Using Quotes from Other Sources
This page provides some examples and thoughts about how to cite writing that is not your own and when to link to a site rather than quoting extensively from it.
Generally, an article should not be using long passages from another site or the app store. But if you feel that you need to use them, please follow the guidelines below for attribution and linking.
Rule of thumb: never present someone else's words as your own.
Quoting Words Written by Someone Else
Any time that you incorporate text into an article that you didn't write, you need to indicate that someone else is the author. This includes using text from App Store descriptions or developer web sites or articles you find on the web. You should always indicate the source of of quotation and when possible link to it.
App Store Quotes (Short)
It may be convenient when creating a wiki page for an app to use its app store description (if it is accurate). It should be indicated that the App Store is the source. This is also true if grabbing a summary from somewhere else. If there is already a link to the App Store entry from which the quote is taken, you don't need to include another link as long as you indicate the source.
Below are some examples:
Loopy HD: “As seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Create music with Loopy HD by layering looped recordings of singing, beatboxing, or playing an instrument with a savvy, sophisticated, tactile new looper that totally reinvents the formula.” (App store description)
or (using italics instead of quotation marks)
App store description: As seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Create music with Loopy HD by layering looped recordings of singing, beatboxing, or playing an instrument with a savvy, sophisticated, tactile new looper that totally reinvents the formula.
Extended Quotations
Generally, wiki pages should not be using extensive direct quotes from other sites. When you feel tempted to do this, it is probably best to summarize the material you want to quote or describe it and provide a link.
For example, you might think that the app store or a developer's web site does a great job of conveying a lot of valuable information about an app and its uses. Rather than copy/paste from that other site, consider writing something like the following:
Example 1 - Summarize and Link
The preferred way to handle a case where someone else has done a great job extensively describing something is to summarize and link. For example:
TheUltimateIOSsequencer is a deep, feature-rich audio and MIDI sequencer. It provides many types of sync and unique workflow. TheUltimateDeveloper summarizes these features well on «link to the page from which you wanted to quote extensively»
Use Extensive Quotes With Clear Attribution (Example)
If you can't resist the temptation to quote extensively from somewhere else, you need to link to the source, indicate what the source is, and visually mark the text so that it is clear that it is a quotation.
One method of doing this is to provide attribution and a link preceding the quote and to indent the quote passage. To indent text, use the wrap tag by placing <WRAP indent> at the beginning of the passage and </WRAP> at the end.. WRAP should be in all capitals.
For example:
Example with Indenting
Loopy is a well-loved and very deep app. Its developer explains
With a host of industry-standard features, users of pro audio software like Ableton Live will not be disappointed.
Loopy’s clean, tactile interface keeps things simple until you need to get technical.
Loopy is Audiobus compatible: Live-loop any other Audiobus compatible app, or record Loopy in another Audiobus app!
- Six, nine or twelve beautifully rendered loops.
- Count/In-Count-OutCount-in, count-out, auto-fade, and record chaining, to keep your hands free
- Overdub: Overdub, to construct complex soundscapes from many layers
- Merge tracksMerge tracks by dragging one onto another
- Variable length tracks
- Tracks of any multiple or fraction of a beat
- MetronomeAudio and visual metronome, in any time signature