PLAGIARISM: Consequences and how to avoid it

PLAGIARISM: Consequences and how to avoid it

Introduction

Plagiarism is the use of another person's ideas without acknowledging him or her. Writers who publish plagiarized work face various consequences which include: legal action, destroyed professional reputation, may lead to suspension to students in some colleges and universities and also a writer lacks being creative in his/her future publications. It is through knowledge of the consequences of plagiarism that new writers can be able to present their own original work. To avoid plagiarism, writers are encouraged to be time conscious, to do extensive research in the considered topic and also to believe in themselves (Lathrop 2005, 212). Good citation skills can also be used to present another person's ideas. Writers are therefore encouraged to be original in their writing works.

In our day to day activities in the society, we encounter different ideas from other people. These ideas include published works, drawings and even thoughts and expressions. Plagiarism is presenting such ideas without acknowledging its owner. In the modern world, plagiarism is widespread because internet is used as the main source of information. As stated by Sir. Isaac Newton, “if I have seen further [than other men] it is by standing on shoulders of giants” (Lathrop 2005, 96). Newton acknowledges that all knowledge depends on the previous knowledge and therefore we need to appreciate the works of our predecessors. As scholars, we are we need to educate new writers on:-

·         Consequences of plagiarism

·         Methods of avoiding plagiarism

Consequences of plagiarism

Undermines good academic skills

In our modern world, writers are recognized to be one of the most creative people. Writing good articles requires dedicated time and concentration in the topic of research. However, the act of copying one’s ideas kills a person’s creativity. A person who opts for an easy way in writing plagiarized work damages his own ability to grow as a good writer (Walter 1973, 43). He is therefore unable to present his own original work piece and hence damages his own writing skills.

Legal consequences

Plagiarism has caused many legal battles between writers. The most vulnerable to this kind of legal battles are journalists, article writers and even book writers. Through government legislation. Some stringent rules have been put to curb such malpractices; such include long jail terms and even large court fines.

Damage to professional reputation

Professional writers have had to face bad publicity if suspected to be producing plagiarized work. Some of them have had their books withdrawn from bookshelves while others have had their publishing deals cancel led. A damaged professional career means an end to one’s writing career. This is because readers prefer original work to plagiarized work.

Suspension from college or university

In some colleges and universities, strict rules and regulations have been set aside to reduce plagiarism. Such institutions encourage students to produce their original work. It is therefore illegal to present plagiarized work. Such an action may lead to suspension or even in extreme cases expulsion because plagiarism is compared to cheating. A student therefore may therefore have a delayed graduation because of plagiarism.

Irrelevant research

Copied research may sometimes be irrelevant. An example is a medical research which uses plagiarized data: if the data is not accurate, use of such data may be fatal to the society. Also, in engineering, proper research is required so as to minimize the operational cost of a project, if the researcher produces a plagiarized work, the company would suffer large losses which may have been avoided.

Loss of money

A lot of money is lost due to plagiarism. From legal tackles to recalling of all published work. Also, a writer with a bad reputation cannot be able to regain his invested money because the books are not selling in the market. Such a writer encounters a big loss which results to an end to his/her writing career.

Methods of avoiding plagiarism

Understand what plagiarism is

A lot of writers get involved in publishing plagiarized work without knowing it is an offense. Such writers need to know that it is illegal to use one’s ideas. They need to know what constitutes plagiarism. Through education, potential writers are able to appreciate other peoples work and hence avoid plagiarism.

Extensive research on a topic

It is through extensive research that one is able to gain enough knowledge and hence be able to present his own work. Inadequate research always tempts a writer to use other people’s ideas. Through extensive research, a writer would have knowledge on what he/she is writing on and hence avoid plagiarism.

Time management during research

Writers who get caught up with time are the most affected by plagiarism. This is because a person who has a fixed deadline to submit may always be subject to plagiarism. Therefore, completing

a research in time enables one to effectively have originality in his own work.

Giving credit to the original writer

A good writer should learn how to appreciate other people’s idea. By using proper citation, he/she is able to avoid plagiarism.

Believing in oneself

Writers ought to have a high self esteem. They have to be believe that they are among the best. By doing so, a writer is able to present his or her own job without copying and hence avoiding plagiarism.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is good to use other people’s ideas but we should be able to acknowledge them in our written articles. We need to avoid plagiarism at all cost because plagiarism has many negative impacts in our writing skills. Moreover, the government should be more vigilant in taming this vice in the society.

Bibliography

Ann, Lathrop. Guiding students from cheating and plagiarism, Westport: Libraries unlimited, . 2005

Mischel, Walter. Toward a cognitive social learning of personality. New York: McGraw Hill publishers.1973