This document provides information from a presentation on instructional media and technology. It discusses copyright and plagiarism, defining the differences between the two. Copyright refers to the legal rights of copyright holders, while plagiarism is an ethical issue concerning taking credit for ideas that are not one's own. The document outlines various aspects of copyright law, including what can be copyrighted, who holds copyrights, how long copyrights last, fair use provisions, and creative commons licensing options. It also includes sample questions and answers to test understanding of these concepts.

1. EDU 320: Instructional Media & Technology
Presented by Valerie Knight, Reference Librarian
This is for informational use only and is
not intended as legal advice.

2.  On the “Copyright & Plagiarism” tab of
the Education Research Guide, you were
to access the following resources and
answer a few questions:
 Copyright on Campus (video)
 Creative Commons & Copyright Info
(video)
 Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for
Media Literacy Education
 Plagiarism 101 (video)
 10 Signs of Plagiarism Every Teacher
Should Know

4. 5. Digital Etiquette - electronic standards
of conduct or procedure
6. Digital Law - electronic responsibility
for actions and deeds
7. Digital Rights & Responsibilities - those
freedoms extended to everyone in a
digital world
8. Digital Health & Wellness - physical and
psychological well-being in a digital
technology world
9. Digital Security –
electronic precautions
to guarantee safety
 “the norms of appropriate, responsible
behavior with regard to technology use”
 There are nine areas of digital
citizenship:
1. Digital Access - full electronic
participation in society
2. Digital Commerce - electronic buying
and selling of goods
3. Digital Communication -electronic
exchange of information
4. Digital Literacy -process of teaching and
learning about technology and the use of
technology
Quoted from (Ribble, 2014)

5. Q&A
What do you
think is the
difference
between
copyright &
plagiarism?

6. Copyright Infringement
 Construct of the LAW
 Concerned with FIXED EPRESSIONS OF
IDEAS
 “any infringement on the rights of a
copyright holder”
 Copyright law gives a copyright holder
“a set of rights that they and they alone
can exploit legally.”
 Copyright is limited by time constraints
and exceptions such as fair use.
 Has one victim – the copyright holder
Plagiarism
 Construct of ETHICS
 Concerned with IDEAS
 “taking the original work or works of another
and presenting it as your own”
 “Anything that is seen as an unethical and
unattributed use of another’s original creation”
can be considered plagiarism.
 It is possible to plagiarize something that does
NOT have a copyright, or things not covered by
copyright such as facts, ideas & plot lines.
 Has two victims – the copyright holder & the
people who were lied to about where the work
came from
(Bailey, 2013; Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d.)

8. the exclusive right to make
copies, license, and otherwise
exploit a literary, musical, or
artistic work, whether printed,
audio, video, etc
(“Copyright,” n.d.)
Copyright image is in the public domain.

9. Q&A
What exclusive
rights do
copyright
holders have?
The right to copy, distribute, display & perform
their work and to create a derivative work.

10.  Literary Works
 Music & Lyrics
 Dramatic works & Music
 Pantomimes and Choreographic Works
 Photographs, Graphics, Paintings and
Sculptural Works
 Motion Pictures and Other Audiovisual
Works
 Video Games and Computer Software
 Audio Recordings
 Architectural Works
(Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d.)

11. Q&A
What is NOT
protected under
copyright law?
Ideas, facts, data, logos, taglines, anything
created by the US government, works in which
copyright has expired.

12. Copyright status is AUTOMATIC upon
creation of your original creative work in a
fixed, tangible form.
Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is
NOT necessary for copyright status and
protection, though registration is needed in
order to pursue an infringement claim in
court.
Quoted from (Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d.)

13.  Author/Creator
 Author/Creator’s heirs if the creator is
dead.
 Creators of a JOINT work share unless
there is an agreement that states
otherwise
 Someone whom the author/creator has
given/assigned the copyright to
 Done as “work for hire” for an employer
 Given in exchange for publishing/recording
contracts
 For professionally recorded music it can
be complicated since a recording may be
owned by the songwriter, performer,
producer, record label, publisher or a
combination of those entities Copyright Clearance Center (2011). Copyright on campus [Video screenshot]. Retrieved from
http://youtu.be/2UWaQK5Wbvs
(Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d.)

