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[monica odenwald Contribution Level: 3]

Hi everyone....I must confess that as a new student of online marketing I feel like I am not referencing things properly. In my last College course we referenced everything written "religiously." It was a discipline I Iearned without really knowing the full impact of why.

These days I am like an artist seeking out my own palette and style. But I am still slightly borrowing and branding myself with words, slogans, sayings, principals, ideas and information as though they were the colors of my new online mindset.

With respect to those many talented, intelligent, hard working, committed, path setters and leaders before me, I am wondering if anyone has a good format or basic rules to follow regarding plagiarism...I mean proper referencing?

Gratefully Yours,
Monica

[Neil Johnson Contribution Level: 2]

GREAT POST!!! Very thoughtful... It had me stumped.. so ironcally I am taking some information from
http://www.usna.edu/Library/Plagiarism/ ... _tips.html

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Tips For Avoiding Plagiarism

Take very careful notes, enclosing exactly quoted material in quotation marks. Include in your notes all bibliographic information to properly cite your source.

Use proper documentation, always citing the following:

Direct quotations from sources
Paraphrased ideas and opinions from sources
Summaries of ideas from sources
Factual information, except common knowledge, from sources (Seyler 115)
A source may be anything, "a book, an article, a movie, an interview, a microfilmed document, a downloaded image, an anonymous newsgroup posting." (Aaron 134)

Common knowledge is: "the standard information of a field of study as well as folk literature and common sense observations."

"If you do not know a subject well enough to determine whether a piece of information is common knowledge, make a record of the source. As you read more about the subject the information may come up repeatedly without acknowledgment, in which case it is probably common knowledge. But if you're still in doubt when you finish your research, always acknowledge the source." (Aaron 134)

Cite sources found on the Internet:

Internet resources must be acknowledged just as any other source would. The ability to download and cut and paste requires particular care when using Internet resources in your research.

The following tips for using Internet resources are paraphrased from The Holt Handbook (5th edition, p. 617-618 ):

Download text into individual files
Summarize or paraphrase downloaded material before using it
Use quotation marks when using exact words
Give proper credit for e-mail, listservs, World Wide Web sites, discussion groups
Check out the Library's Citing Your Sources web pages.

If you're not sure if it's plagiarism, check with your faculty member.

The citations on these pages follow the Modern Language Association style and refer to the books listed under Print Resources. Be sure to use the document style required by your instructor.


I love referencing things on the net... cause not only is it good information for everyone... but it helps me get things through my head.

[monica odenwald Contribution Level: 3]

Hi Neil thank you for helping out with your siting of information.
Their is a whole new language in the direct sales and network marketing industry that I have come to know.

But as far as establishing boundaries and respecting ownership of intellectual property, I think I unconsciously assumed that mentors and teachers want you to quote them so why bother referencing them by the books?

It is easy to hide behind these teachers as a student of online marketing. But some of these threads I am reading online are waking me up to reality.

Its a dog eat dog world out there in cyber space. Slander or borrowing are as close as a fewstrikes on the keyboard.

The pack isn't always easy to run with or recognize wither when it comes to ownership because of all the duplicating going on.

I will use some of your helpful tips more faithfully so I don't get into any hot water with anyone.

Good night!

[Joyce Penner Company: Life Force International Contribution Level: 8]

I'm on the same page, Monica. If you are copying something from another source it should be referenced. If you are taking someone else's idea or training and writing from your perspective or understanding of it then you are producing original copy and plagiarism doesn't become a factor.

Using verbage that has become commonplace is another scenario - i.e. everyone uses newbie now in reference to someone just starting up or venturing into a new realm of their personal training. I personally don't like the term but just about everyone has jumped on it and is using it. Someone started it but how would you attribute that to any one person?

Great question.
Joyce Penner

[John Voyda Contribution Level: 2]

Monica,

You hit a topic near and dear to my heart.

Being an avid writer for many years now, I can tell you that theft of intellectual property, be it intentional or otherwise, ranks pretty high on the ‘Things which aggravate me’ list.

Now some topics that are discussed in forums and articles and such are really just common sense, and as long as someone is not quoted word for word, there is no need to reference something that you may have read and are completely and totally reshaping with your own words.

For example, you are welcome to take anything from any of my posts or articles, and reword it and use it. As long as it is not verbatim, and is not readily apparent that someone just took and replaced a few words here and there and then claimed it for their own.

Alternately, you could simply link to the story, which benefits both parties, as I will explain below.

Neil,

Great reference. This will help people out quite a bit. Also by referencing the author you create a link to their site. This gives them traffic, and everyone loves traffic. They just might crosslink back to YOUR site, and thereby give YOU some traffic as well. Everyone wins by taking the high road. Excellent find.

Dean,

Fantastic point. Citations are only a quick url link away, and should be used when referencing anything substantial from another person.

Joyce,

Also a good point, and I agree. If you were to read ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki, and then relate what you have learned from it in your own words, it is not plagiarism. No more than it would be plagiarism to relate what lessons you learned in school by reading the works of the great authors such as Homer.

Indeed, plagiarism is absolutely RAMPANT in this industry, and many, many people see it as a free resource to be used and exploited, though they don’t see anything wrong with doing so.

Such people are usually either incapable of writing their own copy, or are more often than not, just too lazy to do so. Though I am convinced that a great deal of people plagiarize without being aware of what they are doing is wrong, and thus, it is much more forgivable than those who do it intentionally.

People will follow leaders that can take great knowledge and distill it down simply, and into their own words.

~John