6 replies
I am interested in building a course that combines several already existing review books. Can this be done without being considered copying? I don't want to be accused of plagiarism and I would reference these books but I'm not sure how to go about it the right way. Each review book has it's own set of references which I could also seek out and credit exactly. I could use some advice.
#building
  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Just be very careful.

    Obviously most of the stuff in courses nowadays is not the persons original work. If I buy a course on how to build a list, that person was not the first ever person who created the idea of building a list. So all information these days is second hand information that comes from other sources in most cases.

    If you have learnt stuff from these other books and you are now wanting to teach others that same stuff, there is no law against that. But you will need to do it in your own words and it's best if you can put your own spin on it. Don't just look to replicate it. Look at ways you can make it even better.
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  • Profile picture of the author professorrosado
    Originally Posted by EmergencyMonkey View Post

    I am interested in building a course that combines several already existing review books. Can this be done without being considered copying? I don't want to be accused of plagiarism and I would reference these books but I'm not sure how to go about it the right way. Each review book has it's own set of references which I could also seek out and credit exactly. I could use some advice.
    You have to be more specific as to "how" you are going to "use" the books in question. You cannot use the content verbatim, but you can use quotes and reference the books if you believe them to be so authoritative and essential for the outcomes of your course.

    Also consider how you look if you rely heavily on quoting other work - the art of referencing is really just to support the construct of your own ideas. When you have no original idea yet you portend to offer one, you then have plagiarism.

    You could curate content in video as is done now in text posts for websites and instructors have always referenced tomes throughout the history of formal education - providing clear reference titling and on screen links to the original content is most appropriate.

    Review videos or courses focusing on a subject with a required text is not plagiarism. You could require that your students purchase the ebook(s) as class reading and discuss portions of the book as part of your classes. This is what books were written for - to be read and discussed in the public arena. The author could not possibly quarrel against your course which may be the cause of a sharp increase in sales of the book.

    Basically, it all rests on the "how" you utilize the works in question. If you are planning a serious launch and business model, a consultation with a copyright lawyer would be your best investment.
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    • Profile picture of the author EmergencyMonkey
      Originally Posted by professorrosado View Post


      Also consider how you look if you rely heavily on quoting other work - the art of referencing is really just to support the construct of your own ideas. When you have no original idea yet you portend to offer one, you then have plagiarism.
      I am referring to the medical field and there are really only so many ways to treat certain things. For example an ear infection there are only so many different antibiotics to treat with and the common causes are just that, common causes and there isn't any give in that. So when it comes to referencing, I'm not really sure how to handle it besides stating the facts about the clinical condition, referencing the text for that section and moving on.
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      • Profile picture of the author professorrosado
        I suppose you have some medical credentials? You also need to worry about state laws which prohibit what a judge would deem as medical advice. Just be sure you have proper authority to teach the course's content.

        Second, what is common is common. If you are offering video instruction, then list your sources at the end of each session. Also provide this list in the online portal your students use to access your sessions and/or have it available for downloading.

        Assuming your reference books are medical tomes, then just use them for your own notes in preparation for your sessions. Where a specific procedure or process is particularly noted by the author or by yourself in considering how the author presents a particular course of treatment or where the author relays their own observances, experiments or trials, and these are specifically germane to your session, then you really need to provide specific reference to the tome, it's author and be careful not to pass it on as your own material.

        In these specific cases, it would be customary and expected that you seek permission from the publisher to reference material in a course you are preparing.

        These are general guidelines you should already be familiar with which represent best standards when referencing medical books - given it leans toward publication, all media commonly uses the print standards to whatever degree the medium can support.

