Six Reasons Why Plagiarism is Wrong
Unoriginal: Originality is generally the most demanded aspect of any work and copied work has no value. Although, you are welcome to present the work, views, and opinions of others (if the sources are acknowledged), your work, views, and opinions are normally required too. Plus, any feedback you receive will not be of use to your development as it is not based on your work.
Theft: Is plagiarism illegal? Plagiarism is a form of intellectual property theft and can be deemed illegal in certain circumstances. Although, it may not seem as bad as physically stealing from someone, in the eyes of the law it amounts to the same crime. However, academic plagiarism is not illegal but plagiarism by a student may be a violation of copyright laws, specifically copyright infringement.
High risk of being caught: In the past it was much easier to plagiarize but with modern technology today, academic institutions can easily and thoroughly check work for plagiarized content (via a plagiarism checker which generates a plagiarism score). Although educational professionals may convince a student that the plagiarism percentage allowed is zero, the greatest amount of plagiarism that academic institutions commonly deem acceptable in submissions is around 15%.
Destroys academic integrity: Qualifications earned through plagiarism are unfair and fraudulent which degrades the value of qualifications, undermines the effort of other students, and can be seen as fraud. Being honest, ethical, and thorough in your academic work is what academic integrity entails. To maintain academic integrity, you should avoid misleading your readers about any aspect of your work.
Destroys trust and reputation: parents, guardians, teachers, and even peers may be disappointed in your behavior and not trust you in the future. You may find yourself being more closely monitored and questioned as regards your subsequent pieces of work and perhaps also during tests and examinations.
Unethical act: Why is plagiarism wrong ethically? Plagiarised material is cheating and disrespectful. We all know it is morally not right. It may cause you stress being worried about getting caught, you may feel guilt, and even if you are successful in passing someone else’s work off as your own, you will not have succeeded in developing your skills or knowledge. If you consider it from the original writer’s point of view and ask yourself “Why is plagiarism bad?”, you will realise that no one (understandably) wants someone else benefitting from their hard work.