Use
When using information always consider the legal and ethical implications.
Plagiarism
Any information referred to in an assignment needs to be acknowledged both in-text and in a reference list. Incorrectly referencing or not acknowledging a source is considered plagiarism. The University of Waikato Library has a guide to avoiding plagiarism. See Further Reading for links to the University of Waikato Library's pages and the Referencing FAQ in the Library's Virtual Reference Desk (VeRD) for Referencing guidance. If more assistance is required please contact a librarian or come to one of the Library's APA tutorials.
Copyright
One of the most common questions most students want to know is how much of a book or journal can be scanned or copied. This is covered in the Copyright Act 1994. When copying anything for private study purposes Section 43 covers what is permitted or not. Specific information from the University of Waikato is available with a specific links for the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act 2011 and information about MP3s, videos and software.
Ethical Research
Human research (even a survey or questionnaire) cannot be conducted without ethical approval from the University of Waikato Human Ethics Research Committee. Talking to peers and colleagues as part of personal communication (e.g. letters, telephone conversations, emails, personal interviews) is not subject to approval.
Censorship and Privacy
Freedom to access information and resources is considered a crucial part of democracy. However, there are some limits to what is appropriate.
Censorship is considered to be the regulation of material to the public. In New Zealand it is the Classification Office (Ministry of Justice) that monitors all films, videos and publications according to the Films Videos, and Publications Classifications Act 1993.
Information about New Zealand's Privacy Act is provided by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. This Act covers how information is collected, used, and stored. Most interest is in how this information is shared with other 'agencies'. The Act covers every person and organisation that holds information about individuals including government departments, companies, and the University of Waikato.
Module 6 Worksheet.pdf