The consequences of plagiarism in an academic environment are up to the school and educator. Common consequences range from expulsion to a failing grade in the class or a failing grade on the assignment. Higher level classes carry more severe penalties; however, any infraction in an academic environment marks you as a plagiarist and all further assignments will be reviewed more critically. Accidental plagiarism, such as the misuse of a quote or poor citations, may result in less severe penalties or just a deduction from the assignment grade.
Professional plagiarism carries severe consequences, which begin with potential financial damages and severe reputation damage for both the writer and their publisher. If you earned money from the publication of plagiarized material, you may be liable to the owner of the original material. Further, the act of plagiarism is grounds for termination and reduces your opportunities to be hired elsewhere as a writer. Accidental plagiarism is less severe but still shows a lack of professionalism. The case of Jayson Blair is an example of the potential ramifications of plagiarism. After being caught for plagiarisming, includ using other people's works and inventing sources, his career as a reporter is over and the New York Times must endure the damage to its professional reputation for having employed him, says the American Journalism Review.
Damage to your reputation is a consequence of all forms of plagiarism. Blatant plagiarism stains your record and forever influences the way your work is viewed. You can overcome accidental plagiarism, but it requires that you pay more attention to your writing in the future. Academic plagiarism generally only stains your reputation while you are attending the university. Transferring to another university or graduating can give you a chance to clear your reputation but may make it impossible to receive positive referrals from the professors at your first university.
The first real laws against plagiarism were passed in America in 1790, says Writing World. This shift came as a result of an 18th century idea that believed that a person could own the rights to a series of words and others should not have the right to earn an income off of those words.