The Student Room Group

Help with postgraduate statements

Hi all.
I am an undergraduate student and I just applied for two Masters course in the UK.
I did not use UCAS or UKPASS and I sent my 2 postgraduate Personal statements personally, statements that are pretty the same (because the 2 courses are really similar).

Can I have problems with plagiarism or something similar?

Thank you
Reply 1
I shouldn't think plagiarism will be a problem. If the two courses are in the same department there might be questions about which you'd really commit to, but if they're at different universities, then they'll never see the other statement.

As you've found, the majority of UK Masters courses don't go through a central system. Most operate their own independent postgrad application process and they don't cross-reference with each other.
Reply 2
Original post by Klix88
I shouldn't think plagiarism will be a problem. If the two courses are in the same department there might be questions about which you'd really commit to, but if they're at different universities, then they'll never see the other statement.

As you've found, the majority of UK Masters courses don't go through a central system. Most operate their own independent postgrad application process and they don't cross-reference with each other.


Thank you for your post.
The two courses are at different universities (and cities), but I was worried because I didn't know if they could do a plagiarism check without the help of UKPASS.
By the way, it seems that now I can use this statement even for the last application I have to do. :smile:

Sorry for my bad english
How is it plagiarism? You haven't copied anything, you just printed your own words and sent it out.

If you wrote a great book, would you have to send a different version to every publisher?

Actually. Just mega LOL at the plagiarism worry.

But good luck anyway! :biggrin:

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Ravenok
Hi all.
I am an undergraduate student and I just applied for two Masters course in the UK.
I did not use UCAS or UKPASS and I sent my 2 postgraduate Personal statements personally, statements that are pretty the same (because the 2 courses are really similar).

Can I have problems with plagiarism or something similar?

Thank you


As other said, you cannot plagiarize yourself: don't worry!

Curiosity: how long are your PSs? Where are you applying to?
Reply 5
Original post by polscistudent88
As other said, you cannot plagiarize yourself: don't worry!

Curiosity: how long are your PSs? Where are you applying to?


ok Thank you all. I didn't know it was a so stupid question to make. :smile:
Anyway I see a lot of ppl worried about it, even for undergraduate PSs.

My statements are around 4000 characters with spaces.
Reply 6
Original post by Pessimisterious


Actually. Just mega LOL at the plagiarism worry.



Posted from TSR Mobile


Yeah you are right but, if I am not wrong, when you use UCAS or UKPASS you upload your statement on your profile so when they make a plagiarism check they find that you are the owner of the statement.
If you don't use UCAS or UKPASS there is nothing that links the PS to you.
This is what I thought.

By the way I am new to this system, so sorry if what I write seems so strange :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by polscistudent88
As other said, you cannot plagiarize yourself: don't worry!

Actually, you can. Self-plagiarism is an academic offence at my current uni (and the one before that). I've had to write three progress reports in the past year - two with Lit Review elements - and have been given dire warnings about the penalties for self-plagiarism in each. Copy/pasting frompast reports is actionable and even paraphrasing and re-use is not acceptable.

However, I'm pretty sure that only applies to assesed academic work and not the initial application.
Original post by Klix88
Actually, you can. Self-plagiarism is an academic offence at my current uni (and the one before that). I've had to write three progress reports in the past year - two with Lit Review elements - and have been given dire warnings about the penalties for self-plagiarism in each. Copy/pasting frompast reports is actionable and even paraphrasing and re-use is not acceptable.

However, I'm pretty sure that only applies to assesed academic work and not the initial application.


To be honest I think that is simply to prevent students from not working and relying too much on past works (it would be fun though to use self-citations of previous works, like Polscistudent88 2013: second page of the essay :biggrin:).

But I think that, in case, only applies to assessed coursework.
Reply 9
Original post by polscistudent88
To be honest I think that is simply to prevent students from not working and relying too much on past works (it would be fun though to use self-citations of previous works, like Polscistudent88 2013: second page of the essay :biggrin:).

But I think that, in case, only applies to assessed coursework.

I've certainly cited myself before (and am about to do it again in my PhD Transfer Report), but then that was published work.

Self-plagiarism is exactly designed to prevent the re-use of previous work. You can't get the same piece of work assesed twice. With the penalty for self-plagiarism being the same for any other type of plagiarism, I think if anyone tried formally citing previous coursework in my institutions, their feet wouldn't touch the ground! I wouldn't fancy trying it just for a laff.
Original post by Klix88
I've certainly cited myself before (and am about to do it again in my PhD Transfer Report), but then that was published work.

Self-plagiarism is exactly designed to prevent the re-use of previous work. You can't get the same piece of work assesed twice. With the penalty for self-plagiarism being the same for any other type of plagiarism, I think if anyone tried formally citing previous coursework in my institutions, their feet wouldn't touch the ground! I wouldn't fancy trying it just for a laff.


Yeah, obviously. I was just joking :wink:.

And I do understand the selfplagiarism penalty, because being assessed on the same piece of work twice is academic cheating, whatever the name given by different institutions. Sorry if I appeared not serious on the issue :smile:, I absolutely agree with you

However we are a little bit out of OP question... OP, do not worry and best of luck with your application :smile: Let us know how it goes!
Reply 11
Thank you really much.
Your help is priceless. :smile:

Quick Reply

Latest