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Plagiarism in a literal definition is simply copying someone else's work, ideas, thoughts or project and then passing it off as one's own and without any form of acknowledgement or reference to the original author.
In a lot of countries and institutions plagiarism is considered illegal and also a form of criminal act with some probable jail time in countries like India where it's on the rise.
TYPES OF PLAGIARISM
There are different types, ways and forms in which plagiarism can occur, some of them include:

1. Direct plagiarism
   This is a very common form of plagiarism popularly known as copy and paste. No form of reference is given, the work is simply copied word for word.
2. Source based plagiarism
   In this type of plagiarism the sources are misleading. It's either the writer used different information source but cited just one as reference or in some extreme cases he fabricated one.
3. Accidental plagiarism
   Like the name suggests, this type of plagiarism isn't done intentionally. The writer sometimes forgets to give reference or gives an incorrect one. But it doesn't change the fact that plagiarism has occurred.

REASONS PLAGIARISM OCCUR
A number of reasons could factor into the cause of plagiarism

1. Ignorance that you're plagiarizing.
2. Pressure to not fail.
3. Desire for good results, but too lazy to do the hard work.
4. Inadequate punishment to serve as a means of deterrence to others.

PLAGIARISM DETECTION
Some of the best tools that can be used in detecting a plagiarized work are

1. Copy leaks
2. Viper
3. Dupli checker
4. Plagium
   And a whole lot of other detectors.

REASONS WHY PLAGIARISM SHOULD BE AVOIDED

1. It is a crime and could get you into trouble.
2. Any self respecting individual will respect the importance of giving credit to whom it is due.
3. Value the importance of originality.

Special thanks to @cryptokannon, @alphafx, @awesononso, @whitestallion, @steemcurator01, @steemcurator02, @steemcurator03, @steemcurator04
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