By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Explain in plain words what copyright protects and why it matters.
- Tell the difference between quoting, paraphrasing and plagiarism.
- Read the main Creative Commons licence conditions.
- Write a simple citation for a web page.
When you copy a picture from a search result into a document, or paste a few lines from an article into an essay, it feels like nothing: the file is right there. But somebody made that work, and rules decide how you may use it. Knowing the rules protects you from trouble and is simply fair to the people who made the work. It also helps your own writing, because a clear citation shows the reader where your facts come from. This lesson gives general principles, not legal advice, because laws differ between countries.
What copyright is
Copyright is the legal right of the creator of a work to decide how it is copied and shared. Works include writing, photographs, drawings, music, films, software and web pages. In most countries copyright starts automatically the moment a work is created. The creator does not have to register it or add a © symbol. If a page has no copyright notice, you must still assume the work is protected. Copyright lasts a long time, often for decades after the creator's death, and the details differ by country.
Copyright is not the same as being free to see. A photograph on a website is visible to everyone, but that does not give everyone the right to copy it, print it, put it on a shop's leaflet or use it in a product. Many countries allow small, fair uses, for example quoting a short passage for study, criticism or news reporting, with credit. These exceptions are narrow and vary, so do not assume that “it was for school” makes any use acceptable.
Quoting, paraphrasing and plagiarism
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words, ideas or work as your own. Copyright is a legal matter and plagiarism is a matter of honesty and credit, and schools and employers take both seriously. There are three honest ways to use someone's ideas.
| Method | What you do | What you must add |
|---|---|---|
| Quote | Copy the exact words, keep them short | Quotation marks plus a citation |
| Paraphrase | Explain the idea fully in your own words and your own sentence structure | A citation, because the idea is still theirs |
| Summarise | Give the main points in a few sentences | A citation |
- Exact words, kept short
- In quotation marks
- Citation added
Honest
- Idea in your own words
- Your own sentence shape
- Citation added
Honest
- Exact words, or a few swapped
- No quotation marks
- No source named
Plagiarism
Read this figure as text
Three columns comparing quoting, paraphrasing and copying without credit.
Three columns. Column one, Quote: exact words in quotation marks with a citation. Verdict: honest. Column two, Paraphrase: the idea restated in your own words with a citation. Verdict: honest. Column three, Copy and paste with no credit: exact words with no quotation marks and no source, or changing a few words only. Verdict: plagiarism.
Creative Commons: permission given in advance
Some creators want their work to be shared. Creative Commons is a set of public licences that let creators say so, with simple conditions. Each licence is made from a few building blocks. Always open the licence link and read it, because the exact conditions matter.
| Short code | Meaning | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| BY | Attribution | Credit the creator, the title, the licence and where you found it |
| SA | Share alike | Share your changed version under the same licence |
| NC | Non-commercial | Do not use it to make money |
| ND | No derivatives | Use it unchanged; do not edit or remix |
"Sunrise over the market" Titleby Wanjiru Kamau, Creatorexample.org/photos/123, SourceCC BY 4.0LicenceRead this figure as text
A credit line split into title, author, source and licence parts.
A sample photo credit, an educational fictional example, is split into four labelled parts. Sunrise over the market: the title of the work. by Wanjiru Kamau: the creator. example.org/photos/123: where it was found. CC BY 4.0: the licence that allows reuse if you credit.
Free to use does not always mean credit-free. A photograph on a stock site may be free to download but still need credit. Public domain works, such as very old books, have no copyright restrictions, but check the specific edition and the rules of your country. When you cannot tell what the conditions are, do not use the work.
- Is there a licence or clear permission?
- YesDo the conditions allow your use (editing, business use)?
- YesDo thisAdd the credit the licence asks for, then use it
- NoDo thisDo not use it as planned
- NoDo thisDo not use it; ask the owner or pick another
- YesDo the conditions allow your use (editing, business use)?
Read this figure as text
A decision tree for checking whether a picture or text can be reused.
Start: Is there a licence or clear permission? If no: Do not use it; ask the owner or pick another. If yes: Do the conditions allow your use, including editing and commercial use if relevant? If no: Do not use it as planned. If yes: Add the credit the licence asks for and use it.
Writing a simple citation
A citation tells your reader exactly where something came from, so they can check it. Schools and employers use different styles, such as Harvard or APA, and they differ in punctuation and order. The ideas are the same, so find out which style you must use, and use it consistently. For a web page, collect these facts as you read, because finding them again later is painful.
- The author, or the organisation if there is no person.
- The year (and date if the style needs it) the page was published or last updated.
- The title of the page.
- The website or publisher.
- The web address (URL) and the date you looked at it.
Kamau, J. (2026) How to back up your files. Example Learning Centre. Available at: https://example.org/backup (Accessed: 23 October 2026).In your text, put a short pointer such as (Kamau, 2026) after the quotation or idea, and give the full details in a list of references at the end. Many tools can help: LibreOffice Writer and Word both have reference features, and your school may suggest a free reference manager. Whatever you use, check the result against the style guide.
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Assuming anything found by a search engine is free to reuse.
✔ Do this: Find the licence or ask the owner. Search results only show where something is, not what you may do with it.
✖ Instead of: Pasting text and changing a few words.
✔ Do this: Quote with quotation marks, or understand it, close the source and write it yourself, and cite either way.
✖ Instead of: Listing a source at the end but not marking quotations in the text.
✔ Do this: Use quotation marks and a short pointer at each place where you use the source.
✖ Instead of: Saving the web address and nothing else.
✔ Do this: Note the author, title, publisher, date and the date you visited too.
If something goes wrong
- I cannot find the author or date of a page.
- Look for an About page, the footer, or the end of the article. If there is still none, use the organisation as author, write n.d. for no date in many styles, and consider whether the page is a good source.
- I do not know which citation style to use.
- Ask your teacher, course or employer. If nobody minds, pick one style, such as Harvard, and use it consistently.
- A picture has no licence information.
- Assume it is protected. Try the page's About or credits pages, or reverse the search to find the source, or pick a picture with a clear licence.
Key terms
- copyright
- Copyright is the legal right of the creator of a work, such as a text, photo, song or program, to decide how it is copied and shared.
- plagiarism
- Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words, ideas or work as if they were your own.
- Creative Commons
- Creative Commons is a family of free public licences that let creators say in advance how others may reuse their work.
- citation
- A citation is a short note that tells the reader exactly where a quotation, fact or image came from.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Write one citation
Choose any web page you read earlier in this course, such as an official help page. Collect the author or organisation, year, title, publisher, address and today's date. Write a citation in a pattern your teacher or employer uses, or use the example in the lesson.
Choose a picture legally
Find a picture for a poster about recycling that you could legally use. Find the licence, note its conditions, and write the credit line you would have to include. If you cannot find clear conditions, choose a different picture.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- Copyright applies automatically; visible does not mean free to copy.
- Quote with quotation marks, paraphrase with real rewriting, and cite both.
- Plagiarism is passing off others' work as your own.
- Creative Commons licences have conditions: BY, SA, NC and ND.
- A good citation lets the reader find the source: author, year, title, publisher, address and date seen.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.
- About CC licences (Creative Commons)
- Copyright basics (World Intellectual Property Organization) (WIPO)