Secondary: Remix
Part of doing a project is researching what other people have done. It is important to know when and how to use other people’s work.
On this page
What’s the issue?
Assignments are part of the work we do as students! Sometimes it seems like all the answers are already on the internet, so why would you bother to create your own work from scratch? It’s important to know when and how you can use other people’s work.
Why does it matter?
When you use material from the internet in your school work, you must acknowledge this source. If you don’t do this it is called plagiarism, which means you are using the ideas or expressions of someone else without giving them credit. It is illegal to plagiarise other people’s work. In most circumstances, it’s OK to use work created by others for school as long as we’re responsible and respectful of their work.
Most of us want other people to treat us fairly and we expect them to be honest with us. We should have the same expectations of ourselves when we deal with other people.
Copying isn’t learning. The scientists tell us that we learn best when we have to put together what we already know with new information that we discover. We don’t learn much at all when we just repeat someone else’s words.
Advice
Use a wide variety of sources and always acknowledge them
- If you use a range of resources you will develop an overview of your topic and not be reliant on one viewpoint
- You must always provide a reference list of the source material you have used
- In your work it needs to be obvious that you have used another person’s words or ideas. Ask your teacher how this should be done.
Your work has to be your work
The work you submit should be your original thinking based on your research.
Get help from the best people for the situation
Sometimes, with the best of intentions, people give you advice but they don’t know what they’re talking about! So, think about who has the expertise to help you out and approach them.
What you do is who you are – respect yourself and others
- Be aware that your actions now will shape the way people think about you into the future.
- What you do has an influence on your relationships - with your friends, your family, your teachers and your self. Be honest.
Printable advice sheet
To download a copy of this advice sheet, see:
Updated 26 March 2026
Related links
About the VIC Government
- The Premier and ministers
- Find a Vic Gov department, agency or service
- Strategies and policies
- Inquiries and royal commissions
Grants and programs
Jobs and careers
Arts, culture and heritage
Business and the workplace
- Mentally Healthy Workplaces Framework
- Portable Long Service Authority
- Victoria’s racing industry
- Workforce Inspectorate Victoria
- Liquor licensing, sale and supply
Communities
- Children
- First Peoples - State Relations
- Finding records
- Gender equality & women’s leadership
- LGBTIQA+ equality
- Multicultural communities
- Seniors Online
- Veterans support and commemoration
- Volunteering in Victoria
- Youth Central
Education and training
- Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority
- Early childhood education – information for professionals
- Kinder: Best Start, Best Life
- Education – information for parents
- Schools.Vic - information for schools
- Education grants, programs, awards and events
- PROTECT
- TAFE, training and universities sector
- TAFE Victoria
- Victorian Skills Authority
- Apprenticeships Victoria
- Learn Local
Environment, water and energy
Finance and economy
Health and social support
- Family violence reform
- NDIS Worker Screening Check
- NDIS and disability services and support in Victoria
- Patient Review Panel
- Transforming Trauma Victoria
Housing and property
Law and justice
- Adoption
- Births, deaths and marriages
- Honorary justices
- Machete ban
- Safeguarding Victorians against terrorism
- Stolen Generations Reparations Package
- Victims of Crime
- Victorian Racing Tribunal
Safety and emergencies
- Emergency Recovery Victoria
- Victorian Emergency Relief and Recovery Foundation
- Emergency Recovery Resource Portal
- How well do you know fire
- Fire Services Reform
- Water safety
- Marine Search and Rescue
Science and technology
- Data sharing and open data
- Data.vic - discover and access Vic Gov open data
- Developer.Vic - portal for API developers
- Go.vic URL shortener
- Vic Gov IT project dashboard
- Victoria’s free public wi-fi network
- Cyber security in the Victorian Government
Sport and recreation
Traffic and transport
- Cameras Save Lives
- Transport Fines
- Getting Around
- Transport Planning
- Transport Future
- Climate Change and transport
- Future Directions For Transport
- Transport projects
- Ports and Freight
Working in the Victorian Government
- Single Digital Presence home
- Accommodation and Library Services
- Executive employment in the Victorian public sector
- Budget, procurement and funding
- Careers in the Victorian Government
- Council and Regulator Toolkit
- Guidelines for working in government
- Join a government network
- Standards and guidelines
- VicFleet CarPool
- Victorian Government style guide