Giving credit to your sources

by Kurt Mensching on Dec 22, 2009 10:53 AM EST in Housekeeping

This has been an issue in a couple of FanShots and FanPosts lately, so I just want to clear it up right now.

If you are using information from another web site, you should be sure to credit the source in your posts with a link to where you found it, and by naming where you found the information. You can highlight your text and click the icon that looks like a chain link to do that.

Second, if you are going to copy and paste a portion of what they wrote -- no more than a paragraph and never the entire thing -- be sure to include that in the block quote function. The icon looks like some quotation mark.

Using information that is not yours is still plagiarism or a violation of other writers' copyrights, even if done so unintentionally.

Thank you.

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I actually thought about this the other day

Since there was a fanpost or two that were used without quotes or sources. Of course my reasoning was because I’d like to know if the source is reliable before I go clicking on links, but I definitely get your point Mack.

@Boney – while I understand where you’re coming from, as a moderator or writer on a blog/website/etc, it’s best to nip things in the bud before it gets out of hand. Granted this may seem minute but with sue-happy morons in the world and issues with renown journalists possibly stealing stories from bloggers or vice versa, it’s just best to let folks know that on BYB, it won’t be tolerated.

I highly doubt it’s Mack was intending to ruin your day Boney but if you had taken the time to do your research, double check your sources and post your big news story and someone just yanked your link and called the story their own, or copied it, etc. you’d be pretty pissed.

The artist formerly known as Granderson28

by KidRick48 on Dec 22, 2009 11:45 AM EST reply actions

For me, it’s because not all sources are created equal. Certain sources should get more weighting than others.

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by Mike Rogers on Dec 22, 2009 2:16 PM EST reply actions

This.

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by john.kmiecik on Dec 22, 2009 3:30 PM EST up reply actions

Bingo.

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by madpoopz on Dec 22, 2009 11:09 PM EST up reply actions

Kids! Also be sure to include proper bibliographies!

by sal. on Dec 22, 2009 9:28 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs

Everyone's making too big a deal over this

Throw a hyperlink at the top of the freakin FanPost. Takes 10 seconds and gets Kurt and the rest of us that care about journalistic/academic honesty off your backs.

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by David Tokarz on Dec 23, 2009 1:22 AM EST reply actions