Lesson 8B: Making notes from Web sites

Copying text and graphics

In Lesson 8A, we learned how to make notes from a browser window into a wordprocessor's window. You may sometimes wish to copy an entire Web page or a section of a Web page into a Word document. Then, at a later time, you can make notes from your copied material and incorporate those notes into a report.

Danger of plagiarism

You must be careful though not to copy and paste from a source into your report, and then present your copied/pasted work as your own. If you copy and paste text from a source into your own report and then try to fool the teacher into thinking your copied words are you own, you are guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism can lead to a failing grade, a tarnished reputation -- and even expulsion. But there are legitimate times when you want to copy parts of a Web page into a Word document just as there are legitimate times when you want to photocopy an entire article or sections of an article. Here's how:

1. Open up your Word processor. Type at the top of document window the topic of your research. In this practice, let's pretend we are doing research on the disease Aase syndrome. Save your Word document to your hard drive or diskette.
2. Minimize your Word window. (Click on the minus control button at the top right hand corner of your Word window.)
3. Use Explorer to get to your source -- in this case, you can just click on Aase syndrome if you are viewing this lesson on the Internet, or you can go to this address and do a search for Aase. http://health.enotes.com/genetic-disorders-encyclopedia/aase-syndrome
4. Once you are viewing information on Aase, copy and paste the site's address into the top of your Word document as we did in lesson 8A.
5. Drag your mouse over the section of the article you wish to copy, selecting (turning blue) the desired text.
   
   
6. Right click and select Copy from the pop up menu, or you can just use Edit/Copy from Explorer's toolbar.
7. Switch now to Word, clicking where you want the copied text to appear. Then right click for the pop up menu, and left click on the choice Paste -- or use Edit/Paste in Word's toolbar.
8. If you would like to copy a graphic from a Web page, just right click on the graphic, and select Copy. Then switch to Word, and Paste. Remember though that many graphics on the Internet have copyright restrictions.

You should now have in your Word window the excerpt you wanted from the source window. Continue this process to add other excerpts from different sources, but be sure to copy and paste each source's URL or Web site address into the Word document identifying where each excerpt came from. The URL next to each excerpt will make it easy for you to return again to the site for more information.

Conclusion

Having gone through both lessons 8A and 8B, you should know how to use your wordprocessor to make notes as well as copy text and graphics from Web sites into your wordprocessor's document window. Always remember though to credit your sources and to never present copied materials as your own.

Resources

• Citing Internet Resources in research papers. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html
• Two sites that help teachers detect if student papers are plagiarized.
  • iThenticate
    http://www.ithenticate.com/static/home.html
  • Turnitin
    http://www.turnitin.com/
• St. Petersburg Times article May 11, 2001 tells how professor detected plagiarized papers of students who may end facing severe penalities, including denial of degree and expulsion.
  http://www.sptimes.com/News/051001/Worldandnation/Professor_turns_to_co.shtml

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Graphic credit: Screen save from National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.
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Last updated: July 3, 2006