Ask yourself:
- Are you an expert on the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act of 1930?
- Are you an expert on cognitive dissonance in social psychology?
- Are you an expert on outcome-based educational theories?
- Are you an expert on computational fluid dynamics?
Chances are, you're not an expert in these fields. In that case, if you were writing a paper about one of these topics, you would have to cite the sources you used in your paper. Even real experts in these fields don't know absolutely everything about them. Nobody does. After all, we live in the age of the "Information Explosion." With new discoveries and fields of study exploding onto the academic scene every day, it would be impossible for any one person to learn everything.
It's not just you. These rules apply to everyone. When experts write papers, they, too, cite the original works they used as sources. After all, even the most renowned scholars must build upon or draw from the work of others in order to support their conclusions.
What's in it for me, you ask? Well, remember that citing your sources benefits you in other ways. It demonstrates to your professors that you've read the experts' opinions. It gives validity to your work. Citing your sources also allows your professors to further understand the topic and better evaluate your work. Plus, citing your sources makes a paper look more polished. This can make a difference when it is time for a professor to grade your paper!
Cite Your Sources Or Else!
It's the law, and it benefits you, too.
Still not convinced that you have to cite your sources? Here's a scenario to consider:
You see an MP3 player lying on a coworker's desk at your workplace. It is late at night, and no one is in sight. You are thinking about buying a similar model, so you decide to take it home and try it for the night. You return it to your coworker's desk the next morning. No one noticed, so no one got hurt, right?
Wrong!
We all know that taking someone else's property, even overnight, is stealing. When you see something written on the Web or in a book that says exactly what you want to say in your paper, and you use it without citing your source, it is also stealing. In this case, however, you are stealing somebody's intellectual property instead of their electronics.
There are two reasons why it is wrong to use a source without citing it.
Number One: It's Unethical.
You could be caught and punished. If a professor notices, you could fail the assignment, fail the course, get suspended, or get expelled. Some schools even put a note on your college transcripts so that future schools or employers will see that you cheated.
Number Two: It could happen to you.
Someday it could be your book being copied, your songs being pirated on the Internet, or your invention being stolen. Wouldn't you be angry? Wouldn't you feel entitled to the profits from your creation? The only measure our society has to prevent this from happening is the law. These laws are here to protect you. So even if it involves extra time on your part, you must respect the law.
How do I give credit to a source?
Citations, bibliographies, footnotes, endnotes, and parenthetical notes
Citations
A citation is a display of information about a source that was used in writing a research paper. Just to give a few examples, the source might be a book, an article from a periodical, or a Web site. For a book, a citation usually includes the author, the title, the publisher, and the date and place of publication. For an article, a citation includes the author, the title of the article, the name of the periodical, the volume number, the date, and the page numbers.
The information in a citation must be arranged according to an approved style, such as the Modern Language Association style (MLA style), the American Psychological Association style (APA style), or the Chicago style. Ask your professor which style you should use. More information about these styles appears later in this unit.
Bibliographies
A bibliography is a complete list of the citations referring to the sources used in your research paper. It usually appears at the end of a paper. A bibliography can also be called references or works cited.
Footnotes and Endnotes
Footnotes and endnotes are notes that refer to, or comment on, sources used in a research paper. Footnotes are placed at the bottom of a page, whereas endnotes appear on a separate page at the end of a paper.
Parenthetical Notes
A parenthetical note is a brief reference at the end of a sentence, directing the reader to a full citation in the bibliography. The name parenthetical comes from the fact that this type of reference is placed inside parentheses (which some people mistakenly refer to as brackets).
If you are unsure whether to use footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical notes, ask your professor. Professors usually have a preference for one or the other. For more information on footnotes, endnotes, and parenthetical notes, you can refer to a style manual at the library or on the Internet.
Common Knowledge
Some things don't have to be cited.
You might be asking yourself, "Do I have to cite everything?" Actually, there are some things you do not have to cite because they are common knowledge. A piece of information that everyone knows, and is not considered to be the work of anyone else, can be omitted from your references. For instance, we all know there are 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year. Information like this does not have to be cited.
Now, you might be thinking, "Well, what if I'm not sure if it's common knowledge?" Common knowledge can be identified by using several criteria:
- Is it information that virtually everyone would know? Example: A minute lasts 60 seconds.
- Is it information that you could easily locate in a variety of library resources? Example: The capital of Iceland is Reykjavik.
- Is it factual to the point of being beyond dispute? Example: Gravity keeps humans from floating off into space.
The bottom line is this: If your're not sure whether or not to cite something, cite it anyway just to be on the safe side.
How Do I Format the Citation?
