Plagiarism is when a student copies a writer’s work by writing word for word without acknowledging his or her source. This usually happens when students feel lazy to research, take notes whilst reading or simply cannot summarize or paraphrase what they have read and researched on. Also when students work under pressure, or trying to meet deadlines they can plagiarize. Plagiarisms by students have resulted in a lot of consequences where even in some serious cases students are convicted.
Students who engage in plagiarism never develop new skills in writing whilst in school and even after life in colleges and universities. These stems from the fact that they become comfortable and are always waiting to copy what others have done and never try to think or express their own thoughts in writing.
Before a student writes on a topic he or she is expected to read the particular topic over and over to make sure he/she understands before paraphrasing or summarizing. One could therefore use a direct quote but acknowledging the source is the most important thing to do otherwise you could be plagiarizing. Using a writer's word directly is acceptable but must go with quotation marks. Also stating your source in your writing is one of the best as your reader can always do references.
A student who plagiarizes destroys his/her reputation and that is also not fair to their classmates who painstakingly research, write their own ideas and cite their sources where necessary. Quoting directly and giving credit where it is due makes your reader appreciate how much efforts you put into your paper or work.
There are penalties that one pays for plagiarizing though it may differ from colleges and universities. In most colleges or universities, teachers report students they know have plagiarized, the culprits or suspects are investigated and based on the outcome get punished. In worst cases some may have their diplomas and degrees suspended due to plagiarism.
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