NWE Help: Web: Authoring: Citations: FAQ

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Information should be free. Why should I have to cite? Why should I follow fair use practices?

The short answer is, "because we say so." As University student or staff member working on a University system, you are required to follow University policies.

A more satisfying answer is: because it's not that much trouble, and it facilitates the exchange of ideas while not discouraging the open publication of ideas. That's the purpose of the University, after all.

Reproducing work without citation makes it seem as if it is your work entirely. There's certainly a lot of value to the way you assemble your research, or create new works by using others -- but there's value to the bits that make up the whole, too. Not citing breaks that chain of value, and folks may be less likely to publish new work if they knew it was going to be reappropriated without citation.

Also, the use copyright does not mean the exchange of ideas or works is restricted. Many authors of computer software copyright their work to make certain that their work will always be usable by others. You can learn more about this practice, called "Copyleft," on the Free Software Foundation web site.

Do I have to cite things from web sites which provide free graphics, like Animation Factory?

You should. Take a close look at the terms of use published on the Animation Factory web site (http://www.animfactory.com/company/terms_of_use.html). They don't allow their "free" graphics to be used for commerical use, and they don't allow more than 50 to be used in any one project.

If you use an Animation Factory graphic without a citation, someone else might not know its use was restricted -- and get into trouble by violating the terms of use!

Regardless of the published terms, we recommend you cite all work from web sites such as the Animation Factory. See our pages of examples for some ways you can do this without too much trouble.

How much of a copyrighted work can I include in my project?

There's no hard and fast rule about this. Including a complete work, such as a low-resolution scan of a photograph in a hypertext, a single poem from a collection, or a short story, is most likely fair use. But if reproducing the whole work could affect its value, then you need to think about excerpting the material.

Generally speaking, don't include any more of the work than you need to make your point or express yourself creatively. And don't hesitate to ask your instructor for her opinion on the matter.

There's no copyright printed on a work I'd like to use. Do I still have to cite it?

Since the copyright act of 1978, the act of publishing a work includes an implicit copyright. Just because there's no copyright symbol or statement about copyright doesn't mean there's no copyright. To be on the safe side, you should assume that any work you'd like to use is copyrighted, unless it states otherwise, and include a citation.

Now, this doesn't mean that you have to cite everything. Ideas or concepts, commonly known facts, and items placed into the public domain don't require citation.