Why Avoid Plagiarism

So far, we’ve focused on how to avoid different kinds of plagiarism. Although you’ve likely been told many times that plagiarizing can get you into trouble, it’s also worth noting that there are many good reasons to avoid plagiarism that have nothing to do with punishment at all. Some of these include:

• Proper citation of the sources you’ve used builds the credibility of your own writing. Readers of scholarship are able to check sources to establish the credibility of new ideas and research. A paper that isn’t cited properly isn’t able to be evaluated and thus, your reader might not believe what you’re saying.
• Committing plagiarism is a disservice to yourself. We learn by doing, and when you intentionally plagiarize, you miss out on the opportunity to not only learn more about the topic of the paper, but also how to research well, write clearly, and analyze coherently–all of which are highly valued skills.
• The individuals, and often the institutions they work for, who produce knowledge own that knowledge as intellectual property. Proper citation and attribution prevents the infringement of others’ rights to their work.
• It creates a culture of honesty and openness. If producers of knowledge were worried about their ideas being stolen or used improperly, they’d be less likely to make public those ideas, harming the quality of what’s produced, and reducing its availability.

With all that said, the negative consequences of committing plagiarism at Muhlenberg are still significant. To understand what happens to students who are accused of committing plagiarism, or other acts of academic dishonesty, please click this link to see how the process works (AIC Procedures).