Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

Types of Plagiarism.

Disadvantages of Plagiarism.

Plagiarism

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

- to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own

- to use ( another production) without crediting the source

- to commit literary theft

- to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

All of the following are considered plagiarism:


- turning in someone else's work as your own

- copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
 
- failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
 
- giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
 
- changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
 
- copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not 

Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism can be both intentional, when you attempt to pass someone else's work as your own, or unintentional, when you forget to properly cite the sources for your work. Regardless of the type, plagiarism always has consequences when it is discovered. Often, the punishment for accidental plagiarism is minor or temporary. Because determining accidental plagiarism requires knowledge of intent, the overall reputation of the plagiarist becomes the deciding factor.

Academic Consequences

Plagiarism is a constant issue at schools as students create many papers using a large amount of research in a small amount of time. Many schools, like the private middle and high school Baylor School and Duke University, have bodies like an Honor Council or Office of Judicial Affairs that will review each case of plagiarism and determine a punishment. Minor infractions might result in receiving a "0" on the assignment, while major infractions will result in suspension or expulsion. Either way, plagiarism is embarrassing for the student and will have his future work scrutinized more closely than other students.

Professional Consequences

Numerous journalists, writers, academics and creators have had their personal and professional reputations ruined over accusations of plagiarism. Not only do plagiarists have their current work halted, either by being fired or by having contracts dissolved, but they also can find it difficult to get future work. A particularly bad or memorable episode of plagiarism can ruin a person's reputation and force him to change careers to avoid the stigma of plagiarism.

Personal Consequences

Most of the consequences of plagiarism occur once the plagiarist is caught, but the personal consequences happen regardless of any outside involvement. When discussing plagiarism, Baylor School notes that students who plagiarize fail to learn many of the research and writing skills that the school is supposed to be teaching them. Once they leave the school, those students lack the ability to produce original material, since they have only cheated in the past. Additionally, there is a psychological impact to plagiarism, as the constant lying and deception can take its toll on the psyche.

Legal Consequences

In addition to all the personal and professional difficulties that plagiarism might create, in certain cases there are legal consequences as well. The plagiarism of a copyrighted work for profit can result in the plagiarist having to pay monetary damages, both for any ill-gained profits and for any other potential losses the plagiarism may have caused the original writer. In some cases, plagiarism can even result in the plagiarist having to go through a criminal prosecution where the outcome can range from fines to imprisonment.

Disadvantages of Plagiarism

While your classmates have learned new subjects and honed their research skills, if you have plagiarized, you have done nothing. You just copied already existing ideas and tried to pass them as your own. There is no progress in doing this. Maybe you've remembered some of stuff which you have copied, but you probably haven't used your brain effectively. If you want to achieve your full potential, don't choose the way of the plagiarist.

Plagiarism is academic dishonesty. And it will be considered as a violation of the Academic Honor Code of your institution (which could lead you to severe consequences, as it was written in this article: Consequences of Plagiarism)

Plagiarism is a high-risk activity. Even if you enjoy "breaking the law" and think of yourself as a special snowflake, you will feel that you are doing something illegal. Your fear of getting caught, will definitely bitter sweet taste caused by the triumph of your laziness.

Plagiarism could erase all your chances of building a successful career. Even if you plagiarize once, you could get an expulsion from your institution. After that you will have a record of violation in your profile, which may decrease your chances to enter a college or a university again.