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Ok, hopefully as this is of important relevance it won't get deleted by administration or moderators who want to shy away from the subject.
I notice that articles from other websites have been totally copied and pasted and a source link added as a footnote.
I need to know what constitutes plagiarism and the legal implications to members and admin should such threads be reported to the original authors or websites.
We normally make comments in our own words when linking to something we find interesting rather than copy and paste the whole article and let members form their own opinion and respond with their own thoughts.
If I quote from an article I make it quite obvious by using quotation marks and italics. I don't find it acceptable to be posting as though I am the author. Everyone on here knows my grammar errors on occasions and knows that they are my own thought and words.
Please discuss as I for one would hate to breach the T&Cs of forum rules. Ultimately O2 are responsible and accountable for the content they allow on their community.
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Personally, if I post something related to an article I find interesting, and think that it might be of some value to the community, I will put the topic in the subject box, and put a very brief, one sentence precis in the body of the post, and post the link to the article. If anyone thinks it might be of interest to them, they can click on the link and read the article. Leave it up to the reader.
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@Beenherebefore wrote:
If you quote directly from the work and reference that with the link to that work then no copyright infringement or plagiarism exists.
Whether that is correct or not is down to Community Admin.
That is correct. I pointed this out yesterday. We all have different styles of posting. Personally I prefer to have a bit of a waffle...(not to everyones taste) and post a link and pictures. We are all different so that is my way
It is acceptable to use excerpts as long as they are referenced and credited. Copy and paste of a complete article can ONLY be done with the permission of the author or the owner. I mark essays and dissertations so I always have to be on the ball about copyright issues.
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@Beenherebefore I believe the issue that @jonsie has raised is not whether you can use an excerpt and provide a link, but more that the entire article is copied and pasted. That is an infringement of copyright, according to this link: http://www.plagiarismchecker.com/plagiarism-vs-copyright.php
It says, and I quote: "It is illegal to copy large sections of someone else's copyrighted work without permission, even if you give the original author credit."
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I think this is the correct one http://www.plagiarismchecker.com/plagiarism-vs-copyright.php
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Thank you @Cleoriff. I've also corrected it in my post above. Don't know why it wasn't working?
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@Beenherebefore wrote:
If you quote directly from the work and reference that with the link to that work then no copyright infringement or plagiarism exists.
Whether that is correct or not is down to Community Admin.
I have no problem with that .
With respect I am talking about posting the full article not an excerpt! Surely a posters own thoughts on a certain paragraph or part of the subject would then be a point of discussion......or should we just make a thread and quote the whole of the BBC news as has happened in the past?
A quote is NOT copy and pasting the whole web page. To me that is plagiarism and something we can read elsewhere.
Interesting nevertheless but an Admin point of view for reference is what is needed. Maybe it's just me but I think clarity is needed for all members rather than just taking the easy option (though maybe illegal) of copying and pasting a topic just for the sake of being near to month end with no other aim than rewards.
I have been a member long enough to remember when post count meant nothing, purely a means of helping fellow customers who needed to know processes and pass on knowledge. Stop the rewards and we will soon see who stick around to try and help people. Some of us have been around for 8 or 9 years now, well before Rewards were an incentive but it really makes me angry personally when, come the 28th/29th of the month and people post just for the sake of it.
These people know who they are, facts and figures don't lie. I find it sad and I'm posting this openly in the hope that Admin leave the thread here and take note, but more importantly that they look at the legal implications for O2 and the members.
....God, I wish I could kudo myself 
