Moral dilemmas with school project!

[jmcrae]

How am I supposed to ask people? I’m sure they have better things to do than read emails all day, right?

There are still such things as telephones.

I just want to find out how to do fair use.

As I mentioned before, your school librarian will have all of this information, as it pertains to your project, and as it pertains to the region where you live.

You seem to want everything to be handed to you. That’s not how it works - you have to do a bit of leg-work on your own, and talk to people.

 

[KarenElissa]

How am I supposed to ask people? I’m sure they have better things to do than read emails all day, right?

I just want to find out how to do fair use.

You may be surprised, more people may respond than you think. I have worked on a project for another website that involved asking authors permission to use their photos and quite a few of those I contacted responded.

I would guess you will have better luck if you are contacting people who aren’t majorly popular.

 

[McatholicN]

Could I still be committing a sin of theft by using a source, but remaining within copyright law?

 

[Adam1986]

Could I still be committing a sin of theft by using a source, but remaining within copyright law?

NO!

Dude you’re not going to sin by doing a school report. You honestly need help with your scrupulousness since it seems to have taken over your life to the point of interfering with your education.

Stop worrying about if everything is a sin or not. You really think God is such a vengeful and harsh God he will send you to Hell for all eternity for doing your school work?

Do you go to Catholic school? If you do, do you think your teacher would put you in danger of mortal sin for a project? And if you go to public school, do you think your teacher would put you in danger of illegal activities for a project?

You need to relax and just do your project already!

 

[jmcrae]

Could I still be committing a sin of theft by using a source, but remaining within copyright law?

You are more likely to do so by failing to complete your school work in a timely manner - remember, “theft” also includes failing to do our work in a complete and timely manner.

So, buckle down and get to work.

 

[McatholicN]

You are more likely to do so by failing to complete your school work in a timely manner - remember, “theft” also includes failing to do our work in a complete and timely manner.

So, buckle down and get to work.

But I don’t want to commit sin to do my homework. I want to do my homework, but without sin; especially if that sin could be mortal.

 

[edwest2]

Why don’t you trust your teacher? Just ask permission. Happens to my company all the time. Talk to a librarian. Take a deep breath (!)

Peace,
Ed

 

[jmcrae]

But I don’t want to commit sin to do my homework.

Then, don’t. It’s not a complicated thing. Use your own original material as much as possible, and get permission for other people’s stuff that you use.

Pitter patter, time’s a wastin’.

 

[McatholicN]

Must I be citing my information sources for each fact throughout the documentary?

 

[McatholicN]

Also, if my teacher says that something is not copyright infringement or plagiarism, would it become not sinful for me to go ahead using the material or leaving out the citation, etc.?