TEXT: the written word
 
How much text can I use?? Up to 1000 words or 10% of the work, whichever is less. Up to 250 words of a poem, and only 3 poems per poet. The law doesn’t specify how many lyrics you may use. So... If the text is LONGER than 10,000 words, you may use up to 1000 of the words. But... If the text is SHORTER than 10,000 words, you may use up to 10% of it. Quick Guide
 
Can I use someone else’s text in my project?
Text that was written by an author who died at least 70 years ago is in the public domain. Even though you CAN use, this, you must always put quotations around it. If you find text on the Internet, chances are it is NOT in the public domain.
 
As long as you or your teacher will NOT post it on the Internet, the rules are:
  1. ✦ You must  cite your source to give proper credit
  2. ✦ You must follow the length requirements in the box on the right.
 Example #1: A story you found on the Internet is 800 words. You may use 10% of it, or 80 words. Example #2: A poem has 200 words. You may use ALL of it, as long as you haven’t used up to 2 other poems by the same poet in your project.
B. Myers-Letson
Revised 8.2007
A. Copy & paste the text into Microsoft Word. Click on Tools > Word Count.
BMS Students
Q. How can I tell how many words are in my text?