The broader meaning of plagiarism is to take credit for somebody else's work as your own. In the world of academics, plagiarism is considered a serious ethical offense. While most Indian universities are observably lax about plagiarism and its consequences, universities abroad take plagiarism very seriously.

Here are 5 things you need to know about plagiarism and its consequences:

1. No matter how tiny the percentage of plagiarized content, once your work is deemed plagiarized, it is invalidated. Your entire work will be rejected and you can also be permanently barred from submitting any other work in the organization.
    
2. Plagiarism is also considered a breach of journalistic ethics. So, even though it’s not a criminal offense, you could get involved in a legal case because you have violated copyright infringement laws.
    
3. There are certain cases where, if the author sues the plagiarist, the settlement could be in form of monetary restitution for the author by the plagiarist.
    
4. Although it is rare, there have been instances of those found guilty of plagiarism being failed from the course and even expelled from the university. In extreme cases, you could also be blacklisted from studying for that degree ever again.
    
5. Your academic as well professional reputation would be shattered. An academic record that’s scarred by plagiarism would forever suffer the consequences in terms of suspicion or straight-up rejection in the professional arena.
    

Hence, always double-check that all your submitted work is free from plagiarised content. Cite references, and provide quotes and annotations to avoid copyright hassles.


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