Plagiarism

Copyright and Plagiarism - What's the Difference?

   Plagiarism comes from a latin word for "kidnapper." Using the ideas or words of others without acknowledging the source is plagiarism. This is true even if the ideas of someone else are paraphrased or summarized. In scholarly research, plagiarism is considered unethical and dishonest.
   Copyright is concerned with more than properly crediting sources. Excessive use of another's original work, even if the source is properly acknowledged, may be a copyright infringement.
   Plagiarism is abuse of ideas and words from the work of someone else. Copyright is only concerned with original expression. Ideas and words alone cannot be copyrighted without originality.

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U.S. Copyright and Genealogy © 1999, 2000 by Michael Goad. All rights reserved. The pages of this site may be freely linked to. Facts and ideas from this site may be freely used. (Facts and ideas can't be copyrighted.) None of the following may be duplicated without consent:

The selection and arrangement of facts and ideas located on this web site or any major portion thereof. (The originality I've put into it.)
The original expression that the facts and ideas of this website are clothed in, except as allowed under the "fair use" provision of copyright law.
The HTML Code (i.e. page layout) for any page or major portion thereof. (More of my originality)
Any original graphics unless otherwise stated. (Won't be much of this type of originality. I'm not an artist.)

Notes:

The government works presented here are NOT covered by the above statements as they are public domain.
Any material on this site that is copyrighted by others is either here by permission or is used under the provisions of fair use.