What are copyright and plagiarism, and how do I use other people's work online responsibly?
Explain copyright and plagiarism, use licensed or permitted content, credit sources correctly, and avoid copying work without permission
A practical answer to the N-Level Computer Applications outcome on copyright: what copyright and plagiarism are, using licensed or free content, crediting sources, and avoiding copying work without permission.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
This outcome is about using other people's work responsibly. You should be able to explain copyright and plagiarism and the difference between them, know how to use licensed or freely permitted content, credit sources correctly, and avoid copying work without permission. This matters in every project that uses images, music, video or text. In the written paper you define the terms and describe responsible use and crediting.
The answer
What copyright is
Copyright is the legal right of the creator of a work, such as an image, song, video or piece of writing, to control how it is copied and used. It means you usually cannot copy and use someone's work without their permission. Copyright protects creators so they get credit and control over what they made.
What plagiarism is
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without crediting them. It is about honesty rather than only law. Copying a paragraph from a website into your report and pretending you wrote it is plagiarism, even if no one sues you. In school, plagiarism is treated seriously because your work should be your own.
Copyright versus plagiarism
They overlap but are not the same:
- Using a copyrighted image without permission is mainly a copyright issue.
- Copying text and passing it off as your own is plagiarism.
- The same act can be both, for example copying copyrighted writing and claiming it as yours.
Using content responsibly
When you need images, music, video or text, use them responsibly:
- Use licensed or free content. Look for work released under a licence that permits reuse, such as a Creative Commons licence, or content clearly marked as free to use. Check what the licence allows.
- Create your own, or get permission from the creator.
- Do not just copy anything you find, because most online work is copyrighted by default.
Crediting sources
Even when you are allowed to use something, credit the source by naming the creator and where it came from. Crediting matters because:
- It gives the creator the recognition they are owed.
- It is honest about where the work came from.
- Many free licences require a credit as a condition of use, so crediting keeps your use allowed.
For your own writing, avoid plagiarism by writing ideas in your own words and citing where facts came from.
Examples in context
Example 1. Music for a video. A student making a school video uses a track from a free-music library that allows use with a credit, and adds the artist and source in the description. Grabbing a popular song instead would breach copyright, so the licensed track is the responsible choice.
Example 2. Writing a report. Researching online, a student reads several pages, then writes the report in their own words and lists the sources they used. They avoid pasting paragraphs, so the work is original and not plagiarised, and the citations show where the facts came from.
Try this
Cue. Explain the difference between copyright and plagiarism. (Copyright is the creator's legal right to control copying and use of their work; plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without crediting them.)
Cue. Describe two ways to get images for a project responsibly. (Use images that are licensed or marked free to use, such as Creative Commons, or create your own or get the creator's permission.)
Cue. Give one reason to credit a source even when you are allowed to use it. (It is honest about where the work came from and gives the creator recognition, and many free licences require a credit as a condition of use.)
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SEAB exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Original4 marksExplain what copyright is and what plagiarism is, and describe the difference between them using an example of a student using an image and some text from a website.Show worked answer →
Copyright is the legal right of the creator of a work (such as an image, song, video or piece of writing) to control how it is copied and used. Using a copyrighted work without permission can break the law.
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without crediting them. It is a matter of honesty, not only law.
Difference with an example: if a student copies an image into a project without permission, that can be a copyright issue. If they copy a paragraph from a website into their own report and do not say where it came from, pretending it is their own writing, that is plagiarism. The same act can be both: using copyrighted text and claiming it as your own.
What markers reward: copyright as the creator's legal right over copying and use, plagiarism as passing off others' work as your own, and a clear example showing the difference.
Original4 marksA student needs images and music for a school video. Explain two ways they can use content responsibly, and explain why crediting the source matters.Show worked answer →
Two responsible ways, for example:
- Use content that is free to use, such as images or music released under a licence that permits reuse (for example a Creative Commons licence) or material clearly marked as free for this use.
- Create their own content, or get permission from the creator to use theirs.
Why crediting matters: it gives the creator the recognition they are owed, it is honest about where the work came from, and many free licences require a credit as a condition of use, so crediting keeps the use allowed.
What markers reward: two genuine responsible approaches (licensed or free content, own work, or permission), and a clear reason to credit such as honesty, respect, or meeting a licence condition.
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