I'm in the process of writing a non-fiction book. The intro of one of my chapters is a story I got from Malcolm Gladwell. It was about Howard Moskowitz and how in the process of finding out the best spaghetti sauce he discovered something interesting. The story fits my point pretty well. So the question is, can I mention the story in my book? Would I have to mention Malcom Gladwell told this story in a speech? Or can I just mention the story to make my point? What's the best way to approach this?
The best way to go about this is to research plagiarism laws. According to LegalZoom, plagiarism would entail:
"If you use another person's work and do not attribute that work to the author, including copying text verbatim, paraphrasing a phrase or summarizing an idea, you are essentially committing plagiarism. Plagiarism usually occurs when a writer fails to:
-cite quotes or ideas written by another author;
-enclose direct text in quotes; or
-put summaries and/or paraphrases in his or her own words."
According to Ithenticate, "Copyright laws are absolute. One cannot use another person’s material without citation and reference" and "In the case where an author sues a plagiarist, the author may be granted monetary restitution."
I would absolutely attribute the story to Gladwell and perhaps even cite the speech in your bibliography, as well, just to be safe.
Answered 8 years ago
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