h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Exactly. That also goes for other facts you use, not just scientific data.

You don't have to ask for permission to use published research. You *do* have to give credit.

So I can say, according to (x) Eritosthenes measured the circumference of the world to be (y) kilometres.

According to (x) Keplers Planetary laws are these, and according to (y) Newtons laws are these.

These seem to me to be basic laws of physics. How does copyright law come into this??

I am baffled!




'g'

No, you don't have to say "according to x" - you just can't say they're *your* laws of planetary law. They're Kepler's!

With things that are less well-known - like Eritosthenes' measure of the Earth - you should indicate which book you used as a source.

And it's not necessarily a copyright problem, more one of being taken seriously and proving that you don't just make things up

So it is mentioned in Jacob Bronowski 'The Ascent of Man' and Carl Sagan 'Univese'

Who takes presidence?......

'g'

Perhaps it would be fair to suggest that a certain amount of is needed.

Essentially, one uses Pythagoras' theorem. Not my theory on triangles and figgering them out.

In the same way, something that is reasonably well known and more or less universally followed (such as 'how to ride a horse. First, sit on it's back') would just be mentioned or discussed. I wouldn't necessarily go into detail about Xenophon being where I got that information from or put a footnote about it being copyright of the Spanish Riding School... Howvere I wouldn't claim it as my own either. If I had my own theories about it, then I could.

It seems to be a rather pithy problem to me.

Might have to consult my solicitor!!!




'g'

Before you launch into a nonfiction book, have you ever done scientific writing of any kind?

Not yet, Mala. I intend to make this the first.



'g'

Then you should probably look up the rules for researching and attributing correctly - not just as a matter of copyright, but more of being taken seriously!

I just finished a paper where I had to attribute everything - 90+ footnotes over 13 pages of text! - but that was in a University context; books for a wider audience handle it differently, usually. Read some and compare how they do it. They'll often just mark direct quotes or say whose concept something is, but have an extended bibliography in the back.

(That said, some people are lazy about it in a Uni context, too. I was doing layout for a publication from the institute where I was working and marveled at all the "See wikipedia" footnotes - not even which article or which language! Those are worse than useless )

Thanx for that, Mala. I will bear it in mind when the project gets off the ground, and beyond the half dozen pages of notes that it now exists of. When written, it will be aimed at Primary scool pupils - about 9-11 years of age, so it will not delve too deeply into the subject----(I can't understand the depth of maths used in advanced level science anyway!!!)



'g'

Then you're probably best off with a "further reading" section for the kiddies as well as a more "official" bibliography bit.

Read and understood, Mala.

Have to take time off hootoo though

You never know though.....may make me rich



'g'

Oooh, then I'll have to tell you about the good old academic tradition of buying the random stranger who advises you via the internet her own pony!

Referencing pah.
IN a scientific contex, I think the last accademic thing I wrote, for my MSC had over 14 pages of references at the end, all maticiliously written and referneced correctly according to the Harvid referencing system. Not that I can barely eemember how to do it correctly now...
My lodger wrote several accademic papers and I think contributed at one point to a book, all about referncing itself

Back to the origional question; I think the less than 30 seconds 'extract' of a song/music doesn't carry the same, or any payible rights to the artist/....
I do know a friendly, and some would say whitty and handsome person who might be able to 'lend' some origional music that wouldn't cost anything orrequire any 'fee's, so long as it was a referenced source

Sorry 2legs, this will be written word only....
If they buy the dvd, and put music to it , well upon their own heads be it!!




'g'

On the subject, it's not just one helper, it's all of them that matter

2legs for that.

I'm in a bit of an artistic crisis at present and have stopped working on the last thing for now and moving onto another project...which may also hit the rails. I have this fantasy that all these ridiculous projects I do will one day form a kind of wondous retrospective of the very interesting career of Effers...

But seriously I'll get my agent and lawyers to talk to yours about it all

that was a reply to post 35.

You never know Effers, it might work out. As for me, my 'Brand New' HP computer has managed to corrupt 4.5 Megabites (about 16000) words of wisdom I had entrusted to it, so a bit disheartened at the mo.



'g'