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Lynn Mitchell
5,133 PointsIs following a tutorial plagiarism?
I'm confused on if following a tutorial on YouTube and then changing simple things in the design to match the look and feel of you're website is plagiarism.
I follow the tutorial from Kevin Powell for building ba responsive nav in css. I learned a lot and want to use it for a website so I changed the background, text color, font, and some of the speeds of the animations. I also may add an animation from a different tutorial. Is doing so plagiarism?
I have a habit of taking things I like from a few tutorial and combining them to make an element or a website.
1 Answer
David Moorhead
18,005 PointsHi, Lynn,
You've revealed some ideas I hadn't even thought about. Thank You! I've a tendency to say that my research, which follows, is only to help clarify your queries for myself and others who read this post.
Articles and white papers I've read were from or sourced as academic references, which, in some cases, connoted plagiarism to cheating.
Further, copyright is territorial. For instance, are particular HTML or CSS Grid codes, which have been copied from someone's code for another's personal projects or professional website use, from another continent, i.e., Africa, North America, or Asia? Are copyright laws in other countries prohibitive?
The plethora of answers to your queries is dizzying!
See these sequential YouTube vids, and review the citations and disclaimers written by the presenter of the published videos. The playlist includes seven videos.
Introduction to Intellectual Property: Crash Course IP 1
Copyright Basics: Crash Course Intellectual Property_2
Copyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property #3
As spoken in the video titled, "Copyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property #3":
"People are confused about what is allowed and what is not, with the risk that the law falls in disrepute."
As spoken by the presenter of Crash Course Intellectual Property #3: The Golden Rule with regard to plagiarism:
"Take not from others to such an extent and in such a manner that you'd be resentful if they took from you."
The Fair Use Defence is rather a safety valve for strict copyright laws.
As spoken in the video titled, "Copyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property #3":
"Avoid rigid application of the copyright statue when, on occasion, it would stifle the very creativity which that law is designed to foster."
As spoken in the video titled, "Copyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property #3", a paraphrased 1841 (presumed U.S.) court decision:
"The progress of learning advances when the law allows follow-on authors to bestow their intellectual labor and judgment in reworking selections from a prior work, without prejudicing the profits or prospects of that work."
More references.
[Do] two lines of copied code constitute plagiarism? | 2017
Avoiding Plagiarism | 2011
Plagiarism in five universities in Mozambique: Magnitude, detection techniques, and control measures | 2015
I hope that's been helpful, in one way or two 
David