Plagiarism is always theft and fraud. A person that commits this offense is stealing someone else's work, claiming it to be his, and does not leave any references. By doing this, he's confusing readers. People think that the thief is the real author of the text.
A copywriter, editor, or blogger working on the text to post it on a webpage could commit plagiarism accidentally or intentionally.
- Accidental plagiarism occurs when the author lays out specific fragments in a way that had been used before in other texts, thinking that this is his thoughts. If the author does not check his work for plagiarism, he could suffer from his carelessness.
- Intentional plagiarism usually occurs when the author wants to deal quickly with the text and finish it as soon as possible. Some rookies don't pay much attention to originality, thinking that it doesn't affect anything and everything is ok.
Clients refuse to work with contractors who plagiarize. They might terminate the contract and request the money they had paid upfront. As a result, their professional reputation and career suffer. In severe cases, when a company's reputation is affected, the author risks being given fines and even court.
For example, this happens when an individual or company from which a text had been stolen claims recompensation. The aggrieved party can request the host to remove or block the site featuring plagiarism according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
The author will find it challenging to find good clients since the client can inform his colleagues about a dishonest partner.
Plagiarism is risky for web admins and bloggers because their sites will not be displayed in the top 10 search results. Search engine algorithms, especially Google, pay a lot of attention to the uniqueness of the posted content.
Those sites that contain texts that aren't original are lowered in the search results, pessimized, and do not get traffic. Content that isn't unique can result in Google implementing filters on the website. In the end, clients won't notice it, and the business will lose profit.
To avoid these instances, one needs to get into the habit of checking plagiarism via webpage URL.