Things Kids Should Know About Doing Research On The Internet

Srta. Halpin Curran

So, you are ready to do your research. You know the topic, you read the directions, you have a pen, paper and a computer- you are ready to go. Right?  Well, how much do you know about taking information from the WWW?  Can you copy anything you want and call it your own?

Lets look at it this way If you went to the library and found a book on the topic what would you need to do with the information you found?  You may have to put some info in quotations and you would definitely have to cite the source.  Meaning you have to list this book in your list of resources. (Author (last name, first name, m.i.). Title.City where the book was published: Publisher, copyright date.)

Well, what about the WEB? Laws also protect information on the web.  The Copyright Laws state that only the author of the material (written material, images, music) can give you permission to use it in your own work.  There is a part of the Copyright Laws called Fair Use that says that you can use portions of copyrighted material in certain circumstances.

So here is what you need to know as a middle school student doing research on the W3

1.        All information, images, music, etc found on the WEB is copyrighted whether it specifically tells you about the copyright or not!  Assume that you need to give credit where credit is due every time you pull info from the Internet.  Always cite your source. (Author (last name, first name, m.i.). Title of Web Page. Date of electronic publication (if known). Date of access<URL>.)

2.        Fair Use applies to research and education because it assumes that you will be using small portions of a document that will be attributed to the author.  Fair Use Laws allow you to use information supplied by someone else without their permission, provided that you will not forget to give the author the credit they deserve!

Sources used by Srta. Halpin Curran  to make this sheet for you Ackerman,Ernest and Hartman,Karen. ISG Guide to Searching and Researching on the Internet and W3.  Wilsonville,Oregon: ABF Content,2001.   Templeton,Brad. 10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained. 16 October 1995 11 June 2002 http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/mirrors/faq/copyright/myths/part1>   Martin Gerard. Online Fair Use of copyrighted Material: Issues and Concerns 11 June 2002 <www.eff.org/IP/fair_use_online.article>