Your own work from previous assignments or courses
Answer
We recommend that you check with your tutor before using any of your previous work as a source for a new assignment. Some programmes or modules have different rules about when it is or is not appropriate to self-reference.
If you want to refer to work that has been marked – whether from your current course or module or not – it is important that you cite this properly in both your in-text citations and in your full reference list.
This is to avoid the trap of ‘self-plagiarism’. When done deliberately, self-plagiarism is an attempt to get ‘double credit’ for submitted work.
To cite yourself, use the same method for in-text citations as for any other source: your own surname and the year.
Example
I reflected on my use of qualitative research methods in my placement portfolio (Satchwell Giles, 2018).
For guidance on how to create your reference list entry, see the guidance on 'Students' own work' in the Reference list: guide and examples.
