Achievement 3 by @emmawalt Task : Content Etiquette

Hello, with this post I submit my Achievement 3.

To respect content etiquette, among other things, we must be sure to provide original and valuable content, which is why it is important to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

Image Source Pixabay

What is Plagiarism

Plagiarism can take many forms.

Direct plagiarism

Direct plagiarism happens when a person voluntarily uses other people's content and passes it off as their own. This includes text, photos, drawings, music, videos, tables and any other content. Those who commit direct plagiarism want to take advantage of the work of others to present it to their followers.

Some, instead of reproposing a text as it is, take whole parts from several texts and create a new one. In this case we speak of patchwork or collage plagiarism, which at first glance is more difficult to recognize.

Unintentional plagiarism

Unintentional plagiarism is very common and is due to ignorance of laws and regulations. In fact, some people are convinced that the photos found online are available to everyone and so are some texts, music and drawings. It is true that copyright laws can vary from one country to another, however, it is not true that online content is necessarily free of rights.

Involuntary plagiarism also occurs when trying to process very complex texts, beyond our reach. For example, I don't know much about medicine, but I want to explain a scientific medical concept and to do so I revise sentences written by authors specialized in the subject. It is very common to incur plagiarism for the simple fact of not having a deep knowledge of the subject and therefore not being able to construct a text using one's own words.

Finally, in unintentional plagiarism we must also include translation. For example, if I take a text in English or another foreign language and translate it into my language, Italian, without authorization and without citing the sources, I am committing plagiarism.

How to use citations and sources

To avoid being accused of plagiarism and still to provide valuable content, we must learn to use quotes correctly. When we want to use a sentence or data already processed by others, we have to report the content directly in the form of a citation.

For example,

According to Oxford University:

"Plagiarism is presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. ^Source

In this example, I have explained what plagiarism is using the words of another source. This system not only gives credit to the author of the text, but allows me to explain the concept clearly and simply, without the danger of exploiting the sources without permission and having to rework concepts already clarified by others.

It also gives the advantage of offering the reader a further source of insight.

However we must note that the simple citation of a text, or the attribution of the source in the images, does not free us from the charge of plagiarism.

In other words, if the author has not authorized the diffusion of his images, tables, data and texts, we cannot circumvent the prohibition by quoting and linking to the sources.

So how can we do? For images, photos , and diagrams, we can count on sites and databases specially created with royalty-free images. In this case, just mention the direct source with a link.

If we want to cite texts to support our article, we can use public domain texts, government sites, universities, official newspapers and news, dictionaries , and school texts.

Basically, if I go to a blog and quote an article by quoting an entire paragraph, a table or a photo without having requested express authorization from the authors, I can be accused of plagiarism, even if I have indicated the source.

Furthermore, we can cite literary works, novels and essays, movies, only to a small extent, for example by quoting a character's line or some paragraph. But the subject of copyright in works of art is more complex and can vary from one country to another.

How to avoid plagiarism on Steemit

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to deliver content using your own knowledge and world. In this way, we can make an honest and direct contribution, not only do we not plagiarize, but we make it more difficult for others to plagiarize our work.

For example, if I create a post that talks about London in a general way, I'm summarizing information already heard and seen by many people, even if written in an honest way. But if I explain what sensations I had, what I liked and why, after all, a personal point of view.

This, in my opinion, is the best way to avoid plagiarism and to offer original content.

As for photos and images, there is the possibility of using watermarks. Of course the photo won't be so beautiful anymore, but it's worth using watermarks when photographing your own works, drawings or schemes that have great value and that you don't want to run the risk of being stolen.

To avoid involuntary plagiarism, the one made out of simple ignorance, we can write a warning sentence in the posts, for example:

"Reproduction of the contents is prohibited without the written authorization of the author".

This sentence won't stop the dishonesty, but it can be useful for those who simply think that the contents of the internet are free and therefore could commit unintentional plagiarism.

I have read and understood the Steemit Etiquette on Steemit Community and will do my best to embrace them.

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