We all know the stress of writing a dissertation, especially as the deadline comes looming faster than we might’ve hoped. One moment you’re still in the research stage, picking out the ideal topic and the next, you’re a paragraph in but the deadline is staring you right in the face. Whether you’re the kind of person to leave things to the last minute or you’re simply too stressed to function, taking proper care with quoting, citing and your bibliography is a must to avoid plagiarism. While plagiarism software can detect any cases of this before you submit your dissertation, it’s important to understand what the risks are.
You Could Ruin Your Reputation
Plagiarism in education often comes with ruined reputation not only as a student, but as a professional too. Your research, especially within a dissertation, will have to come with a certain amount of trust but through plagiarising this huge part of your life, your reputation as a trustworthy and legitimate writer and academic is likely to be destroyed. While this can seem scary, simply ensuring that your writing is your own and that you’ve correctly cited all of your sources can save this heartache.
You Could Have Your Work Rejected
If your dissertation flags up a high enough percentage of plagiarism, you’re likely to have your work rejected completely and, as we know, that’s a lot of work to have chucked away. You probably won’t get a chance to redo it either, so your grade will be made up entirely of your previous assignments and tests – provided you aren’t expelled.
You May Be Expelled From Your University
Following on from the point above, expulsion from your place of education is also highly likely when it comes to plagiarism cases. Universities in particular usually have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to fraud and theft of work and when taken to a dissertation level, this is likely to result in harsh consequences. However, if your plagiarism is accidental – for example, incorrect citing of sources though they can tell it’s a quote as opposed to copied work – then it’s likely you’ll have marks taken away from your overall grade as opposed to facing expulsion.
You Could Face A Fine
While fines for plagiarism tend to be associated more with corporate and professional content, students also face the risk of being essentially sued and we all know how little money students often have to spare. The size of the fine can often differ depending on the seriousness of the allegation or the popularity of the original piece but it’s best to avoid this altogether, in our opinion!
You May Fail Your Entire Degree
No matter how much work you’ve done, how good your grades are or how good of a reputation you’ve had in the past, a blatantly plagiarised dissertation could result in an ultimate degree fail. All of that hard work would go to waste, which we personally don’t think is worth it!
Accidental plagiarism is easily avoidable if you understand what you need to avoid and while it can be easy to make mistakes in high-stress situations, it’s always best to check your work before you submit it. Good luck.