Depending on the seriousness of the offense, teachers can give students anywhere from a reduced grade to a zero on a paper. Students who accidentally incorrectly cite sources but demonstrate attempts may simply get a 10 or 20 percent reduction of their grade. Or, generous teachers may allow them to rewrite the assignment. Deliberate, blatant plagiarism, such as copying sentences, paragraphs or even an entire paper from the Internet, a book or even a friend usually meets with a zero and no chances for rewrites.
Depending on the institution, plagiarism may result in a student's suspension or expulsion from school. Colleges generally maintain a zero-tolerance approach to plagiarism, also called "academic dishonesty," and frequently suspend students for plagiarism. Sometimes colleges operate on a "three strikes" system, where three accounts of academic dishonesty get a student expelled.
Most colleges take plagiarism so seriously that any occasion of it goes on a student's permanent academic record.
Scholars, reporters authors and others who plagiarize can be fired, and their reputations can be severely damaged.