Do this NOW if you got caught plagiarizing (by a prof)
Professor helps students understand what to expect after they have plagiarized in college and gives them advice on how to handle it and get out of trouble.
TABLE OF CONTENTS (jump ahead)
How to talk to your professor about plagiarizing
If you got caught plagiarizing, you should immediately talk with your professor and take ownership of your actions. When you talk to your professor about plagiarizing, you want to make an effort to deal with it informally instead of your professor filing an academic dishonesty report to the college.
If you found yourself clicking on this article, you have done one of two things.
You have either plagiarized and been caught, and you are trying to figure out what to do next OR you plagiarized and are worried about getting caught.
Maybe you want to figure out what is going to happen, or learn how to talk to your professor about your plagiarism.
Look, I was a professor for 15 years. I caught numerous students plagiarizing.
And I am going to let you in on a few secrets.
These are the things I wish my students would have said when I caught them plagiarizing. Maybe if they would have done these things FIRST, the outcome could have been different.
But you need to understand one thing first.
Most professors are caring and want this to be a learning opportunity for you. So, there is a good chance you’ll be cut some slack.
But every college and professor is different and the consequences could be more severe than most. I can’t promise you my solutions will work, but I will tell you everything I know.
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when someone uses someone else’s work and pretends it is their own without giving credit to the original author. A college student may get accused of plagiarism if they copied and pasted someone else’s work and pretended they wrote it, failed to cite correctly or didn’t paraphrase appropriately.
So, you might have copied and pasted someone else’s work and didn’t cite it appropriately. Or you used a friend’s old essay. Either way, you took something someone wrote and pretended that it was yours.
And you could also plagiarize if you only change a few words, or don’t summarize it in your own words enough. Most importantly, you still need to cite in-text even when you paraphrase another person’s work.
If you want to know more about what constitutes plagiarism, you can check out my entire plagiarism guide here.
It can get a little complicated because there are various forms of plagiarism so feel free to read that article after this one.
Source : Photo by Siora Photography / Unsplash
I plagiarized on purpose and got caught
If you plagiarized on purpose and intentionally copied someone else’s work, you can redeem yourself by talking to your professor and owning up to your mistakes. You should immediately complete an ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COURSE and show your professor the certificate. Then ask if you can redo the project using the knowledge you learned from the course.
So, here is your chance to to redeem yourself. Get on top of it quickly. Your professor may send a report to the college about your plagiarism. There is a chance that you can STOP that from happening if you handle it informally.
Before you talk to your professor, I need you to think about why you plagiarized. This is important. Dig deep and really figure out why you did it.
Were you rushed and didn’t have time to complete the essay so you took the easy route?
Were you simply lazy and didn’t want to work hard on your own?
Or did you plagiarize because you didn’t understand the material and had trouble writing everything in your own words due to confusion?
Whatever the case, figure it out because that is going be important to discuss with your professor or college.
Go to your professor, tell them why you ended up plagiarism, apologize, show them your certificate from an ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COURSE, and ask them if you can redo the project with the information you learned.
Keep reading to learn more about how to have this conversation with your professor. There are some specific things you can say to help the situation.
I plagiarized unintentionally and got caught
If you plagiarized unintentionally and got caught, you need to speak with your professor ASAP and tell them why it was an accident. But first, make sure you complete an ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COURSE to show them you are interested in learning how to avoid plagiarism in the future. And ask them if you can redo the assignment.
Let me explain something. It doesn’t really matter too much if you plagiarized accidentally because students should understand what plagiarism is.
I like to use the example of someone speeding or running a stop sign. If you got pulled over by a cop, and you told them that you didn’t know the speed limit or missed the stop sign, they won’t care. That isn’t an excuse.
The same can be true about plagiarism.
However, I totally understand your argument because a lot of students don’t understand plagiarism and I wish it was talked about more to help students avoid it at all costs.
But now you are here, and you need to figure out what to do.
