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Lollypop
Air Hostess of Gwaihir
Posts: 415
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Post Plagiarism - please read!
on: May 24, 2003 01:29
Plagiarism is defined as using somebody else's ideas as your own. These ideas can be texts, images, sounds, shapes, color schemes, or even thoughts.

The most common ways of plagiarism in fan creations are:

1. Taking someone else's basic idea or a plot of a story and writing it in your own words
2. Taking sentences from someone else's story and fitting them into your own
3. Making a copy of someone else's drawing/painting
4. Taking someone else's creation (story/image) and claiming it is yours.

Case #4 is the most obvious one, and everybody who does so understands it is wrong. What some people do not understand is, that everything you borrow from another person is plagiarizing! No matter how small a part it is, even if it is only one sentence, or a small detail of a drawing, it is still using someone else's work. This is not only bad behaviour, it is also criminal, and the original owner of the idea may have a right to sue you. Fan creations are not exceptions, everything that is published, is also protected by the copyright laws.

The best way to avoid plagiarism is simply to use ideas that are definitely your own. Sometimes, however, people do get inspired by other people's works, and can also create something good based on them. The fact that someone else owns the idea, does not prevent you from using it. The best thing to do, is to contact the owner of the original idea, and ask if you can use it. This prevents any confusion later. If you cannot contact the original owner, you can also state the source of the original idea; not just to avoid future accusations, this is also good behaviour!

Many fan fiction authors state at the beginning of their story, that the characters they use are created by J.R.R. Tolkien, and that the plot is based on his books. It is just as easy to state your other sources, fellow fan fiction authors, for example. You should also include the information on how to find the original source into this.

The Council of Elrond has a very strict policy towards plagiarism: we do not tolerate any of it. Any author/artist found quilty of plagiarizing must face a public apology, or a permanent banning from this site!

If you ever feel tempted to plagiarize, also remember this: someone has worked very hard to create the original idea. No matter how small a part of it you use, theft is always a theft, and you are cheating everybody, but most of all yourself, if you try to make yourself look better by using someone else's ideas!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When submitting stories to CoE, if your only sources have been Tolkien's books, or the films, you do not have to state those sources.

[Edited on 24/5/2003 by Lollypop]
Belba_Bracegirdle15
Council Member
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Post RE: Plagiarism - please read!
on: August 03, 2004 09:15
Lolly pop, I have read some 30 ways to tell your obsessed w/ Lotr. And I would like to make one too but with diffrent htings in it. and would I be able to with out geting ban? Please write back I'm Belba_Bracegirdle15 thanks
Lucy_Took
CoE Volunteer
Posts: 1077
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Post RE: Plagiarism - please read!
on: February 22, 2010 10:28
I'm a mod on another site,and we recently noticed our need for a Plagiarism policy. I showed this policy to my fellow mods,and it was decided that we should adopt one very much like this.

May we at thelionscall.com use your plagiarism policy,or one very smiler,please?
Rivka
Frodo Fanatic and Head Oligarch
Posts: 3760
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Post RE: Plagiarism - please read!
on: February 22, 2010 11:05
Go right ahead
"We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."
Avaloyuru
Council Member
Posts: 6
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Post Catagorizing Fanfiction Stories
on: October 14, 2017 04:45
I apologize if I have overlooked a more appropriate forum to post this question. I would like to see a list of the genre for each type of story written how this site defines each genre. While some are more easily understood such as humor, drama, romance, and parody, others such as angst are not quite as clear.

Thank you in advance
Gandolorin
Council Member
Posts: 24040
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on: October 14, 2017 05:36
I’m afraid I can’t help you directly, as I am not a writer of anything by any definition, but I would suggest you check out Forum Home » Tolkien Related Discussion » Fanfiction & Poetry, and perhaps contact the mod of that subforum, ~nólemë~, by Personal Message. This you can do from your Message Box, to be found in the left column near the bottom under the heading “Messages”, by clicking on “View Message Box”.
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tarcolan
Movies Moderator and General Dogsbody
Posts: 6046
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on: October 16, 2017 11:51
You're welcome to start a new topic if you can't find one that's suitable, Ava. We're all just fans here. Don't worry about putting stuff in the wrong place, it can always be moved. Or cast into the void from whence it cannot return.

Oh, and what Gando said.
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