A few weeks ago, my friend was expelled from our college for plagiarism. He texted me late in the night ‘I got caught plagiarizing in college what should I do? I did not know the webs at the time. I have never been caught cheating but it got me thinking about what can I do if caught (god forbid) or to ensure that I was never caught flouting any academic rules. This article details some of the things you can do if caught plagiarizing and how to get out of plagiarism.
Don’t play the “I didn’t know it was plagiarism” game
Do not take your chances with your academics. Plagiarism charges in most institutions attract severe academic penalties and most of them are unaffordable. Never imagine or assume that your professor cannot detect plagiarism. Most institutions have subscriptions to plagiarism checkers and they have pinpoint accuracy. Thus, do not take your chances or cling on to ignorance because the software delivers accurate details that are undeniable. Thus, your accuser has solid evidence of your plagiarism and you can try any other trick in the book but you can be sure ignorance is not how to get out of plagiarism. To have a plagiarism-free perfect paper you may use a website of essay writing service.
Figure out the process
If you are caught, it is important to figure out your process and understand how best you can free yourself from the mess. Probably you are not the first to get caught plagiarizing in college. Therefore, you need to understand the history of the previous victims and if possible, seek them out to help you to prepare your defense. They understand the process of what to say when caught plagiarizing. They can help you either avoid the pitfalls they may or not have made that either incriminated them or freed them.
Don’t pretend you don’t know how to properly cite.
Your professor assumes that you know how to cite and other ways to avoid plagiarizing in college. It is a lame excuse to pretend that you don’t know how to cite properly. Your professor knows that you have been taught at least one course in academic writing and it is evident from the institution’s program. It may be a prerequisite to take that very course. And besides, copying entire swaths of material from the website and passing them as your won leave very little room to pull this excuse.
Make sure you understand the charges
In most cases, the professor or faculty administrator will write you a letter outlining your misconduct. Make sure you read and understand the letter. Sometimes it could be a warning or a more severe disciplinary action such as expulsion. Some of these charges may require you to prepare a defense to prove your innocence and understanding your accusations will help you prepare a solid defense. Otherwise, you may incriminate yourself.
Understand the consequences
On a personal level, you may genuinely believe that your work is not plagiarized. We are human and you may not have expected to have included an uncited content in your essay. However, when caught with plagiarism, that small issue may attract the severest penalty. Therefore, you must understand the possible consequences of your action and frame your response and defense from that.
Don’t write a defensive response back to your professor
However innocent you think you are, do not write a defensive letter back to your professor. It might trigger him/her to reread your paper now aiming to make a solid case against you. He/she may have decided to give you a light penalty like rewriting the essay but a defensive paper may push the wrong buttons and decide to forward the matter to the administrators and prompt them to press more serious charges. Remember, they still have your paper and they can always find the evidence they need to even call for your suspension. A defensive letter will be like making a fool out of your professor and that is a sure way to balloon the problem.
Respond with a gentle, non-defensive tone.
When called upon to explain why your work is plagiarized, respond in a gentle non-defensive tone. I also encourage you not to admit in writing that you intentionally plagiarized, but respond in a manner that shows contrition. Always try to ensure you do not escalate the issue. Thus, gentleness and non-defensive tone is key in trying to understand how to get away with plagiarism.
Respect and participate in the process
Rules are rules. You must respect them and follow the due process. Respecting the process is part of demonstrating your contrition. Trying to find tricks to outsmart the system can only make it worse and escalate it to attract the severest punishments possible. Thus, make sure any of the roles you have to play you do them respectfully. If you are summoned by your professor in his/her office, do not be rude or fail to show up.
Figure out what you’ve learned so it doesn’t happen again
You may not get a severe punishment for being a first-time offender. Learn from the process and find ways to ensure you learn how to get out of plagiarism. You may have run out of luck and you stand higher chances of more severe punishment for repeating the offense. If you are wondering how to avoid repeating the same mistake, try the website of essay writing service. According to my research, Essay Writing Service topped the list for its excellent service. I once had them write my essay in an hour. Needless to say, they delivered in an hour and I got an ‘A’ for it. It was also 100% original. With such services readily available to us, you can be sure no one will ever get you plagiarizing.
Ask to resubmit for partial credit
As a show of your remorse, you can ask your professor for a rewrite to earn partial credit. This could be a good bargaining position as the professor sees that you understand the consequences of your actions and would like to make up for it. It is also a fair deal that does not hurt your long-term academic goals.
The key to getting away with plagiarism charges is to show contrition. Should the professor be unmoved by that, you have to respect the process and bargain for lighter penalties. However, you do not need to plagiarize, you can always order a custom written essay by experts. They do not take chances with your education and they guarantee you 100% originality and their services are relatively affordable.