14.  For original works created after 1977,
copyright lasts for the life of the author
+ 70 years from the author’s death for
his/her heirs.
 For “works for hire” corporate works &
anonymous works created after 1977,
copyright can last from 95-120 years
from publication.
 Anything published in the U.S. BEFORE
1923 has had its copyright expire.
 Any unpublished work created BEFORE
1894 is in the public domain.
Mickey Mouse Copyright Logo by Charles Kenny is
licensed under CC BY SA.
Mickey Mouse is 87 today. The
change in the law in 1977
extended his corporate
copyright from 75 years to 120
years, meaning that he would
have been in the public domain
TODAY, if not for the change
(Kenny, 2010).
(Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d.; Hirtle, 2014)

15. the status of a published work
or invention upon which the
copyright or patent has
expired or which has not been
patented or subject to
copyright
(“Public domain,” n.d.)
Public Domain image is in the public domain.

16. Q&A
Does citing a
source meet
copyright
requirements?
NO!

17.  Citing a source or image is NOT enough to
satisfy copyright requirements – that only
covers the ETHICAL issues related to
plagiarism.
 So, when can you LEGALLY use/modify
something?
 If it is in the Public Domain, you CAN use
and modify it without asking permission.
 If its NOT in the Public Domain, you need to
ASK permission first.
 There ARE exceptions such as:
 First Sale
 Creative Commons Licensing
 Fair Use

18. allows a consumer to resell a
product containing copyrighted
material, such as a book or CD that
the consumer bought or was given,
without the copyright owner’s
permission
Copyright Clearance Center (2011). Copyright on campus [Video screenshot]. Retrieved from
http://youtu.be/2UWaQK5Wbvs

20. Q&A
What does
creative
commons do?
Provides a licensing tool that is free to use,
redefines copyright to say how you, as the
copyright holder want it to be used.

21. “one of several public copyright
licenses that enable the free
distribution of an otherwise
copyrighted work”
A CC license is used when an
author wants to give people the
right to share, use and build upon a
work that they have created.
Click here for Handout
(“Creative commons license,” 2014, para. 1)
Creative Commons image by Creative Commons is
licensed under CC BY.

22.  ATTRIBUTION (BY):
Licensees may copy, distribute,
display and perform the work
and make derivative works
based on it only if they give the
author or licensor the credits
in the manner specified by
these.
 NO DERIVATIVE WORKS (ND):
Licensees may copy, distribute,
display and perform only
verbatim copies of the work,
not derivative works based on
it.
Creative Commons Icons by Creative Commons are
licensed under CC BY.
 NONCOMMERCIAL (NC):
Licensees may copy,
distribute, display, and
perform the work and make
derivative works based on it
only for noncommercial
purposes.
 SHARE ALIKE(SA):
Licensees may distribute
derivative works only under
a license identical to the
license that governs the
original work.
(“Creative commons license,” 2014, sec. 2)

23. Q&A
Which creative
common’s
license gives the
most freedom?
Attribution

24. Creative Commons Search by Creative Commons are licensed under CC BY.
Use Creative Commons Search
http://search.creativecommons.org/

26. Q&A
Fair Use is
covered under
what section of
the U.S.
Copyright Act?
Section 107

27. the doctrine that brief excerpts of
copyright material may, under certain
circumstances, be quoted verbatim for
purposes such as criticism, news
reporting, teaching, and research, without
the need for permission from or payment
to the copyright holder
Fair Use logo by Creative Energy Engineering is
licensed under CC BY NC.
(“Fair use,” n.d.)

