A copyright is protection an author registers for and often pays for so that he/she alone can use and/or profit from an original creation.  Copyrights are intended to prevent someone from stealing the manuscript for a novel, for example, then making millions of dollars from book sales, pretending to be the author.

As a student, you should learn from and enjoy the works of good authors, composers, and artists, but should never use their  ideas while allowing others to assume they are your own.  If you find something really interesting at a Web site, and you want to use it for a project follow these simple guidelines:

1.  If it is a short quotation, mark it with quotation marks, put the last name of the author in parenthesis at the end of the quotation, and properly cite the Web address at the bottom of your page.

2.  If it is just an idea you use, make a comment at the end of the page like: "Further discussion of ideas on this page can be found at-", or " The ideas on this page originated from this Web site--", and then write the Web address.

3.  If it is a graphic, large section of text, or something unique at this site, then you must ask for permission to use it.  (See the "sample request")

4.  Don'trecord music off the radio or your favorite CD, and don't use recorded sections of TV programs or movies without written permission!

GENERAL RULE:  Always cite the sources of your information, and if its anything more that a few sentences request permission before posting it on the Web.