Forum Moderators: not2easy
I know it's perfectly OK to use these magazines for ideas. But I'm wondering if it's OK to go a little beyond that? I certainly would never copy an article word for word. But here's my question: Is there a safe and ethical ground between using an idea and just rewording the article a little bit?
The vast majority of us went to school (at least highschool) and know how to write reports.
Use the article your interested in as your primary source and find some corroborating info to mix in from other sources.
Write yourself a one page report and properly cite your resources and you're done. All legit- No worries.
Freq---
Safe? Probably. Although if someone can prove that the article has simply been rewritten you're still open to litigation.
Ethical? Unless you're adding new insight or a different point of view, more than likely you're simply taking someone's work, slapping a new coat of paint on it and using it for your own gains. Not likely to pass the sniff test, but of course, you already know that. ;) That's why your instincts prompted you to ask the questions. If you're thinking about doing anything, and that little voice starts piping up with nagging little questions, it's wise to listen.
I prefer to use the academic standards that apply to written works, if you quote it, it should be in the source notes. If you reference an idea, add supporting or detracting arguments, and cite the source of the orignal idea.
If you decide to rewrite the article, compare the two when you're done and if yours doesn't add anything new, or topple the tenets espoused in the original, listen to your gut.
Failing that, you can rely on many a scholar's objection to original creations;
That which has been is that which shall be
And that which has been done is that which shall be done
And there is nothing new under the sun.
How old are the magazines? You could easily pull it off by using articles that are in the public domain because of their age.
I doubt that articles from magazines printed before 1920 would likely yield content for highly monetizable niches.
cite the source
Even if I'm citing information from a print magazine... Or do I only name the magazine, issue, year of publication, etc.? I'd rather not link to them;-)
A full credit of the source is good in this scenario. You are not obliged to link to them; it's at your discretion.
Syzygy
Sorry about the quote, it's often used as an objection by philosophy students advocating the old tenet that there's no such thing as an original idea.
All my ideas have been stolen by the elders.~ Some old, dead guy.
I know it's perfectly OK to use these magazines for ideas. But I'm wondering if it's OK to go a little beyond that? I certainly would never copy an article word for word. But here's my question: Is there a safe and ethical ground between using an idea and just rewording the article a little bit?
Plagarism is not new. It's not uncommon either. Not only has the British government been caught, but the original Encyclopaedia Britannica, published in the 18th century, also included large quantities of work written by other authors and copied straight in!
I'm not suggesting you do copy other people's work, I certainly never do, but you shouldn't be alone if you did.
Matt
Magazine title
Volume number & Issue
Article title
Author(s)
Page numbers (pages the article appeared over).
Example:
Widget Monthly. Vol 3. Iss 5. (or the month/week, etc.) What's special about widgets? Fred Smith & John Smith; p25-36.
If it's a general consumer type mag then you can quite happily not include the 'Page numbers'.
Syzygy
That which has been is that which shall be
And that which has been done is that which shall be done
And there is nothing new under the sun.
DG,
If, as you say, "if you quote it, it should be in the source notes" oughtn't there be a note for this quote? ;)
(Answer: Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Inventing something new to write about is normally the best thing.
