanced features there are a number of different products available. One popular service is QuestionPro with both a free and a paid service, features may vary. You can sign up for a free account or inquire at library@wmu.se to learn more. 

The WMU Library does not provide any transcription software to its users. However there are many online tools out there, here are some that our students have used in the past: 

oTranscribe

Express Scribe

Otter (offers a free trial)

GoogleDocs also offers voice typing and the ability to record audio in text format. In a GoogleDoc, click on tools and then voice typing to try it out. 

Copyright law and photocopying

It is your responsibility to make sure that any work you scan or copy is done so legally. Publications, videos, and audio-visual material are all protected by the Universal Copyright Convention. Infringement of this can lead to prosecution by the copyright holder - usually the publisher.

Listed below are some guidelines as to what can be copied during your studies:

• Journals/Periodicals: one article from one issue
• Books, dissertations: up to 5% or one complete chapter
• Audio-visual material: no copying allowed

These guidelines are not extensive nor exclusive. If in doubt, please consult the librarians.

Copyright law - Fair usage

Fair dealing for the purpose of research or study

You may copy part of a work, corresponding to a "reasonable portion".  A reasonable portion can for example be one article of a journal issue or one chapter of a book. The material still has to be properly cited and credited if used in your own research. 

Fair dealing for the purpose of review or critique

Copyrighted work may be copied for inclusion in essays, conference papers etc. This can only be done with the purpose of commenting critically on the material. Any such use has to cite the work and author (unless the author is anonymous or has agreed or directed that they not be named).

Coursework submitted at WMU is automatically checked for similarity and plagiarism with a third-party software. The Library does not have access to any similarity-checking software for use before submission. If you would like to run your essays through a checker, there are many available online however the library does not recommend any particular software and cannot guarantee the accuracy of any.  

Academic integrity concerns the maintenance of academic standards such as honesty, factuality and rigor in research and academic publishing. Academic integrity also concerns itself with the avoidance of plagiarism. Within the academic world, it is not only considered extremely bad form to not quote your sources, it can also lead to serious charges or expulsion.

Plagiarism

To avoid plagiarism always cite your sources and be sure to give credit where credit is due. 

Plagiarism means copying someone else's work, intentionally or unintentionally. It is your responsibility to make sure that all your sources are given proper credit. This includes not only word-for-word citations but also data and ideas. If you are unsure if you should give something a citation, it is always preferable to err on the of caution, you would rather have a citation too many than one too few. To learn more about when and how to cite, read our academic writing guide. 

Using someone else's work and passing it off as yours, apart from going against academic integrity, can also violate copyright laws.

Having someone else write the work submitted in your name is also a violation of your agreement with the university. All works should be original and fully cited.

The university uses a third-party similarity and plagiarism checker against all works submitted for credit. 

Recommendations for students 

Always cite your sources

The general recommendation to students is to always acknowledge where you are getting your ideas from. In assignments and other work you must make sure to cite all sources and acknowledge where you are getting ideas and material from. 

Follow the APA guidelines

APA is used at WMU. Make sure to cite according to these guidelines. 

If you are unsure whether to cite or not, ask a librarian!

A general rule is that it is always better to cite than not to cite. But if you are unsure you are welcome to write to library@wmu.se or come ask at the library circulation desk.

Using AI and other online tools such as ChatGPT may result in accusations of plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty. You should be aware of your instructors' policy on using such tools for any specific assignment. It is also important to understand that these tools cannot fully replace or imitate true original scholarly work and that they come with many limitations. 

Be aware that:

• AI and ChatGPT can give factually correct answers that are poorly formulated or bad advice
• These tools can also give incorrect information, think critically about where it is getting the information it gives you!
• The ChatGPT Terms of Use prohibit users to "represent that output from the Services was human-generated when it is not". 
• What information gained from ChatGPT and OpenAI must be shared as from ChatGPT and OpenAI. Meaning if it is used it a paper, it must be stated as from their services and not human-generated. 
• You need to always double-check, think critically and follow university guidelines when researching and submitting coursework
• To cite AI use the APA format for "personal communication"

Personal Communication citation: (Communicator, personal communication, Month Date, Year)

Example: (OpenAI, personal communication, April 19, 2024).

To understand and evaluate AI tools we recommend the following resource:

Hervieux, S. & Wheatley, A. (2020). The ROBOT test [Evaluation tool]. The LibrAIry. https://thelibrairy.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/the-robot-test