Pumerantz Library Facebook & Twitter
Copyright vs. Plagiarism
Legal definitions:
Copyright is "a property right in an original work of authorship (such as a literary, musical, artistic, photographic, or film work) fixed in any tangible medium of expression, giving the holder the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, perform, and display the work." (Garner, 2001)
Plagiarism is "the act or an instance of copying or stealing another’s words or ideas and attributing them as one's own."(Garner, 2001)
In simpler terms:
"Difference between Plagiarism and Copyright:
Laurie Stearns notes three distinct differences between copyright infringement and plagiarism:
1) Using even a small amount of a work written by someone else without attribution is plagiarism, but to be guilty of copyright infringement, the amount copied must be in some sense substantial.
2) One can plagiarize any work that has ever been written, no matter how old and no matter who the author, but copying even an entire book that is in the public domain - whether a product of Shakespeare or the U.S. government - is not a violation of copyright.
3) It is possible to plagiarize ideas, even facts (if, for example, they are presented in the same order and context as another work), but copyright law does not protect facts or ideas, only the original way in which they are expressed within a particular work." (Russell, 2004)
"...plagiarism deals with the creative process, while copyright is concerned with the result - that is the finished work. Thus, a plagiarist takes shortcuts in the creation of a work by using someone else's words or ideas and claiming them as his or her own; a copyright infringer makes multiple copies of all or a substantial part of a finished work to secure financial advantage (either by selling those copies or by avoiding payment owed to the copyright holder)." (Russell, 2004)
Helpful links
Citation Styles LibGuide
This LibGuide provides information on APA and AMA citation styles.
Copyright FAQs
Frequently asked questions about Copyright avaliable from the United States Copyright Office.
EndNote
EndNote is bibliographic management software that allows users to save and organize citations. These citations can be for journal articles, books, conference proceedings, Web pages, manuscripts, etc. Different formatting styles can be used. Western University faculty, staff and students are allowed 2 (two) free downloads.
Plagiarism FAQs
Frequently asked questions about Plagiarism available from Plagiarism.org.
Fun with Copyright
- Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video
This is a guide to current acceptable practices, drawing on the actual activities of creators, as discussed among other places in the study Recut, Reframe, Recycle: Quoting Copyrighted Material in User-Generated Video and backed by the judgment of a national panel of experts. It also draws, by way of analogy, upon the professional judgment and experience of documentary filmmakers, whose own code of best practices has been recognized throughout the film and television businesses. - Copyright Explained This anecdote from the Online Teacher Resource Center clears up any copyright misunderstandings you may have had.
- Remix Culture: The Early Years In a world where everyone is a content creator...
In a world where distribution methods are ubiquitous...
In a world where creators are increasingly making works that use copyrighted material--some of which may be legally useable under fair use, some of which may not....
...we pose the question: "What's Fair?"
Chat with a Librarian
Loading Video Clip...
Your Suggestions
If you encounter a link that you think should be added to this list please submit it for evaluation.
Submit a LinkDescription
Loading content... please wait
 |
Loading content... please wait