Copyright is the right under law to be the only one to reproduce, publish or sell a book, musical recording, etc., for a certain period of time.
Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person.
Fair Use is a legal doctrine that allows portions of copyrighted materials to be used without permission of the copyright owner provided the use is fair and reasonable, does not substantially impair the value of the materials, and does not curtail the profits reasonably expected by the owner.
Here are a few tips on avoiding plagiarism.
1. When you research, you are looking for information presented by experts - take their idea - not their words.
2. Read the information you found and paraphrase to fit into your paper or speech.
3. Cite the source within the paper or speech.
4. Have a References list at the end of the paper or speech.
5. Never copy and paste.
Purdue University’s OWL (Online Writing Lab) is a valuable resource providing guidelines on citing sources using various styles such as MLA and APA.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resources
The Harvard Guide to Using Sources provides tips to preventing intentional as well as accidental plagiarism.
Duke University Libraries provides citing sources for APA, MLA, and CSE styles, as well as tips on how to avoid plagiarism and citation management tools.
www.library.duke.edu/research/citing