I caught two government of Canada scientists plagiarising my work and republishing internationally – not only a theft of my words, but also theft of credit of invention. In the end it cost me my career as well as a great deal of money. They eventually fixed the report, but the damage to me was irreparable.

It would be interesting to see an article about the *consequences* of plagiarism, which establishes the *reason* for not doing it. Consequences for (e.g.) the scientific community, the plagiarist, the victim, the respective agencies, friends, families, the medical system, mental health, lost work due to depression/loss of sleep, etc. It’s quite a laundry list. And it’s as real as the chair you’re sitting on right now.