28. Q&A
What are the 4
factors of fair
use?

29.  Purpose & Character of the 2nd Use
 Is it just a copy, or are you doing something
different from the original work? Is your use
commercial?
 Tips in your favor for educational use
 Tips further in your favor if access is restricted to
students
 Nature of the Copyrighted Work
 Was the original work creative or factual? Is it
published or out of print?
 Amount & Substantiality
 How much of the original work was used, and was
that amount necessary?
 Tips in your favor if you use a small portion of a
whole.
 Effect on the Market
 Did the use harm the market for the original
work? For example, would people buy THIS work
instead of the original?
Copyright/Copyleft by The Cost of Free is licensed under CC BY SA.
(Association of Research Libraries, 2007;
Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d.)

30. Guidelines have been developed to help teachers determine what they
can do under the law
It is important to note that these are ONLY guidelines and that fair use
can be much more expansive depending upon how the factors of fair
use are balanced.
Use the Golden Rule:
If you were the copyright holder, would you see the use as fair and not
expect to be asked for permission?
LET’S TAKE A QUIZ!
(click here for quiz & discussion)

31. A journalism teacher annotates a newspaper
article from today’s paper and photocopies
it to teach his journalism students about the
format of a news article.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is FAIR USE because of the
transformative value of the material. The
teacher is clearly not making a profit and
will not cut into any market value for the
article. In addition, the work is nonfiction.
Also, the teacher is using the material for a
clear educational purpose.

32. A literature teacher photocopies an
unpublished short story written by Stephen
King and passes it out in her literature class.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
She is NOT protected by FAIR USE . The
courts have tended not to support
dissemination of unpublished works as such
sharing might cut into the future profits of
the creator. In addition, a short story would
be considered highly creative. Though
sharing the work was for an educational
purpose, the teacher is probably not
protected.

33. A teacher copies the balcony scene from a
film production of Romeo and Juliet and puts
it on his website for students to view.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
He is using a small enough portion of the work to be safely protected. This
teacher is probably infringing the copyright of the creator of the film. He has not
transformed the portion of film he has used. He might be cutting into the
market value of the entire film if others find it online and as a result didn't
purchase the entire DVD because the clip they wanted was available online.
Some might even consider that he has taken the most important part of the
work as well. Although the teacher might consider sharing the video
educational, it could also be seen as entertainment. However, it should be noted
that new exemptions have been made to the DMCA (Digital Millennium
Copyright Act) that gives "[p]ermission for college professors, film students and
documentary filmmakers to break copy-protection measures on DVDs so they
can embed clips for educational purposes, criticism, commentary and
noncommercial videos." Whether posting the subsequent work to a website
infringes copyright is unclear. You can read more about these new exceptions in
this New York Times article. K-12 teachers and students in other disciplines,
however, have not been granted the right to rip clips from DVD's. The bottom
line: tread very carefully with video.

34. Students write a skit parodying a scene from
the movie Titanic and film it. Their teacher
puts the video of the parody on his website.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is FAIR USE. Most forms of parody,
particularly transformative forms of art like
this video, are covered by the fair use
exception to copyright law. While the
purpose of such satire may or may not be
educational, it is clear that sharing a parody
clip will not likely cut into profits to be made
from the original film.

35. A teacher finds a photo online dramatizing a
pre-Columbian Viking landing in America.
Since the school symbol is the Viking, he
posts this photo on the school web page. It
links back to the original website.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is NOT FAIR USE. The teacher is not
using the image for educational purposes.
Merely linking to the original image is not
the same as obtaining the rights to
reproduce it. The image is copyrighted and
owned by the creator. The teacher did not
transform the image into something new.

36. A teacher makes color photocopies of public
domain art works published in an art book
and laminates them for use as posters in her
classroom.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is NOT FAIR USE. The teacher has not
transformed the work in any way. Even though the
art is in the public domain, the book is copyrighted.
Whether or not the use is considered educational is
a gray area. A teacher might have a hard time
arguing that using the artwork this way is
substantially transformative and would not cut into
the possible profits of companies who sell prints of
the artwork.

37. A professor gathers photocopies of chapters
from several textbooks and has them
photocopied and sold at a copycenter for
students.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is NOT FAIR USE. In fact, Kenneth Crews
describes a case against Kinko's in which courts
decided that such copying could cut into potential
profits for the textbook manufacturers, took a
substantial portion of the work, and was not
sufficiently transformative enough. While Kinko's
attempted to argue that their purposes were
educational, the courts found that the purpose was
more commercial.

