Plagiarism
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when you copy words or ideas from another person/source and present them as your own.
It is a serious offense. Before you submit work to us (and definitely before you sign and return an author's release), you should be sure you understand what plagiarism is and how to properly cite any words and ideas that are not your own original creation. If you are ever unsure, please ask a teacher or seek out another trusted source (links to additional resources below).
What are the consequences of plagiarism?
If you have commited an act of plagiarism, you have likely also commited an act of copyright infringement, which is illegal.
At worst, you (and your parents, if you are under eighteen) could be sued by those you have stolen from. If you have had the work published as your own, you could also be sued by the publisher for misrepresenting the work as your own.
If you are a student, you could be suspended or expelled, and a note of this offense could go on your permanent record. This black mark may prevent you from getting into the college/university of your choice and, depending on the extent of your plagiarism (i.e. online postings, publications, etc.), could be found by future employers.
How do I avoid plagiarism?
Use your own ideas and properly cite/give credit to the true creator of anything you have borrowed.
What may I borrow?
You may borrow a basic story premise (i.e. abducted by aliens). You may include anything that is a fact. You may also be inspired by something else you've seen or read (i.e. you view a piece of art or a photograph and imagine an entire story from this image).
You may NOT borrow character names (e.g. Spider-Man, Pokémon, Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer, or any such characters from books/movies/video games, etc.) or imagined places (Tolkien's Middle-earth, Star Wars' Death Star, etc.). You may not re-write another's movie/book/video/video game even if you paraphrase or change a few details. You may not include any song lyrics, even one line, without written permission from the copyright owner.
How do I properly cite/give credit for something I have borrowed?
If you have borrowed a quote from a source that is in the public domain (e.g. "To be, or not to be, that is the question"), you can write that into the story (Quoting Shakespeare, she replied, "To be, or not to be, that is the question") OR you can add a footnote (e.g. She whispered, "To be, or not to be, that is the question"1) using a marker at the end of the quote and below your story, as follows: 1 Quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1.
Let's say you read Romeo and Juliet and are inspired to write about a pair of teens in love, whose families do not wish them to be together, and they both end up dying in the end due to a series of unfortunate events. Then, below your title, you could add an inspiration: "Inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." All character names, settings, backstories, events, scenes, the way they die, etc. should be entirely of your own creation. You are crediting the basic concept but writing it in your own original way. If you simply write about a pair of teens in love, you do not need to add an inspiration. (We understand credit may not always be necessary when something is in the public domain or the copyright has expired, but to be safe, you should give credit anyway.)
Where can I read more to fully understand plagiarism?
There are great resources out there. Here are a few:
Plagiarism.org's "What Is Plagiarism?""
https://plagiarism.org/article/what-is-plagiarism
Simon Fraser University's "Avoiding plagiarism"
https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/academic-integrity/plagiarism
(Before you view this last link, please note we don't permit any fanfiction) Kimberley Jackson's "Nowadays everything is plagiarized, right?""
https://www.kimberley-jackson.com/nowadays-everything-is-plagiarized-plagiarism-in-fiction-writing/?doing_wp_cron=1569183733.1641180515289306640625