Curiosity in Writing

Ownership?

Whenever I am researching a subject while reading a book, it is easy to understand that the book is the work of a particular author, but when I am searching through the web for the same or similar information/material, the question of authorship often becomes somewhat murky. Respecting the work of others and protecting your own work in an age of plentiful information found on the web is a question that often causes me some anxiety that I might not give proper credit to an author.

How can this be avoided? Does it mean one must constantly redefine the thin line that lies between knowledge that can be considered general understanding, or common knowledge, and that of enfringement or plagiarism?

I believe that one way of evaluating what is proper and acceptable when using information found on the web is through understanding the laws that apply to web use. An excellent resource can be found in the U.S. Copyright Office website, which explains how items in print and items in electronic media are treated, with regards to legal issues.

Abbreviations?

Another element of good writing is the proper use of the the correct abbreviations for a particular word or phrase. Latin was not a major subject of mine, and what little I know and use comes from courses I have taken in the health sciences, but I do know that when the wrong phrase is used or the wrong abbreviations is placed in a sentence, it can act like a set of screeching brakes by interrupting the reader's flow of thought.

So I offer for you another useful site that I found that can be used as a guideline to correct abbreviations - and that site led me to another blog that serves as an acronym finder.