38. A student uses the cover of a Life magazine
showing a flapper as part of a historical
presentation on the 1920’s. She shares the
presentation online in SlideShare.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is FAIR USE. The student is
transforming the work into a part of a larger
presentation for educational purposes. She
does not stand to profit from using the work,
nor will she likely cut into potential profits
from Life magazine by using the work.

39. A teacher creates a Kindle version of a
collection of poetry by Elizabeth Barrett
Browning with her explanatory footnotes.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is considered FAIR USE. Not only is the
teacher using public domain works, but she
is transforming them into something
potentially even more valuable with her
explanatory notes. While she stands to gain
commercially as a result of the use of the
poems, the purpose is also educational.

40. A science teacher uses AP images in an
interactive white board presentation about
global warming for her science class. She
saves the presentation as a PDF and uploads
it to her website so that her students can
download it later.
Quoted from (Fair Use Quiz
Discussion, 2014)
This is FAIR USE. The teacher is sharing the
images for educational purposes and will
not likely cut into profits the AP might have
made from the images. In addition, the use is
transformative as the images are part of a
larger presentation.

41. Q&A
Define media
literacy.
The capacity to access, analyze, evaluate and
communicate messages in a variety of forms.

42.  Media literacy is “the capacity to access,
analyze, evaluate, and communicate
messages in a wide variety of forms.”
 Sometimes it is taught in a stand-alone
course. However, it is usually
incorporated in many different subject
areas.
 Media literacy provides some unique
challenges since it involves the
transformation of media.
 So, HOW DO we apply fair use in such
situations?
 Several organizations and associations
worked together to develop the Code of
Best Practices in Fair Use for Media
Literacy Education.
 It includes 5 fair use principles.
 About the principles:
 They apply to ALL forms of media.
 They apply in institutional settings as well
as non-school-based programs.
 They concern the “unlicensed fair use of
copyrighted materials for education, not the
way those materials were acquired”
 They are subject to a “rule of
proportionality”
 Although “rules of thumb” exist – you do not
have to follow them exactly. Fair Use is MORE
flexible.
 “The fairness of a use depends, in part, on
whether the user took more than was needed
to accomplish his or her legitimate purpose.”
(Center for Social Media, 2008)

43. Educators can:
1. employ copyrighted material in media literacy lessons
(such as making copies of newspapers, TV shows, etc)
2. use copyrighted material in preparing curriculum
materials for media literacy
3. share media literacy curriculum materials (that have
copyrighted materials embedded in them)
Learners can:
4. use copyrighted materials in their own academic and
creative work
5. distribute their works digitally to develop an audience
for the work IF they meet the transformativeness
standard. Center for Social Media. (2008). Code of best practices in fair use for
media literacy education [cover image]. Retrieved from
http://mediaeducationlab.com/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-
education
(Center for Social Media, 2008; Hobbs, 2011)

44. Elementary school teachers strengthen
critical thinking and communication
skills by engaging students in using
copyrighted materials to create their
own public service announcement on
global warming (5 min, 49 sec).
Hobbs, R. (2008). Video case study, P.S. 124, media literacy, copyright and fair use [Video screenshot]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/VoCnzVZ1phY

45. This high school case study features a
project created by biology students
who developed a "Virtual Zoo"
demonstrating their learning by
created web pages using images they
found online through the photo sharing
site Flickr.com (5 min, 3 sec).
Hobbs, R. (2008). Video case study, Upper Merion Area H.S., media literacy, copyright and fair use [Video screenshot]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/cnXqNgi1rRw

46.  Consider:
 Rationale of project
 Purpose of Original Copyrighted Material
 YOUR Purpose
 Nature & Amount of the Material to be
Used
 Transformativeness
 Effect on Owners
TOOL FOR SUPPORTING
THE FAIR USE
REASONING PROCESS
(click here)

47. (Hobbs, 2011)

48. Use the Tool for Supporting Fair Use
Reasoning Process to decide if this is
Fair Use or not.
A group of students create a
documentary about John Lennon's
role as an anti-war activist,
weaving old news clips from
footage about the Vietnam War
and clips from various Lennon
songs to show how his lyrics
reflected his beliefs about the war.

