Where to Find DMU Library Guidance on Referencing, Academic Integrity, and Generative AI

Updated

DMU Library's LibGuides home page (library.dmu.ac.uk) links directly to three dedicated support areas: Referencing, Good Academic Practice, and Using Generative AI. These sit under the "Support Resources" section of the home page, alongside related help such as the Writing Tutor, RLF, and subject guides. Use them when you need to cite sources correctly, understand what counts as academic misconduct, or check whether and how you may use AI tools in your work.

The three core guides

Guide What it covers When to use it
Referencing Citation formats, referencing styles, how to build references and in-text citations You're writing an assignment and need to cite a book, article, or website correctly
Good Academic Practice Academic integrity, plagiarism, collusion, and related expectations You want to check whether a behaviour is acceptable, or you've been asked to complete academic integrity training
Using Generative AI Guidance on generative AI tools in study and assessment You're unsure whether AI use is permitted for a task, or how to acknowledge it

Each is reached from the home page navigation rather than a deep menu, so start at the home page and look under the support headings.

How these pages help you avoid plagiarism

The Referencing guide gives you the mechanics: which style applies to your subject, how to format different source types, and how to place citations in your text. The Good Academic Practice guide gives you the rules: what plagiarism, collusion, and other misconduct actually mean at DMU, and why correct attribution matters. Used together, they cover both "how do I cite this" and "what happens if I don't."

A practical sequence when starting an assignment:

  1. Check your module handbook or assignment brief for the required referencing style.
  2. Open the Referencing guide and confirm the format for each source type you're using.
  3. If anything about collaboration, reuse of your own work, or source use is unclear, read the relevant section of Good Academic Practice.
  4. Before submitting, verify every in-text citation has a matching reference entry.

Using generative AI within the rules

The Using Generative AI guide is the place to check before you paste assignment text into an AI tool or submit AI-assisted work. Treat it as the starting point, not the final word — your module or programme may set stricter conditions than the general guidance. If the guide and your assignment brief disagree, follow the brief and ask your tutor.

Related support worth knowing about

  • Writing Tutor — for help with structuring and expressing your academic writing, which often surfaces referencing problems.
  • RLF (Royal Literary Fund) — one-to-one writing support, useful when citation issues are really writing-clarity issues.
  • Subject Guides — discipline-specific pages that may carry referencing advice tailored to your field, including the style your department expects.
  • Studiosity — feedback on drafts, which can flag referencing gaps before submission.

Quick answers

Where exactly are these guides? From library.dmu.ac.uk, look under the support resources section of the home page for Referencing, Good Academic Practice, and Using Generative AI.

Do I need to log in? The home page itself is public; some linked resources and services may require a DMU login. Check each guide's own access requirements.

Which referencing style should I use? That's set by your module or department — confirm it in your assignment brief, then follow the matching format in the Referencing guide.

Can I just ask a librarian? Yes — the home page lists LibChat and a JustAsk! contact route ([email protected]) for questions the guides don't answer.