The Guide to Understanding Global Plagiarism

Our guide will help you to prevent and understand the definition and peculiarities of the global plagiarism problems in writing. 

What is Global Plagiarism?

Global plagiarism stands for the entire copying of someone else's creation and claiming that it’s your own work. It is perceived as the most severe type of plagiarism that cannot happen by accident since it also involves asking someone else to compose your homework assignment. Some other examples include copying the song that has already been written and recorded by another artist by claiming that you are the author. 

The rise of global plagiarism became prominent because of the Internet and a plethora of websites that offer copies of someone else’s works and samples that received no authorization from the students that have done original work. It forces college students and creative writers to browse the web and steal original intellectual property. Since we have alterations and different processing of original files, there is little to no editing done in most cases. It’s usually sufficient to determine that a global plagiarism case has occurred. 

Don’t mix the global plagiarism definition with another type of cheating called “verbatim”. For example, if you find a piece of some article online that has been published years ago and use it for your speech and presentation, it is considered a type of verbatim plagiarism since we are not dealing with complete copying. 

Remember that when you are asking another person to write an assignment for you, it is also considered a form of direct plagiarism since you have not contributed anything to academic, research, or creative work that has been done. College students and business professionals often ignore this aspect. They believe that presenting the work that they have not done is not considered a type of plagiarism. The only exception is when you turn to an academic assistant online and receive help with writing by working on your assignment as you compose, process, and complete it.

What is the difference between global plagiarismand patchwork plagiarism?

Unlike global plagiarism where a person copies all that has been discovered, patchwork plagiarism is like a mosaic where an individual can combine two different sources with specific editing. For example, when you have two assignments, you can take different parts from each source and edit them with all the transition words. It’s called a patchwork type of plagiarism. When you copy something entirely, it is a direct form of cheating. 

Consequences of Global Plagiarism

Unlike other types of plagiarism (like self-plagiarism or insufficient peer-reviewed references) when you may be asked to rewrite your homework assignment, global plagiarism is the worst case of academic misconduct that a college student can face.

The most common consequences are: 

• Student Reputation. You may become suspended from any academic activity or become expelled from the course with the note in your resume. Even if there are allegations that have been cleared, it ruins your academic and publishing career.
• Negativity in Professional Research. When you have dealt with plagiarism claims, your fellow researchers will approach you through the lens of negativity. It also relates to your academic reputation.
• Legal Repercussions. This factor will involve lengthy legal claims and may require spending funds and dealing with a lawyer. In some universities like Harvard, MIT, and Cornell University, you may even face jail time if you have presented a project where an academic community has been involved.
• Criminal Hearings. When you have published a medical or engineering research that has been stolen, it can end up with the involvement of the criminal police and the ethical council hearings.
• The Moral Aspect. You may not realize that you are breaking the law, but you will still receive lower grades, and you may fail your course or be placed on probation. It is a serious issue to go through. When you have a good attitude and keep things honest, you will not get in trouble and will have a good reputation. If something is unclear, always talk to your academic advisor before submitting anything. 
• Inability to Get Enrolled Again. If the case of plagiarism has been identified in your professional CV and your academic history, some colleges may not accept you. While such cases have not been documented statistically, numerous students have claimed that they received a rejection from the admission committee.

The most important thing to note is that you will not be able to prove that something has happened without an intention since if your work has been copied entirely, it is direct proof of dishonesty. The best way to avoid this type of plagiarism is to keep your writing original and never copy someone else’s work. 

Examples of Global Plagiarism

When you are dealing with plagiarism, you might be wondering about a global plagiarism example. Contrary to popular belief, not all of them are encountered in colleges or universities. There also are cases in the literature or the entertainment industry. Some people believe that the speech done by Melanie Trump is a carbon copy of what has been said by Michelle Obama in the past. The speech describes the same values and ideas, yet specialists may claim that it is not the case of direct plagiarism.

Now, what about rare global plagiarism cases that go beyond copied writing?

• Atari vs Magnavox Video Games Fight. The case took place decades ago in the 1970s when the famous maker of video games called Atari created the game called Pong. Now, Magnavox claimed that it was a direct copy of what they have invented before.

• Andy Warhol's Famous Banana. This case needs no introduction as Mr. Warhol basically took the iconic banana image and created most of his images not simply based on something but purely copying existing ideas.

• Tom Petty vs Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Listen to "Last Dance with Mary Jane" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and continue by listening to "Dani California" by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The melody and the chords sound the same. While this case has been resolved peacefully, it is also a case of plagiarism by the world-famous famous rockers.

The most important is to check your work and never turn to an easy way out by using dishonest solutions! 

How Can We Avoid Global Plagiarism?

Since we are dealing with an honest student who does not want to perform an act of academic cheating, there are ways to avoid global plagiarism. First of all, you should not copy any idea that is not yours without giving a reference and talking about the source where the original information has been obtained.

• You can paraphrase material in your own words, yet it can only be a part of the information, not the complete source or an article that you have. Remember that paraphrasing must be done correctly where you follow the main idea and still provide credit where and when it’s due.
• If it is necessary to provide an exact source, you should use quotation marks or block quotes for longer paragraphs. You must provide full citation data and follow the writing style.
• Committing to doing your own work should be your top priority. It is much safer and better to submit your assignment with all the mistakes and poor structure than copy or have someone else do the job for you.
• Professional Plagiarism Checker. The most important is to define and determine the originality of your research paper, college assignment, a blog post that you plan to publish, or presentation. One of the best and free solutions is using a plagiarism checker like FixGerald. It can be used as much as necessary free of charge. This way, you will be able to see the originality ratio, learn what is global plagiarism as you get better, and make edits to keep your work safe. When you know what must be changed, you avoid plagiarism.
• Avoid working with the online services that claim to do their work for you. If you want to take an easy way out by turning to online services, it is the most common reason why global plagiarism happens. Even if things sound good as you read the proposal and the prices are cheap, it is the way to academic dishonesty and cheating.
• Do not procrastinate! It is not often mentioned, yet you should always take your time to research and find sufficient sources to combine your own words and the information that has already been presented. There is no need to invent the wheel in certain cases. That is why you should start early and avoid procrastination at all costs!

College students are often confused about the cases of self-plagiarism where they base their new assignments on what they have already done. You can read about what is self-plagiarism if you want to know more about this subject. Still, remember that if you are using some research idea that has been copied entirely from your past work, it is also a serious issue. 

The Moral Aspect of Keeping Things Honest

It is hard to imagine that global plagiarism can happen by accident. Since the talk goes about copying an entire work, a song, or a painting that is a total copy, the moral aspect becomes essential. Unlike self-plagiarism or mistakes that take place with the referencing style, examples of global plagiarism are always intentional and bring up the factor of honesty and academic integrity. It means that the best way to prevent direct copying is adherence to strict moral principles and honesty. When a person starts learning this way, plagiarism is already eliminated.