If you have committed plagiarism in college, then you can expect that there will always be consequences. It can either affect you personally, morally, professionally, or legally. Nowadays, there is a lot of available plagiarism checker. Hence, with a free plagiarism checker, it is now very easy to catch plagiarism in college.
Once you are accused of plagiarism in college, most likely people will always have a suspicion on you. Plagiarism in high school is also common. Plagiarism can also exist in authors, journalists, professionals, and others.
Plagiarism in College Statistics
Based on the reports of The Center for Academic Integrity, about 80% of college students confess that they were cheating at least once. On the other hand, the study conducted by the Psychological Record revealed that 36% of undergraduates acknowledged that they have plagiarized their written material.
What is Self-plagiarism in College?
Self plagiarism in college is a certain type of plagiarism wherein the student republishes his work. It could either be a portion only or the whole previously written project. Most students will claim that they can reuse their work again anytime they want since they are the author. They did not plagiarize because they are not using the words or ideas of other students. Furthermore, the definition of plagiarism does not include self-plagiarism. This means that the students are not aware of the laws of reusing previously written projects.
Plagiarism in college articles can even happen in top colleges and universities. When it comes to plagiarism, it does not only refer to stealing the published works of writers. Using the works of other students or reusing your works can also be considered as plagiarism. That’s why we advise you to hire only qualified academic writers.
Plagiarism Consequences in College
Due to modern technology, detecting plagiarism cases in college is now much easier and more effective. Schools and teachers will use a plagiarism tool in spotting plagiarism. Students who are caught plagiarizing in college must know that there will always be some consequences. Here are a few of them.
- Students will get a failing grade.
The punishment for plagiarism in college may vary. But the most obvious would be a failing grade for the project that they plagiarize. The methods of plagiarism punishment in college students will vary in different schools. The penalties will intensify for recurrent violations. For instance, on the first offense, the school might issue a warning. Instructors are also encouraged to report any incidence of plagiarism to the school authorities. This can make the school aware of the student’s violation in case there will be some violations in the future. There are also some cases wherein the instructor will give the student a failing grade for the entire subject.
- The student’s reputation will be destroyed.
One of the most common punishments for plagiarism in college is suspension or expulsion. This can be reflected in the student’s academic record. The worst thing is the student could be forbidden to enter college. Some students may not be aware of it, but most colleges and universities regard plagiarism as a serious offense. In some educational institutions, they have committees that monitor their students. In most schools, those who are caught plagiarizing in college for the first time will be suspended. If they continue to commit plagiarism, then eventually they will be expelled.
Penalty for Plagiarism in College
Can you go to jail for plagiarism in college? Plagiarism is considered a violation. Most often, you will be required to pay a certain amount for the penalty which is between $100 and $50,000. Or the plagiarist could go to jail for a year. Some states consider plagiarism as a felony. For instance, if the plagiarist earned a certain amount of money from the plagiarized work then he could be fined up to $250,000 or end up in jail for ten years.
What Is the Percentage of Plagiarism Allowed in College?
Most colleges and universities have their plagiarism policy. The percentage of plagiarism that is acceptable may vary. Usually, it should not surpass 15%. With the help of a plagiarism checking tool, instructors can now easily detect how much of the information was stolen.
Students are not permitted to rewrite the works of others by rearranging the words or using numerous synonyms. When creating academic writings, the student must present a reference to the source of the information. Remember that your grade will depend on the originality of your work.
How to Avoid Plagiarism in College?
For college students, plagiarism is probably one of the easiest crimes to commit. However, there are great consequences that come with it. To check what these consequences are, you can refer to your school handbook. You could either get a failing grade, get suspended or expelled.
Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, plagiarism prevention is very important. It must be avoided at any cost. Here are some tips that can help you in avoiding plagiarism:
- If you have some questions about plagiarism, then be sure to consult your instructor. There are also some guidelines about plagiarism that you can find on the internet.
- Start making your project earlier. In this way, you still have a lot of time and you can prevent plagiarizing.
- You must ensure that you are interested in the topic that you choose. One of the major reasons why most students plagiarize is because they feel that their project is boring, and they are just wasting their time in doing this.
- When preparing for a research paper, it is important to take notes. This can help you organize all the information before you start writing. On the contrary, if you do not take notes, then this can lead to numerous problems. You might make wrong citations and quotations.
- Be sure to provide credit and citations when necessary. Learn how to make a proper citation. By making credits and citations, your instructor can trust that your information is reliable. Whether you get the ideas somewhere else or you just modify some of it, you must credit its source.
- You must have source material for your project.
- Be careful when paraphrasing. A paraphrase consists of your own words however, the idea comes from someone else. When paraphrasing, you must alter the words as well as the sentence structure, but the content stays the same. Citations are also required even if you are paraphrasing.
- Never distribute copies of your work to other students.
- Always remember the definition of plagiarism. Most importantly, keep in mind that ignorance is not an excuse.
How to Get Away with Plagiarism in College?
If you don’t want to get caught plagiarizing, then you can make use of quotation marks and footnotes. The information that you will be using comes from other sources. However, it would not look great, if your project will only consist of quoted text. You should also put your contribution. But then, if your goal is to get away from plagiarism, you can use the works of others and credit them for it.
