What's the worst that can happen?
You might think that plagiarism doesn't have consequences - but it does! Here are some of the things that can happen to you if you choose to plagiarize (or even if you plagiarize accidentally!). Not everything on this list will happen - but the chances are you will get caught, and you won't be happy you decided to plagiarize.
People lose their trust in you. |
This is one of the most important reasons to avoid plagiarism. Even when unintentional, plagiarism can change what people think about you. It will for sure make your teachers look more closely at your future assignments, too!
|
You cheat yourself out of learning. |
Believe it or not - teachers assign you work because it benefits you, not because they enjoy grading mountains of papers! When you plagiarize, even if you aren't caught, you still cheat yourself out of the rewards of creating something you can be proud of, and learning something new in the process.
|
Legal consequences. |
When plagiarism results in fraud or in stealing from someone else's profits, there can be legal consequences. For example, if you use someone's song in the background of a video for school without crediting them, you may open yourself up to legal consequences.
|
You get suspended or expelled. |
Different schools have different policies on plagiarism, but for students with a history of plagiarizing the school may decide to take disciplinary action, which could mean suspension or getting kicked out of school.
|
Your teacher contacts your parents. |
Regardless of whether or not your teacher lets you redo your assignment, the will probably talk to your parents and the principal about what happened.
|
You fail your assignment. |
You might not be lucky enough to get to redo your assignment. Failing an assignment because you didn't cite your sources means the work you did put in will be meaningless.
|
You have to redo your assignment. |
Teachers read hundreds and hundreds of student papers - chances are that your teacher will be able to tell when you are using words that aren't your own. You will be lucky if the only consequence is having to redo your assignment, although in that case, your plagiarism doesn't really end up saving you any time or effort after all.
|