Always Credit Your Sources -- even in your BOS

One thing I notice is that people feel if they find something on the internet they can pluck it off, reprint it, share it, etc. and never give another thought to where they got it or who created it. It never occurs to them that by reposting it or sharing it in a document that it wrongfully implies they are the author.

Stuff on the internet is not *free* to take. It does belong to someone. Anything on the internet was created by someone at one point. Often times there can be the question of *who* does it really belong to. Chances are if you find the same identical information over and over again, it comes from a book somewhere -- just sadly, the people have failed to give credit where credit is due.

I'm very big on providing sources of anything that I do not personally author. For one thing, it shows respect for the creator and allows me to go back to my source. It also gives people an opportunity to seek out more information by the same author if what they see is to their liking. There is absolutely no reason that you shouldn't quote your sources other than to be deceitful about the origins of the material.

People often times don't quote sources because they just didn't think about -- please change that behavior. Do think about it. If you personally spent a lot of time creating and writing something, you wouldn't want someone to just pluck it off your blog or website and pass it off as their own or allow others to mistakenly think of it as their own. Most likely you would be very steamed to see your personal works all over the internet with no reference back to you whatsoever.

I also stand firm on this regarding Book of Shadows materials. If you didn't write it, credit the source. ALWAYS. I can't stress this enough. And seriously, it isn't very hard to figure out when a person is laying claim to something they didn't write -- we all have a speaking voice and style of writing that is very distinct. It will stick out rather obviously when something in written in a style very different from your own.

As a teacher, it is very very important to your credibility as a teacher to quote sources if you use materials other than your own. The reason being is it effects your credibility. It makes you look like a fake if your materials are all nicked from books and around the internet and you pass it off as your own. Some people defend themselves and say they never claimed it as their own -- however, by not declaring the true author of the materials, you have allowed it to be implied that the materials are yours and therefore, passed them off as your own. Once your students catch on to this, they will lose respect for you and just ferret around the internet for information rather than look to you.

Another thing to keep in mind -- changing a few words or piecing together from several sources still doesn't make the materials yours -- it makes it exactly what it is -- a collage of things that belong to other people that you have worked over a bit. This is called plagiarism and is very serious business. If you have any aspirations whatsoever of being a respected writer during your life time, you are best to avoid these practices.

I have had students attempt to grab stuff from the internet and tried to pass it off as their own. Very disappointing. I let them know I found their source and ask them to redo their assignments. They generally comply or drop out of the class. If it is too hard to do on your own, then don't do it, but cheating is definitely not the answer.

Not only is all this crediting your sources a matter of ethics, but it can be a very costly legal matter which age and ignorance will not protect you from.

Do the right thing, harm none and declare your sources on any and all things in anything you use them on whether it be a FB post, a blog post, a journal entry, a BOS page, etc.

Bright Blessings and Blessed Be!
Rayven Michaels
Wiccan Witch of the Midwest