If you accidentally plagiarized, it will be more obvious to your professor and your university. And they may not take as much action against you if it was truly a mistake.
Keep reading to learn how to deal with it.
What to say when you’re caught plagiarizing
When you are caught plagiarizing, you should apologize to your professor and hypothetically apologize to the university, and the authors of the work you plagiarized. Make sure you explain how you will use the information you have learned to avoid plagiarism in the future. Finally, ask to handle it informally.
You need to show your professor and your college that you are sincerely sorry about your indiscretions and that you never plan on doing it again.
Let them know you have used this as a learning experience and understand the consequences.
Most importantly, you hurt publishers by using their work as your own.
Let your professor know that you get that now. And you didn’t before.
Here is what you could say to your professor. But only say it if you mean it.
“I am sorry. I apologize to the authors whose work I plagiarized, and to you and the university for committing scholastic dishonesty. I now realize just how significant plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Also, I will use this situation as motivation to plan better to avoid circumstances where it’s tempting to copy someone else’s work because I procrastinated. It won’t happen again.”
To accompany your apology, I want you to complete an online program regarding plagiarism like this one here or this ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COURSE. You can get a certificate, and show them how serious you are about making things right.
Okay, so just to recap here. I want to make sure you understand the steps that you should take after you plagiarize.
1.) Acknowledge your mistake quickly and talk with your professor
2.) Share with them why you did it (lazy, rushed, confused)
3.) Apologize to them and discuss your solutions to avoid doing it again
4.) Complete a FREE online certification and show them the certificate
I don’t think you understand how much this can help you. It may not work, but it’s a good suggestion at the very least. And you’ll learn something in the process.
Before I move on, I need to mention something else. It is possible that your professor has already forwarded your violation to the university for further review. If that is the case, you may have some other penalties that are unavoidable.
But at the very least, you are setting yourself up for the BEST outcome by doing these things first.
Because your professor will likely have a say in your punishment, it could still help out.
What can my professor do if I plagiarize?
If you get caught plagiarizing, your professor usually has broad discretion. They can have you re-do the assignment, give you a zero, or even worse, fail you in their course. The penalties are broad and the professor usually gets to decide what they do. But colleges can also give you penalties too. You could get a permanent mark on your transcript or get kicked out of the college.
It really depends on the college’s policies.
But before your professor can penalize you, most universities will require them to report it to the university and they’ll do their own investigation first.
If they find you responsible for committing plagiarism, then the professor can usually decide on their own punishment. And then the college may have a separate punishment beyond the professor’s.
You should read your college’s student handbook or code of conduct to find out what the college can do and then read your professor’s syllabus to see if they outline their penalties.
How to convince your professor you didn’t plagiarize
If you want to convince your professor you did not plagiarize, you need to see the evidence against you first and then you can provide them with PREVIOUS work you have completed to show them that it compares to the work you turned into them.
Or you could use an online plagiarism checker tool yourself and see if it detects plagiarism to show your professor the results.
However, I find that a lot of students don’t really understand what all constitutes plagiarism. You might have committed it but didn’t really know that you did.
After you review the evidence, you need to plan out your defense to see if it’s possible to prove that you didn’t plagiarize.
Did you reuse an old essay?
Did someone steal your work?
Did you not understand how to cite in-text?
These are just a few scenarios that could explain why you didn’t plagiarize, at least not intentionally. Remember, even if you can defend your plagiarism, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.
And then you need to write down exactly how you researched the topic for your assignment and what your writing process looked like. You are going to share this with your professor to help support your defense.
But look, your professor might still think you plagiarized even if you think you really didn’t, however, the evidence might say otherwise.
You really need to look at the evidence against you, and after you review it, you might learn that you REALLY did plagiarize after all.
And you would need to take responsibility.
But if you really didn’t do it, figure out why they think you did plagiarize. And schedule a meeting with your professor. Keep an open mind to hear their side of the story.
