What is PLAGIARISM? 

• To use (another's production) without crediting the source
• To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
• To present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
• To commit literary theft (same as stealing merchandise from a store or committing acts of identity theft

-- Cited: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 9-20-2014.

Basically, if an author or student passes off their manuscript or document as their own; fails to use quotation marks for someone else's words (written or transcribed); attempts to knowingly cite false sources; changes one or two or more words in a sentence by use of a thesaurus; then they have committed acts of plagiarism. There is nothing wrong with 'borrowing' someone else's ideas and thoughts as long as you give credit where credit is due. You can always expand on cited works. 

Copyright act of 1976

The Copyright Act of 1976 may seem outdated due to technological updates over the last 36 year due to the internet; online media and blogs but know this, the act is very much applicable in 2014. The act is a federal law that protects intellectual property of individuals by giving them exclusive rights over the distribution of that material. Please note that copyright supersedes an author's death. In the event that an individual knowingly uses the copyright material of a deceased author and fails to give credit where credit is due by simply citing the sources, the individual could still be sued civilly by the publisher of the work and/or the extended family of the deceased. 


Copyright material is often accompanied by the following symbol:  © 

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Disclaimer

In the event that there are any claims for plagiarism after the book has been published, the author agrees not to hold
​JBS-Publishing accountable should any civil suits be brought against the author and publisher for non-cited sources by the author.  
It is the author's responsibility to properly cite any sources and give credit where credit is due.

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