Plagiarism and Citations - Maple Woods

Welcome! This guide will help you learn what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, and how to cite your sources. 

• Visit the Plagiarism page to learn more about what plagiarism is and see some examples of what constitutes plagiarism.
• The Citing page will teach you the importance of crediting your sources using citations.
• Need help citing your sources? The MLA Citation Guide and APA Citation Guide pages will help you navigate the citation styles with ease. 

Need help? Ask a librarian!

Copyright is a form of legal protection provided to authors. It covers literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual works. Under this protection, the owner of the copyright has the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display the work, as well as prepare derivative works.

Intellectual property includes literary works (such as novels, short stories, poems, plays), images, musical compositions, computer programs, artistic works (such as paintings, sculpture, photographs), choreography, films, ads, architectural designs, maps, songs, and websites.

Intellectual property is protected by copyrights, trademarks, and patents.

The doctrine of fair use allows you to reproduce an author's work. This is especially important in the areas of research and education. Fair use is not always clear-cut, but generally these factors are considered in determining whether the use is fair:

• The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
• The nature of the copyrighted work.
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole.
• The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work.

MCC-Maple Woods Library
2601 NE Barry Road
Kansas City, MO 64156
816.604.3080