“PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is copying someone elses work and passing it as your own.It can also be described as stealing another persons work and passing it as your own making. It is also using another persons production without their permission.
CAUSES OF PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is caused by students fearing not to perform. This is where the student is afraid of failing the assignment. It can also be caused students not planning their time well. Some students tend to be poor time managers therefore not having enough time to do research.
Instructors and institutions should be strict on students caught plagiarizing. When it occurs it should be reported immediately so that the students can see the seriousness in plagiarism. Penalties should be enforced.
Students may view consequences of using another persons production as unimportant not knowing it can lead to them paying the author if there are sued. Teachers may provide students with information which is not specified making students think they are justified in looking for canned responses.
Failure to combine ideas of others and put them into a text may also cause plagiarism. Before students know how to put others peoples ideas into their own work they will make a lot of mistakes which is a natural way of learning.
Students may lack support from their college instructor as they learn how to research and document source. They may not know how to take careful and documented notes during their research. Students from other cultures may not know the seriousness of plagiarism in American colleges and universities. Plagiarism is not defined the same by all academicians and scholars. This may make the student end up being a plagiarist.
TYPES OF PLAGIARISM
There are different types of plagiarism and are listed below.
Direct Plagiarism
Direct plagiarism is transcription of someone elses work as your own without quotation marks. Copying of someone else work is unfortunate and disciplinary action should be taken. It can lead to expulsion.
Self Plagiarism
Self Plagiarism is when a student submits his or her own previous work without permission from all professors involved. For instance it is unacceptable to make part of a paper work you wrote in high school into a paper given in college course.
Mosaic Plagiarism
Mosaic plagiarism is when a student borrows a phrase direct from a source without using quotation marks or changes the authors language while keeping the meaning of the original. Whether you use it intentionally or not it is punishable.
Accidental Plagiarism
Accidental plagiarism is when a student fails to cite their sources or unknowingly quotes a source by using similar words group of words and sentence structure without permission. Students must quote correctly and take accurate notes when doing research
CONSEQUENCES OF PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism has consequences which includes;
Destroyed student reputation Plagiarism can lead to a suspension of a student. It can also lead to a student being expelled from the school. Their academic record can cause the student to be limited privileges to joining college from high school
Destroyed academic reputation Once caught with plagiarism it means your career can be ruined as well. Its consequences have been reported all over the world meaning you cannot publish anything leading to an end of academic position.
Destroyed professional reputation the damage caused by plagiarism may follow a person throughout their life. Their may fail to get another job or be demoted from their previous position.
Legal repercussions This can be taken seriously and the author may sue a plagiarist. This may lead to a prison sentence. Those who earn a living from writing are open to plagiarism issues. Those who write frequently should be careful not to error.
Monetary repercussions cases of plagiarism have been reported in the recent years. Incase an author sues a plagiarist; the author may be paid for the damage caused.
Redoing the assignment again This means the students has to repeat the assignment again leading to time wastage. It may also drag the student behind leading to low self esteem.
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism can be avoided by paraphrase. This when you have found the information matching your research read it and put it in your own words without copying words from the text you have found. When you copy more than two words use quotation marks.
It can also be avoided by referencing.It is important to include a reference page at the end of your research paper. The page must meet the document formatting guidelines used by your educational institution. This information is specific and it includes author date of publication title and source. The directions for this page should be followed carefully for you to get the reference right.
Another way of avoiding plagiarism is by citing your own material. When using a material that you used in class or anywhere else you must cite yourself. The text should be treated the same it could have been treated if it was written by anyone else. Using material that you have used before is unacceptable.
Plagiarism can also be avoided by the way you quote. Quotes should be exactly as they appear because no ones want to be misquoted. Most institutions of higher learning disapprove a quote of more than 40 words or more. You should be able to paraphrase most material. It may take time but it pays well.
Conclusion
Many people think of plagiarism as copying or borrowing another persons work. Using copying or borrowing is underestimating the seriousness of the issues. This is because plagiarism means stealing and passing another persons idea as your own.
It is also seen as committing literary theft. Also delivering the new and original idea from the existing source is also considered plagiarism. Indicating that the information has been borrowed and referring your audience with the information to find that source helps prevent plagiarism.
Plagiarism is unhealthy and it should be avoided at all cost. It is important to avoid using other peoples information because it shows that you respect their work. Students should understand the consequences and also what it means to avoid severe punishment.
To avoid plagiarism you must recognize another persons ideas or theory. It is a form of theft that costs tax payers a lot of money through payments. It also helps place people in positions of authority who do not deserve such positions. Everyone joining this field should be keen on plagiarist to avoid being frustrated
It should be avoided at all costs and a lot of care must be taken when one suspects a writer of plagiarism.”
