How to cite sources and give credit


Citing sources and giving credit where due

Cite your sources when writing a bookAt PublishMyBook, we ask that you respect the intellectual property rights of others, just as you would expect others to do with your property. When you engage our book distribution service, our contract requires you to state that you are abiding by the copyright laws of Australia, and have the rights and permissions to publish your content.

It is vital to acknowledge the sources you use in your book. Failing to do so could result in an unwanted legal headache, which could cause both mental and financial pain. If you plan to use other people’s text and/or illustrations in your book, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have gained permission to use it or there is a fair reason why not. Fair is not a throwaway term—in fact there are ‘fair dealing’ and ‘fair use’ clauses under copyright law in Australia and the USA. In any case, you need to correctly acknowledge your sources if you don’t own the content.

Citing sources is as simple as choosing a referencing style and learning a bit about the rules which govern it. Microsoft Word has a helpful tool within the ‘references’ tab, which takes the pain and confusion out of referencing. The ‘citations & bibliography’ function within the tab allows you to choose a style, record your sources, and then you can simply insert the citation as you go. The function saves all the applicable information and can output a bibliography for use in the back matter when you are complete.

Disclaimer: Although this article covers copyright, acknowledgments and crediting sources, which may be construed as legal advice for Australian writers, please consult a copyright attorney in your state or country to discuss your specific situation, as this is not legal or financial advice.

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