Posted by Mitchell on March 7, 2002, at 18:23:57
In reply to Plagiarism? Who me?, posted by trouble on March 6, 2002, at 21:42:20
> What is the policy about citing sources on this board? I quote song lyrics constantly w/out crediting them, and I have also stolen lines out of self-help books w/out naming the source.
> troubleTechnically, the question seems directed toward the admin, since that is who formulates and executes policies here. But as an interested observor, I can offer some insights. There is a line in the FAQ about not posting any material that you do not have the right to post. But, the FAQ says that can be complicated, then goes on to offer guidelines. Most of that applies to copyrights - such as how much of another publication's material can properly be used.
Plagiarism implies using other people's material as if it were one's own; that seems to be your question - when should you cite a source. It comes down to your integrity with your readership. There have been discussants here who post paragraphs from journals with no attribution. That happens on various BBS, and technically is plagiarism, though more often it might be a matter of the discussant's ignorance of copyright laws and publication ethics.
In other cases, people refer to a study, in paraphrased terms, but do not provide accurate information that would let readers find the source and make their own assessment of the material. Again, it's not plagiarism, but as a matter of courtesy, posting source information both advances the discussion and encourages others to aspire to the same standard. In other cases, a discussant might quote a line from a self-help book. If you know the line is borrowed, and don't want to claim it as one's own, it is easy enough to write "someone once said..." If you know the source, why not attribute? If you don't know the page or the article, or even the exact quote, it is easy enough to say "Dr. Whosit said something like...." Or even, "my recollection is that Dr. Whosit said..."
This is not a difficult topic; if you know they aren't your words, say so. If you know whose words they are, say so. If you don't exactly know what was said, and want to paraphrase, acknowledge your lack of confidence. If you want to look smart, but like a fool to someone who knows better, plagiarise.
Here's a little poem I wrote. Hope ya'll like it:
The lord is my shepherd
I shall not want
He leadeth me beside still waters
he restoreth my soul...I'm still working on another verse. How'd ya like it?
poster:Mitchell
thread:3307
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20011216/msgs/3317.html