Handling Plagiarism: What Should You Do When Your Professor Catches You?

It's a common scenario that many students face: submitting a paper or assignment only to realize that some of the text was accidentally copied and pasted without proper citation. This situation can be alarming and stressful, but taking proactive steps can help mitigate the consequences.

Understanding Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when you copy and paste text from a source, such as a website, without properly citing the author and source of the information. When you do this, you are essentially passing off someone else's work as your own. Even if the text is properly cited, Turnitin can still detect the copied text as a similarity match if it is used verbatim. This is why it's crucial to always cite your sources correctly.

Preventing Plagiarism

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to check for it before submitting your work. Many universities and online tools offer plagiarism detection services. These tools compare your submitted work with a vast database of published sources. By running your text through one of these tools, you can identify any potential issues and make the necessary changes. If you're working on a literature review or introduction, where you might have to include more quoted material, make sure to refer to the plagiarism reports to minimize any detected similarities.

Consequences of Plagiarism

When I teach at universities, I encourage students to understand the serious nature of plagiarism. When a student is caught plagiarizing in my class, I often recommend that they be expelled, as this is a breach of academic integrity. However, schools have their own policies regarding cheating, and these can vary widely. If you are in this situation, you should expect to face significant disciplinary action.

Here are some steps you can take if your professor catches you plagiarizing:

Assess the situation: Determine if the copied text was properly cited. If not, the consequences may be more severe. Avoid further issues: If you copied and pasted the text without proper citation, do not submit any further work based on the same sources. Write a new paper from scratch. Offer to rewrite: If you believe it was an isolated incident, you might offer to rewrite the paper and present it as punishment. You could also suggest that the paper be worth a reduced grade as a penalty for the initial incident. Accept the consequences: If you have committed plagiarism, you may need to accept a failing grade on the assignment and possibly face additional academic disciplinary actions.

Future Steps

To ensure that you avoid plagiarism in the future, take the following steps:

Educate yourself: Understand what plagiarism is and the importance of proper citation. Familiarize yourself with your institution's policies on academic honesty. Cite properly: Always include proper citations when using information from external sources. Use tools like APA, MLA, or Chicago style for consistency and accuracy. Paraphrase and summarize: When you need to include information from a source, paraphrase or summarize it in your own words. This not only prevents plagiarism but also helps you internalize the material better. Use plagiarism detection tools: Regularly run your work through plagiarism detection tools to ensure it is original.

Remember, academic honesty is crucial. By taking steps to avoid plagiarism and understanding the consequences of not doing so, you can maintain your integrity and the credibility of your work.

Key Takeaways:

Plagiarism involves copying and pasting text without proper citation. Turnitin can detect even properly cited copied text. Consequences of plagiarism can include disciplinary action and expulsion. To avoid plagiarism, always check for it before submitting, cite properly, and use original work.