Plagiarism: OverviewPlagiarism is much more than most people think. For the average person, that person probably thinks that plagiarism is just copying an original work and that it's no big deal. I used to think that way too, until reality gave me a good slap in the face. Truth be told, plagiarism is a huge problem and is actually a crime punishable in several ways. There are two types of plagiarism: accidental/unintentional plagiarism and intentional plagiarism. Intentionally plagiarizing would be copying and pasting directly from a source without paraphrasing at all. The types of people who do this may want to appear knowledgeable and like they have an idea of ​​what's going on. On the other hand, they are simply lazy and don't want to put any effort into their work. Unintentional plagiarism is not deliberate copying and pasting like in the examples above. It can be assumed that writers without much experience do this because they cannot understand when they are plagiarizing. Grammatical errors such as forgetting quotes if you are directly quoting the source can “unintentionally” turn into an unoriginal work. Inexperienced writers may also miss citations, or perhaps inappropriate signal phrases and parenthetical citations. (The Owl of Purdue, University of Wisconsin)Plagiarism carries various consequences and penalties. This form of “academic dishonesty” can mean little or no credit for an assignment, discipline in school, expulsion from a university, loss of employment, and especially loss of credibility and professional reputation. Outside of the educational field, an act of plagiarism can result in fines, prison sentences and will be recorded on your criminal record. Recently, a college...... middle of paper...... chances of getting 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 paraphrasing, can ensure that your work is 100% original. Works Cited Stoley, Karl, Allen Brizee, and Joshua M. Paiz. “Welcome to the Purdue OWL.” PurdueOWL: avoid plagiarism. The Writing Lab, The OWL at Purdue and PurdueUniversity, June 7, 2013. Web. December 29, 2013. United States Copyright Office. “International Copyright”. US Copyright Office - International Copyright Law. The Library of Congress, nd Web. December 31, 2013. The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin. “How to avoid plagiarism.” Avoiding plagiarism: quotes and paraphrases. University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, 2009. Web. December 30. 2013.