Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and presenting it as your own. It’s common in academia, music, and literature. Penalties include failing, expulsion, job loss, and hefty fines. Mistakes include paraphrasing without citation, direct citations without citation, and blatant copying. Sampling is taking part of an existing work without permission. Plagiarism can ruin careers and result in lawsuits.
Plagiarism occurs when a person copies material from another source and presents it as their own work. It happens in academic settings, in the workplace, and in music and literature. School authorities and publishers have enacted heavy penalties for plagiarism up to and including failing, denial of degrees, and expulsion. Those who plagiarize in the workplace or in literary works can lose their job or contract. Violators could face severe civil penalties, including litigation and hefty fines.
Scholastic plagiarism in papers and reports is so common that every accredited university has policies to address it. Mistakes made by students include paraphrasing or rearranging content without citing the source, using direct citations without citation, and blatant copying using cheating paper mills and websites. Penalties against plagiarism in academia start with a failing grade for the course. The student could be referred to administrators, depending on the seriousness of the offense, or the instructor could handle it privately. Suspension or expulsion may follow if the plagiarism is particularly egregious or part of a general pattern.
The penalties for music plagiarism have been especially harsh with the advent of digital content, which can be endlessly copied and distributed over the Internet. Artists accused of plagiarism have produced pieces that are close in idea or melody to another work. Sampling is the taking of a part of an existing work and using it in a new one without permission. If the original artist wants to share, a Creative Commons license allows use of the work without penalties for plagiarism.
Literary copying involves the same risks as music. If authors take passages from another work and use them in their own, they can face penalties for plagiarism. There have been several high-profile cases where someone has done this and lost a book deal, an agent, and ruined any chance at a career as a writer. In some cases, the book containing plagiarized material may be pulled from store shelves and even destroyed by the publisher.
In the workplace, plagiarism occurs when copyrighted materials, whether images, articles or drawings, are used without permission or attribution. They find their way into marketing documents, projects or proposals. Works created out of an employment relationship with a particular company are generally protected by that company’s copyright. Employers have imposed harsh plagiarism penalties on offenders, including dismissal. Although plagiarism is rarely prosecuted in criminal courts, civil infringement lawsuits can cost companies hefty fines, which the wrongful employees could end up getting sued.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
