Middle school research

Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or words without giving them proper credit. Plagiarism can be unintentional (forgetting to include a source in a bibliography, citing incorrectly) or intentional (directly copying from articles, having someone else write for you, using another writer’s ideas as your own). Plagiarism is a serious charge in school and in professional settings, and can lead to lasting consequences (failing assignments/classes, suspension/expulsion, a note in your permanent record that future colleges and jobs can see) (Purdue OWL, 2024). 

Option 1: Make your own

When you create your own images, then you own the copyright.

• Draw or paint on paper, then take a photo

• Create digital art with programs like Google Drawings, Canva, & Autodraw

• Take photographs (you may need to get special permission to take/share photos of other people)

  • You DO NOT need permission if:

    • You took the photo at a public event and the photo will be used for journalistic purposes

    • The person is not recognizable in the photo 

  • You DO need permission if:

    • You want to publicly share photos of people

    • You want to take photos of students (check with your teacher/admin first!)

    • You take photos of/on private property (Gonzalez, 2017)

Option 2: Use Creative Commons Images

Artists may set up licenses to give permission for others to use their work (under specific conditions).

• Look for images with these licenses:

  • Public Domain - their copyright licenses have expired, or they are released with no restriction and can be used freely for any purpose

  • CC0: Creative Commons Zero - The least restrictive level, images can be used by anyone, for any purpose without having to get permission or give credit to the artist

  • CC BY: Attribution - These items can be used for non-commercial OR commercial purposes, and all the user has to do is give credit to the original artist (Gonzalez, 2017)

Most images in a standard Google search are protected by copyright. Even if you cite the source of the image, you are not allowed to use images that are protected by copyright. This is called copyright infringement; it is a kind of stealing that is illegal and unethical.