Search or Research?

Copyright, Plagiarism and Source Validation in the

Digital Age

The Copyright Game

At your tables, complete the copyright and fair use quiz.

Copyright Basics

Copyright laws became necessary with the advent of the printing press.

Copyright protection gives the creator of an original work the right to control how others may use their work.

It is not necessary for a work to be published or registered with the U.S. Copyright office for it to be copyrighted.

How is Copyright Granted?

Under current US law, an author has an automatic copyright in an original work as soon as it exists in a fixed form.

The copyright term is the life of the author plus 70 years.

Works on which the copyright has expired are said to be in the “public domain,” including all works published before 1923.

Works created by agents of the U.S. government are also in the public domain.

Fair Use: the Four-Fold Test

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

2. The nature of the copyrighted work;

3. Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Fair Use Guidelines

Up to 10% or 1,000 words, whichever is less, of a copyrighted text work.

For example, an entire poem of less than 250 words may be used, but no more than three poems by one poet, or five poems by different poets from any anthology.

Fair Use Guidelines

Up to 10%, but in no event more than 30 seconds, of the music and lyrics from an individual musical work.

Up to 10% or three minutes, whichever is less, of a copyrighted motion media work (for example, an animation, video or film image).

Fair Use Guidelines

A photograph or illustration may be used in its entirety but no more than five images by an artist or photographer may be reproduced.

When using photographs and illustrations from a published collective work, no more than 10% or 15 images, whichever is less.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using another’s work and presenting it as your own.

Why do students plagiarize? How can we prevent plagiarism?

Donny Disorganized

Means to complete his work Can’t manage large projects with far-

away deadlines Finds himself in a panic the night

before the project is due

Donny Disorganized

Help him by posting rubrics and other materials on EDLINE in case he loses them

Break the project down into smaller pieces.

Give intermediate due dates, such as for research notes and rough drafts

Olivia Over-Committed

She has good intentions of getting her work done

But she’s singing in the school musical, playing on a select soccer team, and participating in a weekend mission project

There just isn’t time to write a research paper

Olivia Over-Committed

She will also benefit from intermediate due dates and a requirement to turn in research notes and rough drafts

Help her by allowing some time for in-class or in-school work

Lionel Lazy

Doing his own research and analysis just seems like too much work

Everyone else is taking shortcuts, why shouldn’t he?

Lionel Lazy

Hold him accountable by giving intermediate due dates and requiring copies of rough drafts

Polly Perfectionist

Polly is anxious about her writing ability. She wants to turn in only the best work.

What others have written in books or on the Internet seems so much better than her own words.

She doesn’t see the purpose of redoing it.

She’s not sure how to write an analysis, but is afraid to ask for help.

Polly Perfectionist

Encourage students in their analytical ability.

Provide short practices and examples of critical analysis.

Explain that the purpose of analysis isn’t for them to re-create what others may have done better – it is to develop their own ability to analyze information and write in their own “voice.”

Sally Studious

Sally may not be the best writer, but she’s one of the hardest workers.

She does all of her own work She desperately wants to attend UT, but

is just barely below the top 10% cutoff for automatic admission

She feels that she’s having to compete for her future with students who cheat

Sally Studious

Be vigilant in preventing plagiarism. Make sure all students know the

consequences of cheating and the steps you will take to prevent it.

Allow time for in-class work to level the playing field between the plagiarizers and the students who will do their own work.

Vary writing prompts/projects between semesters and even class periods

All Students

Give clear guidelines for using materials at the beginning of a project, including in-text citations, footnotes/endnotes, references, etc.

Be a good example in your own use of intellectual property

Internet Research

Internet Research

The Web may be the best source of up-to-date information in constantly changing fields such as medicine, science, and technology.

Web use for research is still controversial among educators, but is largely accepted by other professionals and students

PCA Research Resources

Library website Online catalog OneSearch instead of Google

Research Databases EBSCOHost Gale Group

The Wikipedia Debate

What’s wrong with using Wikipedia in research?

What is Wikipedia?

A “wiki” is a website that allows users to post updates.

“Wikipedia” is an online encyclopedia managed by its users.

It is free, unlike subscription online encyclopedias, such as World Book or Britannica.

As of today, Wikipedia has over 2 million articles in English alone.

How to Use Wikipedia

As a starting place for research – not the only source

As a source of last resort for information that can’t be found in print or on an authoritative website

Your Search is Only As Good As…

the keywords you select and. . . the sites you choose.

Search Statements

Consist of key words related to your topic. Use quotes for exact phrases “John Donne” is better than John Donne.

Use Boolean operators such as NOT or “-” to exclude undesired results

Use Advanced Search features to narrow your results

Web Site Evaluation

Students must be taught the criteria for evaluating any resource, whether online or in print.

The open nature of the Internet requires special attention to source evaluation.

Important criteria includes: Reliability of the sponsor Expertise of the author Integrity and durability of the content Format Objectivity World View

Searching is easy…

Researching is hard work