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Making sure to understand the terms copyright, plagiarism, and fair use is very important in the education field but also in almost any other field of study. Copyright infringement can lead to severe consequences, and plagiarism can as well. It is so serious that plagiarism can even get students expelled from universities.
Fair use is a term used to describe the use of copyrighted material in certain circumstances, but it is very important to know when using these materials begins to become copyright infringement. Being educated about these issues is extremely important. |
CopyrightMerriam-Webster defines copyright as "the legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, and sell a book, musical recording, etc., for a certain period of time." People obtain copyrights in order to protect their material from being used by other people without giving the proper credit to the creator. Click the website below to see some frequently asked questions and answers about copyrights.
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PlagiarismMerriam-Webster defines plagiarism as "the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person." Copying and pasting, of course, falls into the category of plagiarism, but there are many complicated aspects to plagiarism, including making sure that the information is cited correctly and in the right format, that quotation marks are used, and much more. Click the website below to learn more about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
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Fair UseAccording to Standford University, fair use is defined as "any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work." People can rightfully use materials in these ways without permission from the owner or creator of the material.
The website below is the Columbia University Library's website, and it includes a checklist of how to check whether a usage falls under fair use. This checklist is also helpful for documentation. |
Sources:
Merriam-Webster (n.d.). Retrieved August 17, 2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism
Stim, R. (2010, October). What Is Fair Use? Retrieved August 17, 2016, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/what-is-fair-use/
Merriam-Webster (n.d.). Retrieved August 17, 2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism
Stim, R. (2010, October). What Is Fair Use? Retrieved August 17, 2016, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/what-is-fair-use/