There is an epidemic, a pandemic, an outbreak of infectious disease that is affecting 90% of the users on this site! What is this deplorable affliction you might ask?
The lack of citations on one's work!
This post is for everyone who has ever posted on this site, ever! Make sure you cite your sources. Cite your picture sources and cite your information sources. Whenever I am reading a "how to" post and there is no source cited, one of only two possibilities emerge:
1. Either you are an expert and the first person to present the information
or
2. You are a criminal who is stealing someone else's work without properly crediting them!
Don't be that 2nd one!
I used the word epidemic to describe the situation taking place here, but perhaps pandemic might be a more accurate description...
Pandemic: is an epidemic of infectious disease that has spread through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide.
Take out the disease part and it fits perfectly don't you think? Actually scratch that, it is a disease...
I have been spending the last several days digging through the site trying to find good posts that have been ignored by the larger community. In doing so I have noticed that 90% of authors don't properly cite their information or their images in their posts.
How to properly research and cite one's work:
1. Spend some time reading on the topic you are going to post about.
2. Take the information you have learned and present it in your own words.
3. Once you have presented it in your own words, add some pictures to add to the overall visual appeal of the post.
4. Then, and most importantly, Type the word "Resources" or "Sources" at the bottom and list any all places that you gathered information or pictures used in your post!
Stealing: the taking (of another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it.
If you don't do this you will be flagged and possibly hidden if this is a repeat offense. It doesn't sound like a big deal but when you think about the time and effort the original author went into researching and compiling that information and then you come along and present his work as your own and don't even credit him as you are trying to make a quick buck off his labor... yea it rubs people the wrong way, don't let that be you!
Would you want to spend the time, and resources compiling a bunch of information only to have someone else get credit for your hard work? No, well neither does anyone else... so stop it, stop it right now!
Sources:
1. https://www.google.com/?ion=1&espv=2#q=pandemic+definition
2. https://www.google.com/?ion=1&espv=2#q=stealing
Image Sources:
1. http://evenews24.com/2015/04/18/pandemic-hordes-2-weeks-in-space/
2. https://www.arenasimulation.com/healthcare-emergency-response
Follow: @jrcornel