From academic expulsion to professional ruin, the consequences of plagiarism can be severe and long-lasting. But with the ease of accessing information online, it can be tempting for you to cut corners and use others’ work as your own.
Before you make that mistake, consider the potential fallout of plagiarism to save your both academic and professional integrity.
So, What is Plagiarism?
You have heard this term multiple times already. But still, let me break it down for you again.
Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work or ideas without giving proper credit to the original author.
For example, you want to craft a unique and high-quality article for your blog or business website. You sit down to perform in-depth research on the topic, you find a post that sounds exactly what you want to include in your work. You pick up ideas from there and copy-paste them or make slight changes before including them in your article.
This is how my friend you are plagiarizing and it is considered a disrespect of the work of the original author that you need to avoid in all cases.
So, let’s have a look at the potential consequences of plagiarism.
Consequences of Plagiarism
Plagiarism sounds like a blameless mistake but comes with mild to serious consequences based on its type. You will never want your material to be stolen and used somewhere by someone else, right? No one can tolerate this mischievous act.
Here are some real-life plagiarism examples from the past that put an end to plagiarist’s careers:
- In 2014, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin was accused of plagiarism in her book “The Bully Pulpit,” leading to the cancellation of her book tour and the loss of a lucrative speaking engagement.
- In 2012, Fareed Zakaria, a journalist, and television host was suspended from his positions at Time magazine and CNN after it was discovered that he had plagiarized parts of an article he had written for Time.
- In 2018, journalist Jayson Blair resigned from The New York Times after it was discovered that he had committed widespread plagiarism and fabrication in his reporting.
These are just a few examples of the consequences that have not only ended many reputable careers but also cost them heavy fines.
Thus, it is important to always give credit to the original source of any ideas or information. It helps you maintain the originality of your work and the integrity of the original author.
Followingly, the consequences of plagiarism can depend on a variety of factors, including the severity of the offense, the context in which it occurred, and the policies of the institution or organization involved.
But here are some common ones:
Academic consequences
Failing grades
If you plagiarize part of an assignment, you may receive a failing grade for that assignment or a lower overall grade in that particular course. This can affect your overall GPA and make it more difficult to complete your degree on time or move on to the next level of your education.
Academic probation
Initially, your academic institute may alert you of plagiarism accusations, but when you commit multiple instances of plagiarism, you may be placed on academic probation. This means that you may have to attend counselling or complete additional coursework, in order to remain enrolled in school.
Complete expulsion
It is an extreme consequence of plagiarism in academics. In this case, plagiarism can result in expulsion from school, meaning that you will be permanently dismissed from your academic program and will not be allowed to return. Now you can have serious harm to your future education and career prospects.
Professional Consequences
Disciplinary action
In a professional setting, plagiarism can result in disciplinary action from your employer. This could include a warning, a suspension, or even termination of employment.
Loss of job or professional license
Depending on the severity of the offense and the policies of the organization, plagiarism can lead to the loss of your job or professional license. This can be a major blow to your career and make it difficult to find employment in the future.
Damage to reputation and credibility
Plagiarism can also damage your reputation and credibility in your field. It can be difficult to regain the trust of your colleagues and clients once it has been lost.
Legal consequences
Intellectual property theft
Plagiarism is considered intellectual property theft and can result in legal action being taken against you. It means filing a lawsuit in order to seek damages, such as monetary compensation or an injunction to prevent further use of the material.
Or worst, a government agency, such as the U.S. Department of Justice or the European Union Intellectual Property Office can take action to enforce intellectual property laws.
Potential fines and legal fees
Depending on the circumstances of the case, you may be required to pay fines or legal fees if you are found to have committed plagiarism. These costs can be significant and can have a lasting impact on your finances.
So, now you know the consequences of plagiarism, it’s time to learn how can you prevent falling into its trap or what you can do about it.
Read on further to explore some simple and easy-to-implement tips to stay away from plagiarism taboo.
How Can You Avoid Plagiarism?
Unfortunately, the consequences of plagiarism are evil. But fortunately, it is not something that cannot be remedied. Avoiding plagiarism is not an uphill battle if you have a solid understanding of how to do it right.
To help you avoid this dreadful beast, here are some easy-to-follow tips that you need to start practicing today:
Cite, cite and cite correctly
Avoiding plagiarism requires one simple solution – citing sources CORRECTLY. By properly citing your sources, you can steer clear of plagiarism as it shows you are giving credit to the original creators without any disrespect.
But the thing to keep in mind is that you need to use an accurate citation style and include all necessary information, such as the author’s name, the title of the work, the date of publication, or anything that comes under the citation style.
Make quoting a habit
Quoting is another way to make your work look more solid and unique. Quoting involves using an exact copy of a passage from a source and enclosing it in quotation marks to show that it is someone else’s words.
Make this clear in your head that quoting allows you to use someone else’s ideas or words in your own work, as long as you give proper credit to the original source.
Make sure to use quotation marks correctly and to include all necessary information in your citations.
Paraphrase thoughtfully
Paraphrasing involves rewording someone else’s ideas or information in your own words but keeping the original text context the same.
When you paraphrase a source, it is important to use your own language and sentence structure, rather than simply replacing a few words here and there. You should also be careful not to copy the original wording too closely, as this can still be considered plagiarism.
If you are unable to do it yourself, you can take assistance from an online paraphrasing tool that helps you restates the original ideas without changing their original meaning.
Build your unique voice
It is one of the most underrated tips to avoid plagiarism. This means developing and expressing your own thoughts, opinions, and arguments, rather than relying on the ideas of others.
To present your own unique ideas, you should engage in thorough research and critical thinking about the topic you are addressing. This will help you to gain a deeper understanding of the subject and to form your own perspectives and arguments.
Followingly, by presenting your own unique ideas, you cannot only avoid plagiarism but also demonstrate your own originality and intellectual contributions. So, why not?
Start using a plagiarism checker
Do not underestimate the power of a plagiarism checker. A plagiarism checker is a tool that analyzes a document for copied or unoriginal content.
While plagiarism checkers are useful for spotting possible instances of plagiarism, finding a tool that is accurate can be challenging. Give Plagiarismchecker.ai a shot and it will never fail you as it is one of the most reliable and accurate plagiarism checkers available online for free.
However, it is important to note that a plagiarism checker is not a foolproof method for avoiding plagiarism, as it may not catch all instances of copied content.
So, it is wise to review the results of the plagiarism checker and address any flagged content by citing the source or rewriting the text.
Final Words
In conclusion, plagiarism is a serious offense that can have significant consequences for individuals and organizations. To avoid plagiarism, it is important to understand what constitutes plagiarism and to take fundamental steps to ensure that all work is properly cited and original.
This also involves using efficient plagiarism detection software, and carefully reviewing and editing work if found plagiarism. By taking the above-mentioned precautions, you can avoid all the negative consequences of plagiarism and maintain your integrity and reputation.