This anti-plagiarism WebQuest is designed to familiarize students with the concept of the ownership of work and thought, and to introduce the steps responsible students should take to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Adapted with permission from a webquest by Marisa Giovannoni, Coral Academy of Science.

Introduction:

How would you feel if you came up with a great new idea, and once you represented this idea in song, painting, sculpture, movie, story, or essay format, someone stole this idea from you, didn't give you credit for coming up with it, pretended it was their own idea, messed up the idea so it wasn't the same anymore, and made your hard work available to others for free?

We are about to embark on a WebQuest--a quest to learn about ideas, how they have been stolen, how they are protected, and steps we can take to avoid accidentally stealing from someone else.

Your Task:

First, you will study a number of resources and examples that will help you build an understanding of the idea of "thought ownership."

Then, with your new understanding of "thought ownership," you will identify original and plagiarized papers as well as create a report that will help your peers understand how to avoid plagiarism.

Webquest Directions:

Read the linked article, then answer the questions on a blank sheet of paper.

Part One: How can thoughts, ideas, and work be stolen?

First, please read:

Fair Use

    If a person wishes to use part of someone else’s work they have to obtain written permission from the author of that original work. Only in“fair use” cases do you not have to obtain this. The courts created fair use guidelines for teachers and students. This “policy” permits those of us working in the school setting to “borrow” parts of an original work without obtaining written permission from the author. There are four basic guidelines used for the fair use policy - purpose, nature, amount and effect.
    The Copyright Management Center at Indiana University has a great checklist for fair use. You can view this whole document by going to their website at www.iupui.edu/%7Ecopyinfo/fuchecklist.html. Below are some of the acceptable and unacceptable uses mentioned on this site.

United States Government works are considered public domain and may be used freely.

Generally speaking, up to 10% of a work can be used. See the chart below for more clarification.

©2001, LKVTSSP
(from http://www.cyberbee.com/copyrpln.pdf, Laura Kaemming)

Now, investigate: 
Please begin your research by visiting each of the following links and reading the information you find there:

1. Audio Examples:

• Learn how Vanilla Ice "copied" from Queen and David Bowie:

          http://www.benedict.com/audio/Vanilla/Vanilla.aspx

• Judge if George Harrison "stole" from The Chiffons:

          http://www.benedict.com/audio/harrison/harrison.aspx

Now summarize:

Summarize one example of copyright infringement in your own words, and record the URL for your example. You will write about this in your report.

Part Two: How do we protect our thoughts, ideas, and original creations?

First, please read:

Copyright

    Copyright happens automatically as soon as a copy of the work is created. Just because you don’t see the copyright symbol doesn’t mean  the work is “public domain” (you have the right to use it freely). In fact, the opposite is usually true. The symbol itself can provide the reader with important information including who owns the copyright and the first year of publication. A person does not have to register their work with the Copyright Office for action to be taken against a person infringing on that work; however it will help. Copyright registration is a public record and puts other people on notice.

The copyright “owner” has the exclusive rights to:

    - reproduce the work

    - prepare “spin off” created from the work

    - distribute copies or phonorecords (cassette tapes, CD’s, LP’s, 45 rpm’s as well as other formats) by sale or transfer of ownership, rental, lease or lending

    - perform the work publicly (for plays, musicals, poetry, choreography, pantomimes, movies and other audiovisuals)

    - display the work publicly (poems, musicals, plays, choreography, pantomimes, pictorial, graphics, sculptures, individual images from movies and other audiovisual works)

    - perform publicly (by digital audio transmission) sound recordings

They can also give permission for others to do the same.

Copyrights can be obtained for the following types of works:

- Literary (including computer programs)

- Musical (including accompanying lyrics)

- Dramatic (including accompanying music)

- Pantomimes and choreographic

- Pictorial, graphic and sculpted (including maps)

- Motion picture and other audiovisual

- Sound recordings

- Architectural

Registration:

    Registering a work is a simple process. Send the following three items together in the same envelope.

1. A completed application form. (This can be found on the Copyright Office Website at www.loc.gov/copyright.)

2. A $30 non-refundable filing fee (effective through 6-30-02) for each application.

3. A non-returnable copy of the work to be registered.

Just because your work is copyrighted in the U.S. does not mean it is throughout the world. Most countries offer some protection to foreign works under certain conditions. If you would like to see which countries maintain copyright relations with the U.S. visit the Copyright Office Website mentioned above.

Length:

    Once you have obtained copyright protection, how long will it be safe? Currently once a work is created it is protected until 70 years after the author has died. If there are co-authors, the copyright lasts until 70 years after the last surviving author passes away. For works that were commissioned and those written under pseudonyms or whose authors are unknown, the copyright is effective 95 years from first publication or 120 years from creation – whichever is shortest. The author can sell their copyrights to another party (as was the case of Michael Jackson purchasing a large number of Beatles songs) and can even leave them to someone in their will.