Citation Styles
There are many citation styles that you may use to cite your sources. Although the formats of these citation styles are slightly different, they provide the reader with the same information. Citations always include the author (when the source has one), the title, and the publication information. Your instructors may prefer a certain citation style that they want you to use for their class. Always be sure to check with your instructors before using a citation style! In some cases the course you are taking can dictate the style you should use. A partial list of subjects to which each citation style corresponds is provided below, along with specific style examples and links to guides that can help you use these styles. If your instructor wants you to use a citation style that you do not see below, contact the Reference Desk at the library for further assistance.
- MLA (Modern Language Association) is often used in the humanities, which includes literature, philosophy, religion, history, and the arts.
Printed style manual:
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. New York: Modern Language Association, 1998.
Located online at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html#General
- APA (American Psychological Association) is often used in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and political science.
Printed style manual:
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2001.
Located online at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html#General
- Chicago (Chicago Style) is frequently used in both the humanities and the social sciences.
Printed style manual:
University of Chicago Press Staff. The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Located online at:
http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/chicagogd.php
- Turabian (Created by Kate Turabian, based on the Chicago Style) is regularly used in both the humanities and social sciences.
Printed style manual:
Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Located online at:
http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/img/assets/6535/turabian.pdf
Why Should I Care About Copyright Law?
The ins & outs of fair use and public domain
Copyright law states that anything a person creates belongs to that person from the moment it is created. This includes song lyrics, short stories, poems, cartoons, Web pages, and dance moves -- just to name a few. Moreover, the law also protects a person's right to benefit financially from his or her work. In addition, it restricts others from copying a work without the creator's permission. Copyright law also stipulates when a work can be used without restrictions. However, to be safe, if you use in your research paper any work created by another person, you should cite this work in your bibliography.
Public Domain
Definition: Public domain is the entirety of works which are not owned by anyone, and are therefore not protected by copyright.
As long as the creator is alive, this person retains the rights to his or her own work. However, after the creator dies, the rights to the work pass to the creator's family. Later still, 70 years after the creator's death, the work finally enters the public domain. Therefore, no one owns the work, and it is no longer protected by law. Nonetheless, it is best to err on the side of caution. There are, after all, exceptions to every rule. Just to be on the safe side, if you're unsure whether the source is in the public domain, before using it in your research paper, get permission from the person who created it.
A work can also be in the public domain if:
- It was created before copyright law existed. Example: The plays of Shakespeare.
- Its copyright protection has expired. Example: Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage.
- It never had copyright protection, or its copyright protection was lost. Example: Works published before March 1, 1989, which did not carry a copyright notice.
- It was intentionally given to the public domain. Example: "Freeware."
Some works are not protected by copyright law. They include:
- Most U.S. government documents. Example: The Bill of Rights. Exception: U.S. government documents under contract.
- Reproduced works already in the public domain. (But be aware that a license may restrict use.)
- Facts, ideas, and common property. Example: Paris is the capital of France.
- Federal laws and court decisions. Example: the text of Brown v. Board of Education.
- Most blank forms.
Fair Use
Copyright laws do allow certain uses of copyrighted materials. This is called fair use. The three instances where fair use is allowed are the following:
- Creative fair use by authors who copy from other works to create their own work.
- Personal fair use by individuals who copy from works for their own learning or entertainment.
- Educational fair use by teachers, scholars, and students who copy a work for teaching, scholarship, or learning.
If you are unsure whether your use of a source is considered fair use, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the purpose of the use commercial or non-profit educational?
- Is the nature of the work creative, a compilation, or derivitive?
- Is the amount you have taken from the work likely to infringe upon the owner's right to duplication?
- Is the use of the work likely to negatively impact the potential market for the work?
Some examples of fair use
- You buy a CD and use one of the songs in a presentation for a class. (This is considered a one-time educational use of a song on a CD you have already bought.)
- You upload a cartoon to your presentation page on a class Website. (This is considered a one-time educational use as long as the cartoon is deleted after the class ends.)
- Your professor puts an article from a 1980 magazine on reserve for the class to read at the library. (This is considered fair use because the magazine is no longer for sale, and it is being used educationally.)
Some examples that are not fair use
- You buy a DVD for entertainment purposes and give a screening of the movie at your dorm, charging $5 per person. (This is not fair use because you are profiting from the use of the movie. The movie's owner is due a portion of the profits.)
- You make copies of a short story in a recently published book for all your classmates. (This is not fair use because the book is still available for purchase.)
- You are making a Website of your favorite bands, and you upload some of your favorite songs using MP3 and WAV files. (This is not fair use because you have just made the songs available to the world without compensating the song's owner.)
Final Thought:
Fair use of copyrighted material without permission is very different from your obligation to cite your sources. Even if material is fairly used for educational or non-profit purposes, you still need to give credit to your sources.
Additional resources on copyright issues:
The Manhattan College Library would like to thank the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia for permission to adapt portions of Unit 8 of its Online Library Learning Center for use in this unit.
|