Consequences of Plagiarism

Depending on the severity of the offense, SUNY Geneseo Students caught plagiarizing another's work faces:

• Failing the Assignment
• Failing the Course
• Dismissal from the College

From SUNY Geneseo's Academic Dishonesty Policy, 2006-2008 Undergraduate Bulletin

At the very least you face doing damage to your reputation with your professor and possibly even getting sued by the person who's ideas you plagiarized.

Plagiarism can ruin careers and/or potential careers!
Here are just a few examples:

Glenn Poshard, President of Southern Illinois University-- missing quotation marks lead to accusations of plagiarism in his 1975 Master's thesis and his 1984 doctoral dissertation--serious blow to his reputation.
Source: Chicago Tribune Online (2007, September 11). New allegations emerge in SIU president plagiarism claims. Retrieved September 13, 2007, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-siupresident070911,1,6418045.story

In a recent shake-down at Ohio University, a committee investigated over 200 master's theses, some of which were submitted nearly 20 years ago. As a result, one master's degree was revoked, five students were expelled from the university and twelve others required to rewrite assignments.
Source: Finder, A. (2007, May 1). 34 Duke Business Students Face Discipline for Cheating. The New York Times, pp. 15A.

A CBS network producer for Catie Curic's Notebook was fired in April 2007 under accusations of plagiarism.
Source: Roberts, J.L. (2007, April 10). Embarrassing Moment for Katie Couric. MSNBC.com Newsweek. Retrieved September 14, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18046837