49. Use the Tool for Supporting Fair Use
Reasoning Process to decide if this is
Fair Use or not.
A teacher uses a copyrighted
image, found on Flickr, adds the
title of the school play, and uses it
on a T-shirt to promote the
school's upcoming dramatic
production.

50.  Is it plagiarizing when teachers use other teachers’ resources?
Only if you pass them off as your own. Otherwise, it is really a copyright issue. Either
their use falls under fair use, or you need to get permission.
 How would an elementary teacher violate copyright/plagiarize? Or are we just
concerned with what the students are doing to violate these laws?
Both student AND teacher should follow copyright laws and avoid plagiarism. There are
no differences here other than differences in copyright based on fair use.
 How do you stay away from copyright so you don’t get into trouble?
Copyright cannot be avoided. However, remember that items in the public domain are
free to use without permission. You can use items with creative commons licenses more
freely since they give certain permissions up front. Then follow the fair use guidelines.
 How do you know if something has a copyright on it?
Everything created/made has a copyright. However, after a period of time, copyright does
expire. Refer to those guidelines.

51.  How can you determine if a student’s work is taken from something that is copyrighted?
Anything that is not uniquely created by a student will be copyrighted unless that copyright
has expired and the work is now in the public domain. Determining plagiarism, on the other
hand, is more difficult. We will address that in the next section.
 How do you get something copyrighted? Is there any material that you don’t need to put a
copyright on?
Copyright is automatic for anything created… books, music, videos, etc. Only ideas and facts
are not copyrighted. You don’t have to do anything to obtain a copyright. However, you can
register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office. This enables you to sue someone for
copyright infringement and provides additional legal evidence during such suits. You can also
license a work through creative commons to obtain one of those copyrights.
 Can you legally download things that are copyrighted?
Yes, if you own them. Otherwise, you need permission or to follow fair use guidelines.
 How much of a song can you use before it is considered plagiarism?
This is a question of copyright, not plagiarism. Approximately 10% or 30 sec of a copyrighted
song should be integrated into an educational multimedia/video project. For in-class listening,
you can play it if it been legally purchased and is intended for educational purposes. Public
domain songs can be used at will.

53. Q&A
How would
you define
plagiarism?

54. an act or instance of using or closely imitating the
language and thoughts of another author without
authorization and the representation of that author's work
as one's own, as by not crediting the original author
Using someone else’s work incorrectly
 Using another’s work without giving credit
 Pretending another’s work is your own, even if you have
permission from that person to use it
 Copying something exactly while pretending it is your ideas
and work.
 Not doing your own work
 Recycling your own work, but submitting it as if it is new
 Relying on others in a group to get a good grade
 Having someone else do the work (either for free or for a
fee) while saying you did it yourself
Image is licensed under CC BY SA.
(“Plagiarism,” n.d.; LIRC Productions, 2013)

55. 1. Plan Ahead! Don’t leave
everything to the last
minute.
2. Do Your Own Work!
3. If you use someone else’s
work, give them credit!
 Create a Bibliography
 Use In-Text Citations
(for BOTH direct quotes &
paraphrases)
(LIRC Productions, 2013)

56.  Plagiarism ranges from copying word-for-word to paraphrasing
a passage without credit and changing only a few words.
 The next three slides show how the following passage from a
book was used in three student papers.
Still, the telephone was only a convenience, permitting
Americans to do more casually and with less effort what they had
already been doing before.
Which ones do YOU think are plagiarism?

