Hey guys, I had a question about citing sources. In my book, if I'm using pictures of molecules, diagrams, etc. and sources from off the internet (such as wikipedia, science websites, etc.), do I need to cite those sources? What about a program I am using to make pictures (such as molecules)? If there is a site that specifically states what needs to be cited, please let me know! Thanks
Drawings, pictures, images of all kinds are protected by copyright. You need permission from the owner to use them. You do not have to cite the tools you use to generate your own figures and graphics. However, check te terms of use of any included clip art, textures, etc. Refer to http://www.copyright.gov for te USA, or te coyright site for your country outside the USA.
Ty sir! By the way, if (hypothetically) I'm denied access to ALL the pictures I request for use by the owner, do you know of any companies that draw computer graphics for authors? And how much they cost? EDIT: I actually have another question, do I have to ask for permission if I list the source? For example, if I use a picture and list the source/author/publisher/etc. underneathe the picture? Hmmm...
You have to ask for permission either way, yep. Copyright isn't about credit, it's about the right to reproduce the work. Giving credit doesn't give you the right to reproduce the work. In very limited circumstances, fair use gives you the right to use a work without permission, but I don't see any fair use exception in the situation that you describe.
If you are considering creating images as an option, then all your images should be created by the same illustrator for a consistent appearance. I can't help you to find an illustrator, but it will be something you need to factor in to your book proposal. For fiction, the publisher will select the illustrator, and in most cases you won't even have a say inthe decision. I don't know if the same situation exists for non-fiction, especially for technical non-fiction. The illustrator it that case would have to work closely with the author, because it isn't simply a matter of visual appeal, but rather significant visual content that must agree with the text. When you put together the book proposal with the publisher, it will need to be clearly laid out. Certainly it will help if you do some advance research in advance so you know what the usual process is. Maybe someone here will have relevant experience, but I'd suggest researching it through other means as well.
No need for a website. You simply need to cite every opinion/fact/picture/whatever that you got from anybody else, except things that are general knowledge. For example, there is no need to say when WWII started, but if you are writing about the reason for it happening, you need to quote the source from which you got that opinion, or quote facts that made you reach your own opinion. I think that I've covered the basics, I'm sure somebody else with more experience will chime in.
That is citing for academic papers, which is different from satisfying the requirements of copyright. To satisfy copyright, you don't have to list sources that contribute to an opinion. On the other hand, you don't need permission for every source you use in an academic paper, due to the Fair Use exception. Fair use applies only in limited situations, though, and does not apply to using material for your own publication. You need permission, not merely a cite, for any copyrighted material you wish to include, in whole or in part, modified or intact. in your own work. That includes photographs, artwork, lyrics, excerpts from other people's writing, and also audio and video clips where technology makes that possible. It does not include names and titles. Plagiarism and copyright violation, although they overlap a great deal, are not quite identical.
ditto all cog said [as usual!]... however, when putting together a non-fiction book proposal, you don't include the actual artwork... you merely provide the 'list of illustrations' and deal with where they'll come from later, if the publisher offers you a contract...
