Skip to Main Content

Thomas W. Cole Library's Home on LibGuides: Home

Welcome to the Thomas W. Cole, Sr. Library Homepage

Wiley University Library Resources

Library Hours

Fall 2024 Semester Hours

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

Friday: 8:00 am -5:00 pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Contact A Library Staff Member

Circulation Desk

903-927-3272

 

Ms. Elizabeth Bradshaw

Director of Library Services

903-927-3275

ebradshaw@wileyc.edu

 

 

Copyright Infringement Policy

Penalties for Copyright Infringement

Summary of Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the filesharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement. Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505. Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense. For more information, please see the website of the U.S. Copyright Office at (www.copyright.gov).

Basic Search Tips

Brainstorm for synonyms and related search terms.
You will need to translate these terms to keywords later when you are searching databases for articles and sources. Even if a combination of words works well in one database, you may have to change keywords to find results in another database. 

Concepts:

first generation

socioeconomic

race

Related terms:

first gen

household income 

national origin 
 

first in family

social hierarchy

ethnic group

 

Evaluate

Evaluate your sources using the 5 W's:

  • Who: ...wrote it? Are they an expert?
  • What: ...is the purpose of this resource?
  • Where: ...was this information published? ...does the information come from?
  • When: ...was this published or last updated?
  • Why: ...is this resource useful? ...is this resource better than other ones?

CRAAP is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Use the CRAAP Test to evaluate your sources.

Currency: the timeliness of the information

  • When was the information published or posted?
  • Has the information been revised or updated?
  • Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
  • Are the links functional?   

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

  • Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
  • Who is the intended audience?
  • Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
  • Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
  • Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information

  • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
  • Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
  • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
  • What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
  • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
  • Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
    •  examples:
      • .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government)
      • .org (nonprofit organization), or
      • .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

  • Where does the information come from?
  • Is the information supported by evidence?
  • Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
  • Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
  • Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
  • Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists

  • What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
  • Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
  • Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
  • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
  • Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Search databases using keywords, such as concepts or subject phrases, that are linked together by and, or, not  used to to identify articles and sources. Once you have identified your topic, selecting your keywords is pretty simple.  

1.  Divide your topic into parts.
In the question, "How do the experiences of first-gen students compare based on socioeconomic status or race, ethnicity, culture, background?" The concepts are: First-generation students, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, culture. 

2.  Follow the database-specific language.

As you do your searching, keep track of the words that appear in the detailed descriptions, or records, of your results list in the fields that will be labeled with headings such as subjects, descriptors, or subject headings. These synonyms and related terms are the specific vocabulary used to describe your search term in that database or discipline.  Using these in your search can often improve your search results by making it more accurate and efficient/less time.

Example sentence

Keywords: social media, candidate preference, 2016 US presidential election

Most library databases have search tools built in. Try some of these:Search Tools

  • Subject: Think of subjects as official hashtags. Use them to find sources about that subject.
  • Date Range: Limit your search to sources published between specific years.
  • Peer Reviewed: Limit your search to scholarly journal articles.
  • Full Text: Make sure all of the results are available to read in full.

Look on the left and right of your search results, or for an "advanced search" page to find these tools - and more!

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Academic Integrity has three main principles:

  • When you say you did the work, you actually did the work
  • When you rely on someone else’s work, you cite their work. When you use their words, you quote them openly and accurately, and you cite them, too.
  • When you present research materials, you present them fairly and truthfully. That’s true whether the research involves data, documents, or the writings of other scholars (Lipson, 2004)

In the Wiley College Handbook, activities that go against academic integrity is considered academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is discussed within the Student Handbook under Section X, Student Code of Conduct, Sub-Section 4.02. The text reads:

Academic Dishonesty - Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form. Examinations and assignments are employed to encourage learning and judge its quality. To evaluate this with justice and fairness, it is necessary that they be executed with complete honesty. Persons, who are guilty of cheating or plagiarism, as defined below, will be subject to probation, suspension, or expulsion.

  1. Cheating.   Dishonesty of any kind with respect to examination, course assignments, alterations of records, or illegal possession of examinations shall be considered cheating. It is the responsibility of the student not only to abstain from cheating, but in addition, to avoid the appearance of cheating and to guard against making it possible for others to cheat. Any student who helps another student to cheat will be considered as guilty of cheating as the student he/she assists. The student should do everything possible to induce respect for the examining process and for honesty in the performance of assigned tasks in or out of class.
  2. Plagiarism.   Honesty requires that any ideas or materials taken from another for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged. Offering the work of someone else as one’s own is plagiarism. The language or ideas thus taken from another may range from isolated formulas, sentences, or paragraphs, to entire articles copied from books, periodicals, speeches, or the writings of other students. The offering of materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgement also is considered plagiarism. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas or materials that he takes from another is guilty of plagiarism.

Potential judicial sanctions for violation of the Student Code of Conduct are: admonishment, community service, fines, probation, loss of privileges, pre-hearing suspension, research assignments, restitution, seminar/workshop participation, suspension, and/or expulsion.

As you can see, academic integrity is very important. Violating one’s academic integrity will affect your academic and professional career at and beyond Wiley College.

References

Lipson, C. (2004). Doing honest work in college: How to   prepare citations, avoid plagiarism, and achieve   real academic success. Chicago, IL: University of   Chicago Press

Popular Databases

Go Forth Inspired