57. The telephone was a
convenience, enabling
Americans to do more casually
and with less effort what they
had already been doing before.
ORIGINAL:
Still, the telephone was only
a convenience, permitting
Americans to do more
casually and with less effort
what they had already been
doing before.
PLAGIARISM! Quoted from (Wayne State
College Library, 2008)

58. Daniel J. Boorstin (1973)
argues that the telephone was
only a convenience, permitting
Americans to do more casually
and with less effort what they
had already been doing before.
PLAGIARISM! Quoted from (Wayne State
ORIGINAL:
Still, the telephone was only
a convenience, permitting
Americans to do more
casually and with less effort
what they had already been
doing before.
College Library, 2008)

59. Daniel J. Boorstin (1973) as noted
that most Americans considered
the telephone as simply "a
convenience," an instrument that
allowed them "to do more casually
and with less effort what they had
already been doing before" (p.
390).
ORIGINAL:
Still, the telephone was only
a convenience, permitting
Americans to do more
casually and with less effort
what they had already been
doing before.
NOT PLAGIARISM! Quoted from (Wayne State
College Library, 2008)

60.  ALWAYS
 Use quotation marks around direct quotes.
 Provide attribution to the author for both
quotations and paraphrases
 Blogs
 Link to the original source
 Twitter
 include a "via @username"
 If you modify it change RT (retweet) to MT
(modified tweet)
 Facebook
 If sharing from a timeline, use the Share
Button
 If citing from elsewhere on the web, provide
a link to their Facebook timeline or their
website if they don’t have a Facebook
account.
Eridon, C. (2012). How to cite on the internet [PNG]. Retrieved from http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33098/How-
Not-to-Steal-People-s-Content-on-the-Web.aspx
Eridon, C. (2012). Facebook source[PNG]. Retrieved from
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33098/How-Not-to-
Steal-People-s-Content-on-the-Web.aspx
(Eridon, 2012)

61. All images, regardless of whether or not
they are copyrighted or in the public
domain or should be cited according to
the citation style (APA, MLA, etc.) you
are using.
For presentations and papers that do
not require a specific citation style, you
should still include an attribution.
The only images you do not need to
include a citation or attribution for are
stock photos/images provided by the
software you are using (such as
Microsoft images in PPT or Word).
University of California Irvine. (2013). Visual literacy: Citing images [Screenshot]. Retrieved from http://libguides.lib.uci.edu/content.php?pid=55242&sid=1099213

62.  Creative Commons recommends
that you use the acronym: TASL
 T: Title
What is the name of the material?
 A: Author
Who owns the material?
 S: Source
Where can I find it?
 L: License
How can I use it?
 Lastly, is there anything else I should
know before I use it?
Used As Is
"Creative Commons 10th Birthday Celebration San
Francisco" by tvol is licensed under CC BY
Modified
"Creative Commons 10th Birthday Celebration San
Francisco" by tvol, used under CC BY / Desaturated from
original
(Creative Commons, 2013)

63. Q&A
What are some
signs that can help
a teacher identify
plagiarism?
1) Sudden changes in diction, 2) More than one font, 3) Uncalled for
hyperlinks, 4) Odd intrusions of first-person or shifts in tense, 5)
Outdated information, 6) Apparent quotes with quotation marks, 7)
Incorrect or mixed citation systems, 8) Missing references,
9) A paper that doesn’t really fit the assignment, 10) Getting a hit on a
search engine.

64.  What if a person plagiarizes and truly doesn’t know they did that?
Ignorance is not an excuse. If you are the teacher, you can use that as a teaching opportunity. If
you are the guilty party, you will have to take the consequences and learn from them.
 How often do students in colleges and universities get kicked out for using plagiarism?
That depends on the institution and their policies. There is a wide variety of responses and
consequences for plagiarism.
 When you cite something, do you need to use APA citing?
No. However, you do need to include BOTH in-text citations/footnotes and a Reference List at
the end of the paper. It is highly recommended that you follow a specific citation style. For
Education, APA is usually recommended.
 What are the common plagiarizing mistakes college kids make?
The most common mistake is to forget the in-text citations. In-text citations are required for
BOTH direct quotations and paraphrases. College students also frequently forget to put
quotation marks around small sections that they have taken from a source.
 Is it plagiarizing if you use your own work more than once?
Yes. You are passing it off as a new work endeavor when you turn it in. Instead, get
permission first.

