What is Plagiarism?

Dear Student,

If you have ever considered taking someone else’s work, and presenting it as if it was your own, then you need to sit up and read this email carefully.

One of the biggest challenges that both students and institutions struggle with is plagiarism. The integrity of academic institutions such as colleges and universities depends on their ability to produce individuals that can come up with their own work based on a synthesis of what they have learned.

For the students, passing a course depends on their ability to read widely and then use what they have learned to come up with their own ideas. However, the line between copying someone else’s idea and using someone else’s idea to support your own work is thin. Thus, it would be best if you were clear about what plagiarism is.

The dangers of plagiarism

Before we look at what the concept of plagiarism involves, let’s look at some of its consequences. Students who are discovered to have plagiarized the work of others can:

  • Lose marks which can lead to failing a subject or course
  • Face disciplinary action that could include suspension or being expelled from a university
  • Be blacklisted from enrolling in any university for a specified period.
  • For researchers in industry or academics, accusations of plagiarism can damage a reputation leading to loss of funding or work opportunities.

But what is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else’s ideas and passing them as your own. Even though some people will do this deliberately, many offend without knowing. It takes skill to synthesize someone else’s work and create an original paper.

Let’s look at the types of plagiarism.

Deliberate plagiarism

When you deliberately take someone else’s work, through either copy-pasting or repeating another author’s ideas, without giving that author due credit, you’re committing deliberate plagiarism.

This type of plagiarism has the most severe consequences and usually leads to expulsion. A university can revoke your degree if it comes to light that you plagiarised in any part of the work that resulted in the award of an academic qualification.

Accidental plagiarism

For most students, plagiarism is unintentional. This means that you did not attempt to cheat, but you have still passed someone else’s work as your own.

Consequences for this type of plagiarism can include losing marks or automatically failing a course. In certain instances, you may be asked to attend a short course that will help you to avoid plagiarism in future.

For many students, avoiding plagiarism can be challenging. At Virtual English Teacher, we work with highly experienced editors. They can assist in ensuring that your academic paper does not have any plagiarism.

Want proof of our effectiveness and efficiency. Ask for a free, no-obligation sample of your text.
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