Written Work and Rules for Scholarly writing

Law is an academic study, and writing different types of texts is a core academic activity. Scholarly writing is governed by a number of rules, and violation of these rules has consequences. The rules are based partly on legislation, including the formal regulations and guidelines laid down by the Faculty, and partly on established academic traditions. In addition, the requirement that students submit written work is central to the pedagogical principles on which the Master's programme is built. Basically, the main objective is to promote learning and skill.

There are academic requirements regarding the quality of mandatory assignments. These apply to both the form of presentation and the methods used. Intellectual property rights and academic standards require honesty and precision in the use and citation of sources.

All required written work is checked. Any irregularities in the citation of sources or if the work is not considered to be sufficiently original will result in rejection of the paper. Serious cases may be considered as cheating or attempted cheating, which may lead to annulment of the course and the examination, meaning the student will have to repeat the entire course. It may even result in exclusion (expulsion) from the University for one or two semesters.
See the attached document below for more detailed information.

Section 4 of  “Supplementary Regulations for Studies at the Faculty of Law” sets the requirements for independence and source citation:

Section 4-1 Requirements regarding independence and source citation
All work submitted for approval or assessment shall be the student's own work. This also applies to work that will not count towards grades. Sources used shall be acknowledged in accordance with the University's Guidelines on Source Citation. Any violation of these guidelines will be considered as cheating, see Section 4-2.

In assignments with a certain word limit, the number of words written must be stated on the answer sheet. An incorrect word count may be considered as attempted cheating.

a) Violation of the word limit will lead to rejection of the paper for a Master’s thesis. The paper must then be revised and re-submitted the following semester.

b) Violation of the word limit will lead to rejection of the paper for compulsory course assignments. The paper cannot be re-submitted and the the right to sit the exam is lost.

Section 4-2 Violation of the regulations
Violation of the rules in Section 4-1 or the rules in Section 4-7 of the Universities and University Colleges Act concerning Master's theses, examinations or submitted assignments and/or other compulsory elements related to the teaching may be considered as cheating.

Wilful or grossly negligent violation may lead to annulment of the relevant examination or assignment, cf. the Universities and University Colleges Act, Section 4-7, subsection 1, and possibly also exclusion from the University for up to two semesters, cf. the Universities and University Colleges Act, Section 4-8, subsection 3.

Attempted violations will be treated in the same manner as actual violations, if intent can be shown.

An annulled examination or assignment counts as an attempt to sit the examination as regards the number of times the examination can be taken.

Providing false information about attendance at study group sessions or large group sessions or any other classes where attendance is required may be considered as cheating or an attempt at cheating.

Cases of annulment or exclusion will be decided upon by the University's Central Appeals Committee. The appeal body is the national appeals board "Felles klagenemnd", cf. the Universities and University Colleges Act, Section 5-1 subsection 7, cf. Regulation FOR 2005-10-10 no. 1192: Regulations on the central appeal board for the consideration of complaints and appeals pursuant to the Universities and University Colleges Act, Sections 4-7 to 4-10.

Reactions are strict with regard to cheating and attempts to cheat in school or home examinations, compulsory submission of assignments and other tasks/works the student is required to submit during the course of the programme. Read more about what is considered cheating, and what the consequences are for you as a student in the university’s folder on cheating.