Consequences of Plagiarism and How to Avoid Them

The term "Plagiarism" has been drilled into our minds from our school days. Our teachers often tried to make us frightened about the consequences of plagiarism. 

Many of you could have recalled the times when our teachers asked us to cite the authors whose quotes or phrases were used in the assignments. But, duplication of others' ideas, thoughts, or concepts is not confined to the educational sector. 

Plagiarism is a serious concern that is affecting almost every sector of the professional world. From research to business and marketing to journalism, you can easily find thousands of examples where people get affected due to plagiarism. 

On the other hand, the innovation in technology and modern gadgets makes it easier for copycats to duplicate any data from the web and use it in their work. 

But, there are also a number of cases where an individual commits this crime unknowingly. It's essential to understand that plagiarism in any form, intentional or accidental, is a crime that can ruin your career. 

Consequences for Plagiarism 

The punishments for plagiarism can be unbearable for you, no matter if you commit this unethical act willingly or not. 

The obliviousness of what falls under plagiarism may not work as an appropriate defence that will certainly save the plagiarists. 

Below are a few major consequences for committing plagiarism. 

1. Damaging Credibility 

Whatever defense or reason anyone has for plagiarism, one thing is for sure; it severely affects the plagiarist's reputation and credibility. 

Once a person or organization is found plagiarizing others' creative work, they will lose their trust in front of their audience.

Although some believe that the masses have short-term memory regarding many issues, they don't forget when others deceive them.

So, whether an organization or an individual is behind the act of violating the copyright laws, they are entirely responsible for that and will pay for it in terms of their reputation.  

2. Penalties by the Organizations

Many penalties are declared by every organization and educational institute to keep their workers or students away from plagiarism. 

However, not many follow the guidelines and try to trick organizations and audiences. Once they are found cheating, the institutes have the right to punish them in various ways.

For example, academic institutes can fine their students for breaking the law or bless them with lower grades. Furthermore, they can also ask them to check grammar, spelling, and duplication again and then resubmit their work. 

In some cases, they can also expel their students to set an example for others. 

Similarly, corporations and other organizations can also fire their workers when they are captured plagiarizing others' content.  

3. Ruin career

The label of a plagiarist can ruin a person's entire career. This is true even if the person is not caught in the act of plagiarizing or is found guilty by a court of law. 

The mere accusation or speculation that someone has committed plagiarism can be enough to cause irreparable damage to their reputation and credibility which makes it difficult for them to get work in the future. 

Therefore, it holds great significance to ensure uniqueness in the text before submitting or posting it to save reputation and avoid any unpleasant situation. 

4. Legal Outcomes

Copyright laws aren't only built to threaten people but to ensure the safety of creative work. The courts strictly force people to obey these laws. That's why they punish the plagiarists with heavy fines, and depending on the severity of the issue, they can also send fraudsters to jail. 

The copyright laws clearly state that no one has the authority to use another person's material without appropriate citation or consent. Following this practice gives the author a right to sue the plagiarists. 

5. Financial Consequences 

The students, workers, and artists guilty of plagiarism can find it hard to get admission or a job in any other organization. 

That's how it ruins the career and limits the chances of earning money. Furthermore, artists with plagiarism charges may not be able to sell their artwork in the market as people will see it with a sceptical eye. That's how it financially affects the stealers.

Moreover, the courts can also penalize plagiarists with heavy fines. Those fines are sometimes more than a person can afford to pay back. Sometimes, those penalties can even bankrupt a person or organization.

How to Avoid Plagiarism? 

Duplicating others' ideas will surely lead you to bear disastrous consequences. But, once you understand the necessity of avoiding it, the chances to get yourself away from this unethical activity become higher. 

Below are some useful tips that will help you avoid plagiarism and craft unique and inspiring content. 

1. Use an Online Plagiarism Checker 

Taking the assistance of technology is a great way to reduce efforts and uplift productivity.

An online plagiarism checker makes it easier to find duplication instances in any writing material. The advanced plagiarism checker scans the text and compares it with a massive database of journals, webpages, and research papers, and highlights any similar text. 

Moreover, checking plagiarism in the writing before submitting it helps writers identify the issues that could constitute unintentional plagiarism, including missing quotation marks and misplaced citations.  

2. Cite the Sources

Citing the source or author, idea, or quote you paraphrase can be a great counter to avoid charges of plagiarism. 

All the citations should correspond to the reference list and must be mentioned at the end of the article. This approach is useful for citing the sources appropriately and ultimately avoiding plagiarism. 

However, following the standard citation style is also crucial to prevent any penalties. 

Using common citation styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago is valuable to use to save yourself from being penalized for committing plagiarism. But apply the same citation style throughout the text to counter any ambiguity.  

3. Rephrase the Text

Restating an idea or concept in your own way using a different tone while keeping the actual meaning of the text is a great way to avoid duplication. 

But, using synonyms or scrambling an article's sentences and phrases doesn't count as paraphrasing and will be considered plagiarism. 

You can paraphrase any text efficiently with the help of an online paraphrasing tool. This tool makes sure to eradicate duplication from your submitted text and allows you to get the results you are looking for.

However, properly understanding the original idea and explaining it using your own words is inevitable to rephrase properly. Moreover, citing the source of the text is also included in excellent paraphrasing. 

4. Rely on Your Creativity

No matter, if the topic is boring, technical, or ambiguous, taking appropriate measures like enhancing research duration and talking with a supervisor or colleague is much better than making it an excuse to copy others' work. 

Similarly, opting for your creativity instead of preferring others' text and using it in your work will definitely prove to be an excellent approach to discard the occurrence of plagiarism. 

Final Words 

Plagiarism is like a plague that can destroy writers' credibility, fame, and career within no time. The consequences of copying others' ideas stated in this post will assist you in realizing the sensitivity of this matter and lead you to take adequate steps to ensure uniqueness in your text. Following the suggestions mentioned above will be a great way to avoid plagiarism and save yourself from being vulnerable to the penalties for committing plagiarism.