Citing sources, plagiarism and copyright
Citing sources
After doing research for reports or presentations, it is important to present your ideas using your own words. It is also important to cite your sources. The word cite means "to quote (a passage, book, author, etc.), especially as an authority." Telling your readers where you got your information allows them to read further if they are interested in your topic. It also allows them to verify the facts you are presenting.
You should always be able to tell your teacher, or anyone reading your work, where you got your information. The links below offer help on citing sources.
For help in creating citations, visit these websites:
O.P.E.N. Citation Maker (Oregon Public Education Network)
Citation Maker (Oregon School Library Information System)
KnightCite (Calvin College in Michigan)
EasyBib (free automatic bibliography composer)
Plagiarism
Do not copy another person's writing, nor claim it as your own. That is called plagiarism, which is defined as "the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of
another author and the representation of them as one's own original
work." You may not copy passages from articles, encyclopedias, books, websites, or any other sources without proper reference to those works.
Copyright
Copyright is defined as "the legal right granted to an author, composer, playwright, publisher,
or distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale, or
distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work." That means the person who created the work has the rights to it, and you can't use it without his or her permission, unless that use is for certain educational purposes.
For more information about copyright, go to the Copyright Kids website.
You can also read some questions and answers at the CyberBee website.
For Teachers
Curriculum ideas for teaching the concepts of copyright and fair use are available from Teaching Copyright, a project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
This page updated 11-24-09.
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