Plagiarism is often only associated with students at school or university, but the truth is actually very different. In fact, businesses are more prone to plagiarism than any student might be and the consequences could even prove much more serious. While a simple plagiarism tool could help you check plagiarism and stop such content from being published, we still see countless cases popping up in the media today and so the question is this: why does it happen, and why does it have such a negative impact on company reputation?
We’re exploring further below.
What Is Plagiarism?
Ask anyone what plagiarism is and they’ll probably tell you that it’s the act of directly copying another person’s work and claiming it as your own. While that’s true, there’s a little more to it than that.
Paraphrasing content without stating the source and quoting without proper citation are both types of plagiarism and are often where most businesses meet their downfall. After all, whether intentional or accidental, plagiarism comes with its consequences regardless.
Integrity
Whether knowingly directly copied or wrongly cited by mistake, plagiarism is a form of stealing and it can have a devastating effect on personal reputation as well as on the company’s reputation as a whole. Using tools to check plagiarism can help you in detecting duplicated content while preserving your integrity at the same time. This is something that should be embedded in your company culture.
While larger companies have the benefit of size to the point of being able to protect themselves against reputation hits, smaller companies who have employees committing plagiarism may be hard pressed to redevelop their integrity.
Fairness
Due to its qualification as a form of stealing, plagiarism is extremely unfair on the original author of the content. They are likely to have put hours of work into their piece and when said work is plagiarised and credit is given to someone else, it can be heart-breaking. Not only is plagiarism against the law, it also holds moral weight and has the potential to cause ill will between colleagues if the plagiarism is committed from in-house work.
Legal Consequences
While most will know that plagiarism does come with consequences, not everyone will be aware that these can actually be legal consequences and that these can be severe in some cases. Whether text, images, video or music, any kind of content can be plagiarised and the reuse of this content without permissions or citations can easily lead to fines and in extreme cases, even imprisonment.
How To Protect Yourself Against Plagiarism
Protecting yourself against plagiarism will not only protect the business but any other potential content creators that they may be unknowingly plagiarising. Of course, businesses could opt for using an online plagiarism tool, but by knowing how best to avoid it, extra care can be taken.
By providing adequate training about correct citation, the consequences of plagiarism and more, companies can make sure that their staff is less likely to commit plagiarism in their work unknowingly. Also, by learning, understanding and following the rules, the consequences could be easily avoided.
As mentioned previously, plagiarism can badly affect a company’s reputation. Whether employees are creating masses of content every day and fall prey to accidental plagiarism, or an employee with malicious intent is blatantly copying someone else’s work, knowing how to detect and solve plagiarised content before it can be uploaded or published is vital.
Takeaway
Plagiarism can have a horrific effect on a company’s reputation, especially if they’re on the smaller side. Whether employees are creating masses of content every day and fall prey to accidental plagiarism, or an employee with malicious intent is blatantly copying someone else’s work, knowing how to detect and solve plagiarised content before it can be uploaded or published is vital.