Find handbooks and style manuals the library owns and links to online resources for documenting your sources and how to avoid plagiarism.

Documentation Reference Books Available in the Library

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed., by Joseph Gibaldi.
  REF LB 2369 .G53 2009 (this is kept in the Reference Section)
• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd ed., by Joseph Gibaldi.
  RESERVES PN 147 .G444 2008 (copies are kept in the Reference and Reserves Sections)
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 6th ed.
  REF BF 76.7 .P83 2010 (kept in the Reference Section)
• The Columbia Guide to Online Style, 2nd ed., by Janice Walker & Todd Taylor.
  RESERVES PN 171 .F56 W35 1998 (kept in the Reserves Section)
• A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th ed., by Kate Turabian.
  RESERVES LB 2369 .T8 2013 (kept in the Reserves Section)
• Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles—MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More,
  2nd. ed., by Charles Lipson.
  RESERVES PN 171 .F56 L55 2011

Documentation Websites

• Citations Guides from Purdue University
• Research and Citation Resources from Purdue OWL, the Purdue Online Writing Lab
• Research, Writing, and Style Guides (MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard, CGOS, CBE from A Research Guide

On Avoiding Plagiarism

• Avoiding Plagiarism Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)
• Plagiarism in Colleges in USA, by attorney Dr. Robert Standler: legal opinions, laws, cases
• Plagiarism Information (Purdue University)

Are you using images, video, or music in a paper or presentation? Know what’s protected and what you can and can’t use. Find links to online copyright guides and specific information about film and video usage.

Copyright and Fair Use Guides

US Copyright Office
Register a copyright, record a document, or search copyright records (books, music, art, periodicals, other works).

From the American University School of Communication’s Center for Social Media
List of links to best practices in fair use for poetry, open course ware, and media literacy.

From Stanford University Libraries
Covers basics of copyright and includes copyright case opinion summaries, case dockets, current legislation, regulations, articles, blogs, and a link to the copyright office’s regularly-issued news issues.

American Association of University Professors

Films and Videos: Classroom Use and Beyond

Films and Video: Classroom Use
Possession of a film or video does not confer the right to show the work. The copyright owner specifies, at the time of purchase or rental, the circumstances in which a film or video may be “performed.” For example, videocassettes from a video rental outlet usually bear a label that specifies “Home Use Only.” However, whatever their labeling or licensing, use of these media is permitted in an educational institution so long as certain conditions are met.

Section 110 (1) of the Copyright Act of 1976 specifies that the following is permitted:

“Performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to- face teaching activities of a non-profit educational institution, in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, unless, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, the performance, or the display of individual images is given by means of a copy that was not lawfully made…and that the person responsible for the performance knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made.”

Additional text of the Copyright Act and portions of the House Report (94-1476) combine to provide the following, more detailed list of conditions [from Virginia M. Helms, supra]:

1. They must be shown as part of the instructional program.
2. They must be shown by students, instructors, or guest lecturers.
3. They must be shown either in a classroom or other school location devoted to instruction such as a studio, workshop, library, gymnasium, or auditorium if it is being used for instruction.
4. They must be shown either in a face-to-face setting or where students and teacher(s) are in the same building or general area.
5. They must be shown only to students and educators.
6. They must be shown using a legitimate (that is, not illegally reproduced) copy with the copyright notice included.

Further, the relationship between the film or video and the course must be explicit. Films or videos, even in a face-to-face classroom setting, may not be used for entertainment or recreation, whatever the work’s intellectual content.

Use Outside the Classroom
Besides use in classrooms, videocassettes and videodiscs that are owned by the College may ordinarily be viewed by students, faculty, or staff at workstations or in small-group rooms in the Media and Technology Center. These videos may also be viewed at home (e.g. in a residence hall room), so long as no more than a few friends are involved. Larger audiences, such as groups that might assemble in a residence hall living room, require explicit permission from the copyright owner for “public performance” rights. The Library’s online catalog includes the note “On-campus Public Performance Rights secured” for videos with that status. No fees for viewing a video are permitted even when public performance rights are obtained.

The good news is that Dexter Library provides easy access to over fifty databases. The bad news is that with so many offerings, there are bound to be occasional technical issues. If you run into a problem, please submit the form below and we will do our best to address it promptly.