65.  When you put quotes around wording from a text and list the page number is that ok? Or is that
copyright still?
This is a plagiarism issue, not a copyright issue. This is an appropriate way to attribute a source.
However, don’t forget to mention the author and include a Reference List.
 Is looking at someone’s work and rewriting it with little difference in wording considered plagiarism?
This is paraphrasing, which is a great method for including material from a source. It would only be
considered plagiarism IF you did not attribute it to the original work.
 How far can you go before it is considered plagiarism? How much of a text can you duplicate?
Plagiarism is always avoided as long as you use attribution, no matter the length. However, copyright
infringement may occur if you use too much, especially if it is the “heart” of the material. Follow fair use
guidelines to make that determination.
 What constitutes plagiarism? I have heard that it is 4 words in a row that are the same in a work that you
are using.
Plagiarism has to do with not providing attribution no matter HOW much you use…. one word or an
entire paragraph.
 I always worry about plagiarism and have used plagiarism websites in high school. However, I didn’t
believe them because they said I plagiarized from sites I never visited. What is a good online tool to use?
Most plagiarism tools compare a paper against web and book content, looking for exact phrasing.
Sometimes exact phrasing may be in several different places because of publishing/copyright sharing
agreements. Plus if someone else had plagiarized a source, the tool may identify it as a source as well.
Such tools will also indicate plagiarism for any quotations you use. So, double-check that those are in
direct quotes. There are several tools out there that you can use. TurnItIn is the most prevalent of those
tools. Additional ones to try for FREE are listed on the Education Research Guide. However, a simple
Google search can assist you in identifying plagiarism.
 Can we copy pictures from the Internet without citing our source?
Only if the pictures are in the public domain, are stock photos for a software (such as Microsoft Office
photos) or you purchase them. Otherwise, all pictures (including ones with creative commons licenses)
require attribution.

66. Stop by the Reference Desk or
Contact Valerie Knight, Reference Librarian (asklibrary@wsc.edu)

68. Association of Research Libraries. (2007). Know your copy rights. Retrieved from
http://academic.wsc.edu/conn_library/research/copyright/kycrbrochurebw.pdf
Bailey, J. (2013, October 7). The difference between copyright infringement and plagiarism. Retrieved from
http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2013/10/07/difference-copyright-infringement-plagiarism/
Center for Social Media. (2008). Code of best practices in fair use for media literacy education. Retrieved from
http://mediaeducationlab.com/sites/mediaeducationlab.com/files/CodeofBestPracticesinFairUse_0.pdf
Creative Commons. (2013, November 25). Best practices for attribution. Retrieved from
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Best_practices_for_attribution
Creative commons license. (2014, January 20). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons_license
Copyright. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/copyright
Electronic Frontier Foundation. (n.d.). Copyright frequently asked questions. Retrieved from
http://www.teachingcopyright.org/handout/copyright-faq
Eridon, C. (2012, August 3). How not to steal people’s content on the web. Retrieved from
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33098/How-Not-to-Steal-People-s-Content-on-the-Web.aspx

69. Fair use. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/#q=define:+fair+use
Hirtle, P. B. (2014, January 3). Copyright term and the public domain in the United States. Retrieved from
http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
Hobbs, R. (2011, June 29). Copyright clarity: Using copyrighted materials for digital learning [PPT]. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/reneehobbs/copyright-clarity-using-copyrighted-materials-for-digital-learning
Kenney, C. (2010, April 19). Mickey Mouse’s copyright law. Retrieved from http://animationanomaly.com/2010/04/19/mickey-mouse-
copyright-law/#.Uwd-VXdAeux
LIRC Productions. (2013, October 29). Plagiarism 101 with year 6 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/fDd7up936MQ
Plagiarism. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Plagiarism
Public domain. (2014, February 19). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain
Public domain. (n.d.). In Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/public domain
Ribble, M. (2014). Nine themes of digital citizenship. Retrieved from http://digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html
Wayne State College Library. (2008). Plagiarism? It's your call! Retrieved from
http://academic.wsc.edu/conn_library/help/student/empower/module6/itsyourcall/index.php