Medical Students and Plagiarism: Do Not Let an Accusation Put Your Academic Future in Jeopardy

In the age of the internet, medical students can easily go online and look for what they need for their school paper. They can end up copying and pasting the material. But, unless there is a proper citation, such action is a form of plagiarism, which can result in serious academic consequences such as expulsion from school. 

If you are a medical student accused of plagiarism, you must know your legal options by contacting a medical student discipline defense lawyer. Facing charges of plagiarism or academic dishonesty can be taxing and stressful because they can jeopardize your professional career. Thankfully, a great defense attorney will work with you to determine the best course of action. 

Understanding Plagiarism

Using anything another person writes without citing or quoting the original source is a form of plagiarism. Also, even rephrasing or rewriting another person’s work may be considered plagiarism when there is no proper credit provided to the original writer. Apart from this, plagiarism includes reusing your work or another student’s work, citing sources that are fake or do not exist, and taking another person’s idea and using it without citation.

What is Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism but it includes other academic misconduct. Medical schools cast a wide net in terms of policing academic dishonesty which includes the following:

• Cheating. This includes all forms of deceit, fraud, or dishonesty in academic assignments or helping others in using materials that are either prohibited or inappropriate. 
• Theft or sabotaging. This type of academic dishonesty includes sabotaging or stealing other people’s work or getting a copy of an examination or assignment before the date of its release. 
• Document alteration. This refers to actions such as putting one’s name on the work of others, forging the signature of an instructor, or submitting an altered or fake transcript from another school. 
• False information. This includes presenting fabricated or altered information to a college official or instructor. 

Dealing with an Academic Dishonesty Accusation

An accusation starts with the individual you submit your work to. This individual can be an instructor who may decide to reprimand or make you do the assignment again or fail you for the project with a strong warning.  But, if you end up facing an administrative hearing, your academic future could be in jeopardy. That is why you must seek the assistance of a defense attorney to help you create a strategy to defend your rights and determine the best action to take for your situation.