Consequences of Plagiarism - Penalties for Plagiarism

The word plagiarism is actually derived from the Latin word plagiarius, which means kidnapping or abducting. It is a term that is mainly used in the context of using another's words, ideas or thoughts and passing it off as your own, without giving due credit to the original author. Instances of plagiarism have been observed in academia and journalism for a long time, though the rapid growth of the internet has contributed to an increase in the plagiarism statistics considerably. Of course, nothing can undermine the advantages of internet, but the easy availability and access to a wide range of information and knowledge has enabled students to easily copy content from the internet for their academic uses.

Sometimes, it can be deliberate, while at other times, it can arise out of ignorance. It is true that it is not a crime to get influenced by others' ideas and thoughts. However, at the same time, it is also important to give due credit to the source of information or the concerned person for their ideas and work. So, copying them without acknowledging is actually a violation of that person's right over his intellectual property. Plagiarism is not only about copying the words of another person, which can be avoided by paraphrasing the sentences, but also the use of words, ideas, data, organization and original thoughts of another person without giving credit to that individual. Such activities can give rise to serious consequences, sometimes, attracting legal punishments.

Plagiarism Issues

The growing problem of plagiarism in schools, colleges and even in universities have compelled the concerned authorities to take it quite seriously. Its consequences in the academic field depend on the nature of the mistake and the number of times one commits it. The penalties can vary from failing an assignment, loss of privilege, getting a low-grade to not being promoted to a higher standard, academic probation and even expulsion from an educational institution.

Besides causing considerable wastage of time, money and effort, such penalties can have an adverse effect on the future of a student, as a student expelled from one institution usually finds it hard to get admission in any other reputed educational institution. The greatest consequence in the academic field may be the harm that students do to themselves. Plagiarizing another's writing actually impairs the ability of the students to acquire the essential skills required for researching and writing, which can have a long-term effect on their life.

Plagiarism in journalism is a very old phenomenon. It can have serious consequences, not only for the individual journalist, but for the concerned newspaper or television news-show. It can damage their reputation, credibility and public trust and confidence. It is also considered a violation of journalistic ethics and can result in severe penalties like suspension or termination from the job.

Legally, it is a subject matter of copyright infringement law and unfair competition, and can attract legal and monetary penalties for the violators. The offender may be penalized to compensate for the loss of profit of the original writer. Sometimes, penalties can include criminal punishments and imprisonment.

So, it is advisable to take some appropriate measures to avoid this offense. The best way is to not copy content of other individuals, using quotations if you do use another person's words or giving credit to the concerned writer or the source of information for that particular piece of information and acquiring the necessary skills for paraphrasing sentences. Besides, it can be checked with the help of some online tools, which can also help avoid this problem.