Implications of Plagiarism
According to 2006 to 2010 study conducted by Donald L. McCabe, co-founder of the Center for Academic Integrity, nearly 40 percent of undergraduate students have admitted to committing plagiarism by copying sentences in their work. Plagiarism can take many shapes, and it can result in serious implications. Whether done knowingly or not, the act of plagiarism can lead to a slap on the wrist all the way to firing or expulsion.
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Types of Plagarism
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The most obvious example of plagiarism is straight copying and pasting an entire work or an excerpt from a book, article or website and passing it off as your own. Plagiarism can take other forms as well. Purdue University-Calumet defines plagiarism as neglecting to cite sources when a work is paraphrased; lifting ideas from multiple sources and changing them slightly to make them come together; leaving out footnotes or quotation marks; or self plagiarizing by turning in previously completed work.
Legal Action
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In certain cases, plagiarism can be considered a copyright violation and subject to civil charges. Under the fair use principle, copyrighted material can be borrowed as long as the author is given credit. However, when the work is used without permission and not cited, the plagiarizer can be sued by the copyright owner regardless of their intent or how much material they lifted. If found guilty of a copyright infringement, violators can be subject to thousands of dollars in fines.
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Academic Penalities
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Colleges and universities maintain honor codes or integrity policies that students must follow or face consequences. As part of these codes and policies, students who are found to have committed plagiarism might be given verbal or written warnings. In more severe cases, the plagiarism case can be taken to a committee that can decide to drop the student from the class, give him a failing grade or even expel him from school. A school can also take away a student's degree --- even after graduation.
Professional Consequences
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Acts of plagiarism also occur outside the classroom. Professional writers, journalists, academics and doctors commit plagiarism when they submit unoriginal articles, papers and research. In the professional world, the implications of lifting someone else's work are significant. Those who plagiarize risk ruining their reputations and credibility. They might lose their job and have difficulty finding a new one given the smear on their resume.
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References
- "The New York Times"; Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age; Trip Gabriel; August 2010
- Duke University: Libraries: Plagiarsm - Its Nature and Consequences
- Plagiarism.org: Homepage
- Purdue University-Calumet: Academic Integrity
- Penn State University: Libraries: Copyright and Plagarism
- Taylor University: Academics: Zondervan Library: Consequences of Plagiarism
Resources
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