There are a lot of reasons plagiarism hurts your writing. They can be professional, personal, legal and ethical. With online plagiarism detectors so readily available to all, there is no reason not to use them. An individual accused of plagiarism will always be a suspect. You should never use ignorance as an excuse. Some of the common plagiarists include students, professionals, authors, and journalists to name a few.
Negative effects of plagiarism on writing
As we said earlier, plagiarism has a lot of negative effects on writing. They understand:
1. Reputation destroyed at school
Allegations of plagiarism can result in suspension or worse, expulsions. The academic record of these students will reflect a lack of ethics that may prohibit an individual from enrolling in various colleges or even finding employment. Colleges and universities generally take cases of plagiarism seriously. Even if you aren’t suspended or kicked out once taken, your grades will drop dramatically as large projects like research carry a lot of grades.
2. Destroys professional reputation
A professional politician, entrepreneur or public figure can find it difficult to achieve their goals and climb the career ladder when caught in cases of plagiarism. The individual may be fired or forced to resign from their current post. However, they will have a hard time getting back to where they started from. Depending on the offense and the individual’s stature in society, making a meaningful career or impacting the lives of other people can be extremely difficult.
3. Legal consequences
The legal consequences of plagiarism can be very serious. There are strict copyright laws in most countries around the world. And these laws do not allow an individual to use another person’s works without reference or citation. An author can sue a plagiarist at any time. It can be so serious that it can lead to jail time. People who write daily for a living, such as writers, freelancers and journalists, should go to Online Plagiarism Checker to avoid these cases. If you write frequently, you need to exercise caution to avoid making this big mistake. As a writer in the professional world, plagiarism is a serious legal and ethical issue.
4. Destroys academic reputation
In academia, the negative consequences of plagiarism have been widely reported. Once a student is scarred by allegations of plagiarism, their academic career can be ruined. To successfully graduate, you need to get good grades. And that requires the success of your memory. Publishing is essential if you want to get good grades while building your reputation. Losing your ability to publish can destroy your reputation and your academic standing.
5. Monetary consequences
There are many articles and reports that have unearthed what journalists, authors, researchers or public figures are. And this increases the chances of plagiarism. If you are a journalist or have to pay for newspapers and magazines. A student can be found plagiarizing. And these can cause them monetary penalties
6. It doesn’t develop your skills
One of the biggest consequences of plagiarism is that it doesn’t help develop or improve writing skills. You will never know how to conduct extensive research or compose an original piece. Such long-term effects will harm your present and your future. You need skills to do the job well and get paid. You must write and submit or publish original content to improve your performance. If you’ve never done this before, now is the time to start developing your research and writing skills by doing everything yourself and seeking help when needed.
7. Fresh content increases traffic
If you have a website, creating fresh content will naturally increase circulation. When you copy, you will not have complete or correct information for your visitors. However, when you focus on creating new content every time, your visitors will always have something to read. Most visitors don’t stay on one page for too long. They come looking for information that will help them solve their problems. The same goes for students. Your teacher will always enjoy reading a new article. Therefore, avoid copying information directly from other websites and articles. Plagiarism does not help anyone solve their problems. It invites more problems into your life.
Tips for avoiding plagiarism
Avoiding plagiarism is easier than you might think. Now that you know why you should avoid it, here are some tips that will help you avoid plagiarizing your content:
1. Cite sources correctly
When incorporating wordings or ideas that are not your own, you should always add quotes that identify the source, its publication date, and anything else required based on the style in question.
2. Include quotes
If you decide to insert words that are not your own in your article, the best way to avoid plagiarism is to use quotes around the text to show that the words are not yours. A direct quote should always cite the source to help readers know where you got it from. You must proofread your work using editing services to correct citations.
3. Paraphrase
Paraphrasing is the process of rewriting another person’s idea in your own words without altering the meaning. You need to be careful when doing this, as paraphrasing can easily turn into plagiarism if done improperly. A successful paraphrase involves formatting your article by removing similar sources or phrases from the source. You have to do this without altering the main idea. Since you are using another person’s idea, you should always cite your source.
4. Use plagiarism checkers
When you do extensive research and paraphrase, there will be phrases or sentences that will stick. Therefore, you should use an online plagiarism checker to check online and help you find and fix these issues before posting or submitting your work. There are many reputable online plagiarism checkers that will scan and find the borrowed text. These tools will even highlight specific words that have been plagiarized. These tools will help you avoid plagiarism and improve the quality of your work.
5. Present your ideas
Instead of using other people’s words and ideas, think about what you can say about them. Think about what you can do to make your writing original. If you decide to use someone else’s idea, you will be required to cite your sources to avoid plagiarism. If you are using the same topic to write different assignments, you should avoid self-plagiarism or recycling some of your ideas or words.
Conclusion
Plagiarism has a lot of negative effects on your grades and your career. By using the tips and suggestions we have discussed in this article, you will develop your writing skills, increase your productivity, and increase your chances of success in the future.
Authors biography
Judy Nelson is a talented writer and experienced proofreader. She is passionate about helping writers and students achieve their professional and academic goals. She enjoys socializing and visiting new places with her loved ones.