        Books - Citing Medicine - NCBI Bookshelf

        Also this from Purdue:

        When do we give credit? The key to avoiding plagiarism is to make sure you give credit where it is due. This may be credit for something somebody said, wrote, emailed, drew, or implied. Many professional organizations, including the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA), have lengthy guidelines for citing sources. However, students are often so busy trying to learn the rules of MLA format and style or APA format and style that they sometimes forget exactly what needs to be credited. Here, then, is a brief list of what needs to be credited or documented:
        • Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, Web page, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium
        • Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing
        • When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase
        • When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials
        • When you reuse or repost any electronically-available media, including images, audio, video, or other media
        Bottom line, document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somewhere outside of you.
        There are, of course, certain things that do not need documentation or credit, including:
        • Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own thoughts, and your own conclusions about a subject
        • When you are writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments
        • When you use your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc.
        • When you are using "common knowledge," things like folklore, common sense observations, myths, urban legends, and historical events (but not historical documents)
        • When you are using generally-accepted facts, e.g., pollution is bad for the environment, including facts that are accepted within particular discourse communities, e.g., in the field of composition studies, "writing is a process" is a generally-accepted fact.
        Deciding if something is "common knowledge"

        Generally speaking, you can regard something as common knowledge if you find the same information undocumented in at least five credible sources. Additionally, it might be common knowledge if you think the information you're presenting is something your readers will already know, or something that a person could easily find in general reference sources. But when in doubt, cite; if the citation turns out to be unnecessary, your teacher or editor will tell you.

        source: Purdue OWL: Avoiding Plagiarism
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        • Profile picture of the author EmergencyMonkey
          Originally Posted by professorrosado View Post

          I suppose you have some medical credentials? You also need to worry about state laws which prohibit what a judge would deem as medical advice. Just be sure you have proper authority to teach the course's content.

          Second, what is common is common. If you are offering video instruction, then list your sources at the end of each session. Also provide this list in the online portal your students use to access your sessions and/or have it available for downloading.

          Assuming your reference books are medical tomes, then just use them for your own notes in preparation for your sessions. Where a specific procedure or process is particularly noted by the author or by yourself in considering how the author presents a particular course of treatment or where the author relays their own observances, experiments or trials, and these are specifically germane to your session, then you really need to provide specific reference to the tome, it's author and be careful not to pass it on as your own material.

          In these specific cases, it would be customary and expected that you seek permission from the publisher to reference material in a course you are preparing.

          These are general guidelines you should already be familiar with which represent best standards when referencing medical books - given it leans toward publication, all media commonly uses the print standards to whatever degree the medium can support.

          Books - Citing Medicine - NCBI Bookshelf

          Also this from Purdue:

          When do we give credit? The key to avoiding plagiarism is to make sure you give credit where it is due. This may be credit for something somebody said, wrote, emailed, drew, or implied. Many professional organizations, including the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA), have lengthy guidelines for citing sources. However, students are often so busy trying to learn the rules of MLA format and style or APA format and style that they sometimes forget exactly what needs to be credited. Here, then, is a brief list of what needs to be credited or documented:
          • Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, Web page, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium
          • Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing
          • When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase
          • When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials
          • When you reuse or repost any electronically-available media, including images, audio, video, or other media
          Bottom line, document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somewhere outside of you.
          There are, of course, certain things that do not need documentation or credit, including:
          • Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own thoughts, and your own conclusions about a subject
          • When you are writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments
          • When you use your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc.
          • When you are using "common knowledge," things like folklore, common sense observations, myths, urban legends, and historical events (but not historical documents)
          • When you are using generally-accepted facts, e.g., pollution is bad for the environment, including facts that are accepted within particular discourse communities, e.g., in the field of composition studies, "writing is a process" is a generally-accepted fact.
          Deciding if something is "common knowledge"

          Generally speaking, you can regard something as common knowledge if you find the same information undocumented in at least five credible sources. Additionally, it might be common knowledge if you think the information you're presenting is something your readers will already know, or something that a person could easily find in general reference sources. But when in doubt, cite; if the citation turns out to be unnecessary, your teacher or editor will tell you.

          source: Purdue OWL: Avoiding Plagiarism
          Thanks for the response. It is greatly appreciated! Yes I have a medical background. I am looking to summarize in bullet points from lengthy text books that, from a studying standpoint, have way too much fluff.
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  • Profile picture of the author EmergencyMonkey
    Thanks for the input. I will look more closely into it!
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