There are several things in this world that make me really angry. One of those is abusing others, especially children or the elderly. Another is lying. I hate being lied to. Whatever the truth is, I’d much rather deal with it. The thing is the truth will eventually come out and when it does, then not only do we have to deal with that truth, but we also have to deal with the issue of the lie. Plagiarism is a form of lying, and as an English teacher, when students plagiarize, I become angry.

I define plagiarism for my students. I tell them I will not tolerate it. I warn them of the consequences. I even tell them that whatever work they turn in that is their original work will receive a better grade than a plagiarized piece, basically because regardless of how awful their original piece might be, it’s theirs and it gets a grade whereas a plagiarized piece receives a grade of zero. Trust me, when putting grades into the grade book, a 60% calculates much better than a grade of zero will, especially for a weighted assignment.

In addition, I tell them that plagiarized pieces can carry additional consequences, especially when they are taking college classes. At the high school level, the basic consequences are fairly simple – a grade of zero for the assignment, having to redo the assignment for no additional credit because the assignment has to be completed for the course, and possibly a day or two of in-school suspension. At the college level, the consequences are much more severe. Students face the possibility of receiving a grade of zero for the assignment, of receiving a failing grade for the entire course, or of being kicked out of school. The seriousness of these consequences should indicate to the students the seriousness of plagiarism.

Given that, you might wonder why a student would bother to risk plagiarizing an assignment, and I, too, wonder that. It seems to me that regardless of how poorly the assignment might turn out, it’s better to do your own work. I understand schedules get busy and deadlines seem to appear out of nowhere. However, there is NO EXCUSE for plagiarizing. None at all. Ever. Basically all that matters is I have an academically dishonest student.

I do admit to my students that I cannot guarantee that I will catch every case of plagiarism; however, I am fairly certain that very few cases have gotten past me. For one thing, the plagiarizing student is too lazy to put much effort into it, so catching them is usually fairly easy. If they can find it on Google, so can I, and it’s easier for me since I have their plagiarized paper right in front of me. I suppose there might be a few students who take that admission that I might not catch it as a signal that it’s OK to try it; however, they are wrong, because when they do try it and I do catch it, there is some severe damage that is done.

First, there is the issue of respect. The student has demonstrated a lack of respect for me by plagiarizing, and then I lose respect for the student because he or she lied to me. Second, there is the issue of the grade for the class. I hate to see students do poorly, especially when it’s because of something like plagiarism, which is an issue he or she can control. After all, making the decision to do one’s own work isn’t really a difficult one. Students may not realize how difficult it is to repair the damage from plagiarizing, but it is. I can forgive the offense, but the student has to earn my trust back, and that takes time.

Unfortunately, plagiarizing once isn’t enough for some students; they become repeat plagiarists, and just as with other crimes, the consequences and penalties become more severe each time. If students do not take the issue of plagiarism very seriously, they could destroy their entire academic career. Transferring to another college or university will not solve the problem; academic records follow the student.

Simply put … plagiarism is a SERIOUS offense with SERIOUS consequences. Be smart. Do your own work. Protect your academic career. Your worst work will be better than plagiarized work. Don’t destroy your relationships with professors; you might need them later for recommendations. Be an honest student. Don’t plagiarize. I can’t put it any simpler than that.