Plagiarism: The Big PictureThere's a lot more to plagiarism than most people think. For the average individual, that person probably thinks that plagiarism simply means copying an original work and thinks it's no big deal. I thought so too, until reality gave me a good slap in the face. To be sure, plagiarism is a huge problem and is in fact a crime punishable by several means. There are two types of plagiarism: accidental/unintentional plagiarism and intentional plagiarism. Intentionally plagiarizing would mean copying and pasting directly from a source without paraphrasing at all. The types of people who do this perhaps want to appear well-informed and seem like they have a clue about what's going on. On the other hand, they are simply lazy and do not want to put in the work. Unintentional plagiarism is not deliberate copying and pasting as in the examples above. It can be assumed that writers without much experience do this because they can't tell when they are plagiarizing. Grammatical errors such as forgetting citations if you quote directly from the source can "unintentionally" result in unoriginal work. Inexperienced writers may also have a lack of citations, or perhaps improper signal phrases and parenthetical citations. (The Owl of Purdue, The University of Wisconsin) Plagiarism carries a variety of consequences and penalties. This form of “academic dishonesty” can mean little or no credit on an assignment, discipline in school, expulsion from a university, loss of a job, and most importantly, loss of credibility and professional reputation. Outside of education, an act of plagiarism can result in fines, prison time, and will be placed on your criminal record. Recently, a university...... middle of paper... chance to get into a good college or a good job because no one wants a cheater on their campus. Avoiding plagiarism is not a difficult thing to do. Including correct citations and a properly formatted works cited page, not to mention paraphrases, can ensure that your work is 100% original. Works Cited Stolley, Karl, Allen Brizee, and Joshua M. Paiz. “Welcome to the Purdue Owl.” PurdueOWL: Avoid plagiarism. The Writing Lab, The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University, June 7, 2013. Web. December 29, 2013. United States Copyright Office. "International copyright". United States Copyright Office - International Copyright Law. The Library of Congress, nd Web. December 31, 2013. The University of Wisconsin Writing Center. "How to avoid plagiarism." Avoid plagiarism: cite and paraphrase. University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, 2009. Web. December 30. 2013.