What is plagiarism?

Everyone at this point knows that you should never fall in plagiarism, but a few really understand what it really means to plagiarize and what does and doesn’t fall into infringement. So what is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a major issue that can face anyone involved in a creative endeavor and it affects both the creator and the consumer. It can be defined as the appropriation, whether intentionally or not, of an information or a material that is not your own. In simpler words, it is considered plagiarism when you copy the words of another author and claim them to be original, passing off someone else’s work as yours. If you wish to use someone else’s work, you should always make sure to put quotation marks and to give proper credit to the original creator.

People usually plagiarize because of a lack of understanding of plagiarism itself as well as the lack of awareness of its possible repercussions. But no one is immune to the consequences and ignorance can never be an excuse.

Why use a plagiarism detection tool?

Do you have an assignment to write, or a paper to turn in? Are you doing a research or writing an essay? Internet is indeed your friend, but only as long as you use the information available to you wisely. The abundance of sources that can be found on the internet about every possible discipline and topic has made it easier to fall in plagiarism problems. As tempting as taking shortcuts is, copying a text word for word is a serious offense. And while most would probably try to paraphrase and wouldn’t deliberately use the exact same wording as the text they’re taking as a reference, there’s always a risk of plagiarism. In fact, unintentional plagiarism is as much of a serious problem as intentional plagiarism is and the repercussions for both are something you wouldn’t want to deal with.

Not only is plagiarism ethically unacceptable, it can also land you in court. It is an offensive crime and a violation of Copyright law and can therefore result in legal penalties and monetary fines.

Plagiarism can also make you lose your job, ruin your professional reputation with future employers and hurt your job prospects.

In an academic setting, plagiarism can be a reason for a failing grade in case of small infringements. Not to mention the stain on the student’s record that it entails causing future works to be more closely and strictly scrutinized. On the other hand, a serious case of plagiarism, whether deliberate or unintentional, can get the student suspended or expelled. After graduating, your college degree can still be revoked if the university finds proof of plagiarism in your thesis.

No matter how sure you are of the originality of your words, zero risk does not exist. Therefore, a quick plagiarism scan before submitting your paper or publishing your article is strongly advised.