University professors are now seeing more plagiarism than they ever have before. The consequences for these violations are severe ranging from a failing grade all the way up to stripping your degree.
Everyone agrees that plagiarism is a morally heinous offense. It represents the theft of another person’s ideas when they are the main currency of the academic world.
But did you know that in some cases, plagiarism is not only unethical but even illegal? You can be sued for stealing the words or ideas of another person, and every time this happens, the plaintiff loses.
Here are some specific acts of plagiarism that can have dire consequences if you are caught.
1. Failure to Properly Cite Sources
This form of plagiarism is unintentional but still harmful. If you fail to give credit to your sources, you are effectively passing off their ideas as your own, in direct violation of copyright infringement laws (Chapter 5 of the Copyright Act of 1976.)
The best case scenario is losing credit for the class. In the worst case, you can be sued by the original copyright holder.
How to avoid: Be sure to cite any books or websites that you use in your research, not just in your bibliography, but in the body of your essay as well. Your professor will tell you what format he or she prefers for your citations (APA, MLA, Turabian, or something else.) Be sure to follow that format in every detail.
2. Failure to Use Proper Punctuation When Quoting
You have always known that your instructors value proper punctuation, but in this case, it’s not just a formality, but a legal necessity. Do not omit quotation marks when quoting word-for-word from a source. Without quotation marks, you are indicating that the words are yours although they are not. This means that you are reproducing an original work, another direct copyright infringement based on the Copyright Act of 1976, and you can be sued.
How to avoid: Open and close the quote with punctuation, insert a reference to the work you are quoting using APA or MLA format as directed by your professor.
3. Failure When Paraphrasing or Summarizing
When possible, it’s preferable to paraphrase a source rather than quoting it word-for-word. This practice shows greater understanding of the topic. But remember that even if you are paraphrasing, you still have to give credit to the author for his or her ideas.
Section 106 of the Copyright Act of 1976 expressly grant the right to create derivative versions of an original work solely to the copyright holder. In rare cases, you could be sued by the original copyright holder for this violation.
How to avoid: Include a disclaimer in your paraphrase like “according to” or “based on an article by.” Insert a reference to the article or study that you are paraphrasing.
4. Handing in an Essay That Was Written by Someone Else
Besides infringing on intellectual property rights, passing off someone else’s work as your own also constitutes fraud, which is a violation of the US Code 1038. This can result in the original owner suing you for fraud.
How to avoid: Do not succumb to the temptation to buy an essay from a friend who took the class last year or to hire a classmate to write it for you. If you order an essay online from a writing service, use it solely as an example instead of handing it in as your own. Your instructor is familiar with your writing style and can easily spot this deception.
5. Passing off Original Ideas as “Common Knowledge”
It is understood in the academic world that there are some commonly-accepted ideas which do not need to be cited. However, as a student, you are not yet in a position to know what these are. The acceptance of “common knowledge” is often an excuse for laziness. Even worse, you could be infringing on the rights of the original copyright holder by reproducing their ideas, and they could sue you.
How to avoid: Err on the side of caution and always cite sources for your information, even if you suspect that this information may fall under the umbrella of common knowledge.
6. Reusing Written Works
Did you ever think that it’s possible to plagiarize your own work? Well, yes it is. Even professors have been known to fall prey to this violation, and it can be a serious problem in academic circles.
How to avoid: Do not imagine that you can get away with simply changing the date on an essay that you submitted earlier in the year. This is effectively giving false information, which meets the definition of fraud under the US Code 1038. Your professor will be savvy to that. Although they probably won’t bring litigation against you in court, you may be denied the credit for the class.
7. Copying and Pasting an Essay Found Online
There are thousands of quality essay examples easily discoverable online, and this option can be very tempting. But as easy as it is for you to type the words “Romantic poetry and the French Revolution” into the Google search engine, it’s just as easy for your instructor to do exactly the same thing and get the same result.
How to avoid: Not to mention, professors now use anti-plagiarism software which can immediately detect online essay duplicates. In the worst case scenario, the original copyright holder under the Copyright Act of 1976 can bring a case against you in court.
Plagiarism is worse than immoral; it’s often illegal too. Don’t derail your college and career path by committing one of these cardinal sins of the academic world.
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