Computer Science
Grade 5
20 min
Citing Sources
Citing Sources
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Explain why giving credit for digital work is important in computer science.
Identify the key pieces of information needed for a basic citation (Author, Title, URL, Date).
Differentiate between plagiarism and proper citation.
Create a simple, formatted citation for a website or online image.
Use a conditional rule (IF it's not my work, THEN I must cite it) for every asset in a digital project.
Organize citations into a 'Sources' or 'Credits' list for a project.
Have you ever found the PERFECT picture or code snippet online for your game or project? 🖼️ How do you use it without stealing?
In this lesson, we'll become digital detectives and learn the secret code for giving credit to creators online. This is called 'citing...
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
SourceThe place where you find information, an image, a sound, or code. It's the original creator or location.A website like National Geographic Kids, a YouTube tutorial video, or a specific page on the Scratch Wiki.
CitationA special note that tells everyone where you found your information. It's like a signpost pointing back to the original source.Author's Name. "Title of Webpage." Website Name, Date, URL.
PlagiarismUsing someone else's work, ideas, or code and pretending it's your own. It's the opposite of citing your source.Copying and pasting a block of code from a website into your project and not saying where you got it from.
CopyrightA legal right that protects a creator's work. It means that only the creator has p...
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Core Syntax & Patterns
The W-W-W-W Rule (Who, What, When, Where)
Citation = Who created it? + What is it called? + When was it made? + Where can I find it?
Use this pattern to gather the four most important pieces of information for any source you use. This helps you build a complete citation.
The Conditional Citing Check
FOR each item in my project:
IF (I did NOT create this item myself) {
THEN (I MUST create a citation for it);
}
This is a mental algorithm to run for every single piece of your project (images, sounds, code, facts). Just like a conditional in your code, it helps you make a decision: if the work isn't yours, you must take the action of citing it.
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
A program uses this code to format citations: `IF source_type == 'book' THEN use_book_format() ELSE IF source_type == 'website' THEN use_website_format()`. What is the most likely problem if you try to cite an online video?
A.The program will crash because it can't handle videos.
B.The program will not format the video citation correctly because there is no condition for 'video'.
C.The program will automatically use the website format, which is always correct for videos.
D.The program will ask you to enter a new rule for videos.
Challenging
Some websites use 'bots' (automated programs) in a loop to copy articles from other news sites and post them as their own without giving credit. This is an example of:
A.good way to gather information quickly.
B.An efficient research algorithm.
C.legal form of summarizing.
D.Automated, large-scale plagiarism.
Challenging
Why is citing a source for an algorithm you used in your code (e.g., in a comment) just as important as citing a source in a history report?
A.Because both give credit to the original creator, prevent plagiarism, and allow others to understand your work's foundation.
B.It's not as important, because code is about math and not ideas.
C.It's only important if the code is for a school project.
D.Because it makes your code file larger, which looks more impressive.
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