Primary Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 200–250 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

For this Discussion Board, please complete the following:

When we incorporate research into our writing, it is important to let our reader know where that information originated and to give credit where credit is due. Properly crediting others for their words or work helps you establish trust with your reader, which makes you more credible and makes your argument stronger.

In your post, discuss a situation in which someone used another person’s words or ideas and did not give appropriate credit. Maybe you did this. Maybe it was someone you know.

• What was the impact of the person taking credit for someone else’s words or ideas?
• How could the other person have given appropriate credit (what should he or she have done)?

Tips for Completing Your Post

• Consider situations from your professional experience or even volunteer work that you have done. Has anyone ever implied that work you did was their own or even a group effort?
• Think about the ways in which this harms the company or organization. If you don’t have a particular example, discuss a hypothetical situation and how you anticipate you would react in this type of situation.

Need an example?

Here’s an example of what your primary post should look like:

Several years ago, I was working in an organization where, like most places, the majority of work involved email.  There was a lot going on at the time, and we were constantly having to send out formal announcements and other communications about policy and procedural changes.  My boss was fairly new and didn’t really know our policies or processes, so he would ask me to draft these communications so he would have a starting point.  Many times, though, he wouldn’t change anything and would forward them up to his boss to be sent out.  He would copy me on the emails when he sent them up, so when the recipient hit “reply all,” I would see the reaction, which was always “Great job, [Boss]!” without any mention of my contribution.  It bothered me that he constantly assumed credit for my words and didn’t acknowledge the work I had done.  It made me feel undervalued and unappreciated.  He could have given me proper credit by simply saying “we” worked on the communications together when he sent them up to his boss.  I wouldn’t have minded shared credit, but him just taking credit for my work was hurtful.  As a result of that experience, I always try to give credit to others when I am working on projects with them, and if someone on my team does something, I always point it out so they receive the credit.

Reading and Learning Materials

Use the following resource to help you complete this assignment.