Copyright, Plagiarism, & Fair Use

What is a copyright?

According to FindLaw.com, "Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection provided by the laws of the United States. Copyright protection is available for original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form, whether published or unpublished. The categories of works that can be protected by copyright laws include paintings, literary works, live performances, photographs, movies, and software". More or less it is your right to any form of property that prevents others from being able to copy it without giving you credit for your work.

What is plagiarism?

According to Wikipedia.org (2018), "Plagiarism is the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work". In other words, plagiarism is breaking copyright laws!

What is fair use?

Fair use is a doctrine of the United States that allows people to use material that has been copyrighted for a specific, pre-approved purpose. According to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act at Harvard University these purposes include "commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship". Check out the video below for more information regarding Copyright, Plagiarism, and Fair Use.

how can you avoid plagiarism?

As daunting as it may seem, avoiding plagiarism is not as challenging as it may appear. If you use information from a source ensure that you cite it!

There are three different citation styles that are commonly used. Be sure to verify with your teacher or supervisor which style is preferred. If no preference is given you can use the following from the University of Pittsburgh's library website by Wiggins, DeRusso, and Clardy (2015) as a general rule of thumb:

1. APA (American Psychological Association) is used by Education, Psychology, and Sciences.
2. MLA (Modern Language Association) is used by the Humanites.
3. Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts.

Respect Copyrights! Avoid Plagiarism! Happy Citing!