Explain why you disagree. But don’t become hostile. Remember, there could be some subjectivity in recognizing plagiarism and it could be an honest mistake. And you might be able to prove that you didn’t plagiarize after all.
I would also bring in some work that you completed for previous classes and show your professor. Tell them that they are welcome to run your previous work through plagiarism detection software to see that you aren’t plagiarizing and you haven’t in the past either and this is just how you write.
If your past work looks similar to your current work, it is going to be easier to defend yourself.
And if they still disagree with you, you might be able to appeal the accusation to the appropriate committee, board or office. This depends on how your college handles academic dishonesty and their appeal process.
But that’s the last resort.
How to face my professor if I got caught plagiarizing
After you are caught plagiarizing, you should face your professor with confidence but with humility. You are not the first person that has plagiarized in their course and they know students make these mistakes. Go in with confidence that you have learned from your mistakes.
Let’s talk about something real quick. This might be a very embarrassing situation for you. You’ve done something wrong, and you got caught.
It’s too easy to get mad and defensive towards everyone else. And a lot harder to just admit that you made a big mistake. But that’s probably the best solution.
Take this time to reflect and make amends.
And realize that people make mistakes. You can be a better person because you got caught plagiarizing.
When you face your professor after getting caught plagiarizing, I want you to remain confident in your future. Lots of students have plagiarized. And you don’t want to beat yourself up for it. But you should learn from it.
So, before you face your professor, tell yourself that you made a mistake, lots of people do it, and you’ll be a better person because of it. The way you handle this situation with your professor can change the outcome. Professors just want to help students be better learners.
Then you will have more confidence when you talk to your professor again.
I know it is going to be hard to see them after you got caught, but people make mistakes. And honestly, how you respond to getting caught speaks louder than you plagiarizing.
Can I get kicked out of college if I plagiarize?
Yes, college students can get kicked out of college for plagiarizing but if it is your first offense, you will likely get a warning or mild disciplinary action against you. However, if you are a graduate student, you may get kicked out for your first offense. Most universities will want to help you understand what you did wrong and help you improve to avoid plagiarizing again.
If you are in a private university, or a highly selective program or college, you could get kicked out for your first offense.
So, it’s best to avoid plagiarizing in the first place, but if you did, you will probably get some informal disciplinary action the first time.
If you haven’t been kicked out, and want to know what the process is after you’ve been caught plagiarizing, check out my entire guide about plagiarism and its consequences here. I will guide you through the typical disciplinary process and how to deal with it.
If you have been kicked out or might get kicked out for plagiarizing, I have an in-depth article discussing what to do after you’ve been kicked out of college here.
What is the penalty for plagiarizing in college?
If you plagiarize in college, and it’s your first offense, you will likely be required to complete some integrity training or review resources on plagiarizing AND you will likely get disciplined by your professor.
Your professor may give you a zero for that assignment OR in some rate instances, you could get a F in the course.
However, most of the penalties for plagiarism will be mild to moderate. But if a college student plagiarizes a lot, then they could get kicked out of the college.
Can you plagiarize in college?
No, you cannot plagiarize in college. Plagiarizing in college is strictly prohibited and it is typically forbidden per the college’s student code of conduct. There are lots of different ways students can plagiarize so it’s important to understand how your college defines plagiarism.
But understand that it is not acceptable to plagiarize in college.
What is self-plagiarism?
Self-plagiarism occurs when a student uses their own work for another course and submits it as a new assignment for a new course.
Let’s say that you completed an assignment for your english 101 class. Later on you get a similar assignment for a different class. You use some or all of the paper you completed in your english 101 class and submitted it for your other course.
This could be considered academic dishonesty and your college may view this as self-plagiarism. It is important to check with your professor to see if you can use some or all of your previous written work for their class.
And make sure you check your college’s student code of conduct to make sure it is not forbidden.
If you want to get more information on plagiarism, check out my entire guide here where I answer more questions about your situation.
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