©2001, LKVTSSP

(from http://www.cyberbee.com/copyrpln.pdf, Laura Kaemming)

Next, research:

Visit the following web sites to learn about copyright laws and how they affect your life:

• Learn about copyright laws and your school work by reading these students' questions and the cyberbee's answers to them:  

        http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf

• Learn to separate fact from fiction by reading these ten (plus one!) misconceptions about copyright:

        http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

• What can happen to those who violate copyright laws? Read these stories:

           "Hey, Kid, Stop Your Downloadin'" from Wired:

           http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,68568,00.html

            "Furniture Causes FedEx Fits" from Wired:

            http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68492,00.html

            "Online Pirates Nailed in Sting" from Wired:

            http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,68059,00.html

            "Student Nailed for Sharing" from Wired:

            http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,66827,00.html

Part Three: The connection between plagiarism and copyright infringement.

First, please read:

Copyright law protects how a work is "expressed," including how it is distributed. It protects the owner of the work from losing money that he or she is entitled to.

Plagiarism is a moral issue. It is a matter of stealing ideas and presenting them as if they were your own.

"Some forms of plagiarism also count as copyright infringement," Scott McLemee explains in his Chronicle article, "What is Plagiarism."

Read the whole article to learn more by going to the following web site:

http://chronicle.com/free/v51/i17/17a00901.htm

But really, what is plagiarism?

• Visit this web site to learn what plagiarism is:

          http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.html

• Then, read about the different types of plagiarism (click on "types of plagiarism"):

          http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.html

• Finally, read these "Frequently Asked Questions" about plagiarism:

          http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_faqs.html

Next, investigate examples of plagiarism:

• Famous author Steven Ambrose has plagiarized. Go to the following web site and click on the "listen" link to hear how closely some of Ambrose's work matches the writings of others:

        http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1136141

• Doris Kearns Goodwin, author, historian, and Harvard professor has also been caught plagiarising. Read the story at the following web site to learn about what she has done:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/000/793ihurw.asp

Now, learn what happens to students and others who plagiarize:

• Harvard University's policy towards students caught plagiarising is excerpted in this article, also about Goodwin:

          http://slate.msn.com/?id=2061056

• Our school also has a policy regarding plagiarism. It is on page 25 of the student handbook:

          http://www.coralacademy.org/students/CAS%202005-2006%20Student%20Handbook.pdf

• As you know, students aren't the only ones who plagiarize. Read "The Price of Plagiarism" from The Chronicle:

         http://chronicle.com/free/v51/i17/17a01701.htm

Finally, learn how to avoid plagiarism in your own work:

You will need to be familiar with how to avoid plagiarism in your own work. For your report, you need to find and explain:

• two ways to avoid plagiarism, explained in your own words
• cite the source at the bottom of each page

Visit each of the following web sites to get your required information:

• This web site gives you a helpful starting point and checklist to help you avoid plagiarism:

         http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/03/

• Visit this web site to learn an introduction to summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting:

         http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_quotprsum.html

• Learn how to paraphrase at this site:

          http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html

• This web site gives you step-by-step techniques to avoid plagiarism; follow Technique 1, 2, What, Where, and Opinions:

          http://ec.hku.hk/plagiarism/techniques.htm

Also, for your report:

You will need to be familiar with how to "cite" your sources. You need to find and explain:

• two "citation" rules, in your own words
• cite the source at the bottom of each page

To find "citation" rules for your report, visit the following web sites:

• What in the world is "citation"? Read all about it here:

            http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_citation.html

• So how do you cite sources? Read this (go to the web site and click on "how to cite sources"):

            http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_citation.html

• Although there are many different types of citation styles, most of the time we use the MLA (Modern Language Association) Style. Look at this web site for how-to information:

        http://www.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/citing/mla.html#list

• If you didn't like that web site, you can try looking at other MLA examples by reviewing the links at these web sites:

          http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/09/ and http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/07/

Are you still here? Still with me? OK- now it's time to put it all together. If you have finished all your other work, then it is time to start your report. Open a blank Word document and insert your name in the header. Save it in your grade level folder with your name. Here is what your report must include:

1. Explain copyright and plagiarism, in your own words.

2. Give two examples of plagiarism, and describe.

3. Describe possible consequences of plagiarism.

4. List at least two things students can do to avoid plagiarism.

5. Give at least two rules for properly citing sources.

6. Use Word Art and Clip Art to make your report look nice.

7. Cite your own sources at the bottom of the page.