I wrote a poem for the poetry contest. I do not intend it for any other use than for this contest. I used lines from something else..sort of like a found poem. Some of the lines I re-worded a bit, and some are in original form. These "lines" are from commonly read and heard sources. Do I need to cite the sources if I am only using it for this contest? Or should I just forget the idea.. Sorry to be vague, but the rules are strict about getting help with contests.. Thanks!
Simple solution - put the line in quotes. Unless you also have dialog in the poem, people should realize it is a quote. You can include a sub-title too, especially if there is any chance people won't know where the quote comes from. ie: My Poem Inspired by a line from Other Work Or some-such. -Frank
if the lines are from works that are still under copyright, you must get permission from the author to use them, no matter how 'commonly heard' they are... you should familiarize yourself with the basics of copyright rules 'n regs, if you want to be a writer of any breed... you'll find them here [for the us]: www.copyright.gov if they're from so long ago that the copyright has run out, you don't need permission, but still must put the lines that are quoted verbatim in " "...
I talked it over with Banzai and I probably don't need to go crazy with citations. I am still hesitant to finish and post the poem...but, I need the practice which is why I wanted to participate in the contests. Edit to add: If I post it, I will probably post my sources after the poem in APA format.
