Plagiarism Can Lead to Expulsion Plagiarism has all the connotations of a serious crime, on par with conspiracy, terrorism, or animal cruelty. Of course, most of the time plagiarism is committed involuntarily, without ill will and without the desire to mislead. But plagiarism is no less serious for this. It is a form of theft: unconscious or not, theft is theft. At the most basic level, plagiarism is taking someone else's ideas or words and presenting them as your own. Professors smell intellectual theft like a dead fish, and students should do everything they can to avoid it. The MLA Handbook recommends that you "document everything you borrow, not just direct quotes and paraphrases, but also information and ideas... You must indicate the source of any appropriate material that readers might otherwise confuse with yours. If you have any doubt as to whether or not you are committing plagiarism, cite the source or sources" (Gibaldi 29). In other words, "better safe than sorry" may be a cliché, but it's good advice when it comes to documentation. Whether it's an English essay, a political science article, or a social work case study, plagiarism is unethical and dishonest. And most universities take it very seriously: plagiarism can lead to lower grades in an essay or course, or even lead to expulsion from university..