Day 4 of Armchair BEA is about Ethics and Non-fiction. I'll do my post on Non-fiction next.
We get back into discussions with the heavy topic of ethics. Do you have recommendations to new bloggers to ensure credit is given to whom/where credit is due? Have you had an experience with plagiarism? How did you deal wit it? What are guidelines as bloggers that we must follow?
I personally have never had an experience with plagiarism that I'm aware of. I am aware (vaguely) of what all went down a couple of years ago, but I was so new to blogging and I never really got the whole story that I basically just used that situation as a really stern example of what not to do while staying as far away from the drama as I could. What that situation did do for me was teach me the importance of documenting my source. CITE CITE CITE people! Cite your source for anything and everything. Cite who/what you quote. Cite your photos. Cite yourself. And don't just give credit to whom credit is due...that's great...but link to them if possible that way there is no question about your source.
Trust me. You do not want your reputation ruined over this.
To be honest, the backlash of the events of the past scared me to the point where I hardly ever read reviews of books BEFORE I've written my own review. I know that sounds crazy considering that part of the point of writing a review in the first place is to either entice someone to read a book you enjoyed or steer them clear of it if you didn't enjoy it. But I have found in my own life--through school and such--that when someone else words something in a way that is just perfect that I can't improve upon it or the sentiment behind it, I can't seem to get that thought or the wording out of my head. Knowing this about myself, I have just found it easier to avoid reading reviews of books that I know I plan on reading until I've finished my own review. (I will check out someone's rating of a book I intend to read though so I'm pro ratings--I know there's a lot of debate about this.) There have been occasions where I couldn't stop myself from reading a review someone else wrote before I finished my own review of the same book, I couldn't get what they said out of my head, and so I quote them (citing and linking back to their own review) in my review. Although, I generally try to avoid this.
However, I also am very aware that "there's nothing new under the sun." And I am often times not the only person to think a certain way or come up with an "original" idea. So while I'm extremely fearful of and do everything I can to avoid plagiarism, I also think that "to err is human and to forgive is divine."
I think the best guideline you as a blogger can follow is as I've already said "cite (link to) everything" and "err on the side of caution."
Serious topic...and here's a link to some things you might not know about plagiarism (more about plagiarism here). What do you guys think about this subject? Anything I need to add?
Doesn't sound crazy at all, I follow the same "avoid reviews" precaution. :)
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what event you are speaking of. I started reviewing online about 5 years ago but only started my own site 3 years ago. I have not seen any plagiarism - that I know and recognize.
ReplyDeleteI too, never read a review of a book until after I have posted my own review. I do not want to be influenced or swayed away from my own thoughts. I am to give an honest review which means of my own thoughts.
I know if someone says something in a way that moves me I will not know what to say anymore because I want to use that phrase and cannot. For some reason, I had not thought to use the phrase with attribution to the owner. Duh! Thank you for reminding me of this option. It is not crazy. I think you (and I), are doing the correct thing.
Very nice post. The non-fiction post and the literary fiction post are also good. Thanks for a ton of helpful information.
I feel the same way about not reading other reviews before I write my own, but the hard part is when you pick up a book because you've read reviews, and then don't remember what other people have or haven't said. I'm always afraid of unconsciously plagiarizing, so I try to keep track of whose review made me want to read a book.
ReplyDeleteI just started blogging about a year ago so I'm not sure what event you are talking about and I totally agree with the not reading other reviews before I write my own.
ReplyDeleteErring on the side of caution is never a bad thing! I'm so glad to find out that I'm not the only one who doesn't read other reviews before writing my own. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I am also very careful when I write my reviews or other posts, citing, linking, and trying to make sure that I share where I got an idea from.
ReplyDeleteI think it must be really, really hard for those bloggers who had their work plagiarized, we spend a lot of time writing our reviews, coming up with other kinds of posts, and sharing our love for books. To conscioiusly copy and paste someone else's work just doesn't sit well with me.
Thanks for stopping by my post earlier :)
I think this is some great advice! I try my absolute hardest not to have recently read any reviews of the book I'm currently reading, but when I can't avoid it, I make sure to bookmark the review(s) I did read and re-read them after I've written my own and then, if needed, cite.
ReplyDeleteI don't think bloggers can go wrong by erring on the side of caution; it's much easier to lose one's reputation than it is to regain trust.
Better safe than sorry! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteIt's probably best that you don't know what I'm talking about. While I learned a lot about what NOT to do by watching that situation go down, it also was a little disheartening to me all around. By the actions involved and the responses to it. It literally terrified me--which is both good and bad I think. I'll be extra careful about citing my source since witnessing what I did, but I'll also always be walking on eggshells, and in my opinion, any time I'm walking on eggshells...well that's not exactly "fun".
ReplyDeleteBut there's definitely nothing wrong in quoting someone and linking back to them. You quote books all the time just as long as you cite your source. Glad I could remind you!
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
Yep...just keep track of the one that inspired you and link back to it in your review. No harm no foul! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteIt's probably for the best Christy! Sometimes I wish I wasn't around for it all too. But I've learned what not to do through watching it go down. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
ReplyDeleteI saw a lot of people say the same thing so apparently that's a fairly common practice--which is probably good. Thanks for coming by to visit me!
ReplyDeleteYes, I imagine having someone steal your words or ideas is very hard to deal with. I pray it never happens to me...but if it does, I also pray I handle the situation with grace and dignity. Thanks for coming by!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea about bookmarking the review that inspired you to read the book. There's nothing wrong with linking back to the review that inspired you. Definitely much easier to lose your reputation than to rebuild it. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, handling the situation in a good way is important - most of all for self-esteem :)
ReplyDeleteSo true!
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