User talk:Jbr1937

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Co-Dependents Anonymous
Hello there. This article came to my attention because it was listed at WP:Copyright problems. You've asked for an explanation in "plain English" as to why your version has been reverted....

The most important reason (because it's a legal issue) is that it contains material which has been copypasted verbatim into the article from other websites, most notably this one and this one and possibly also from print publications. This was not marked as quotes and not attributed. Even the marked quotes were poorly attributed and we have strict limits on the amount of quoted copyright material we can use. There also has to be very good reason for using quoted material rather than writing the article in your own words. In the section after this one, I'll add further information about the copyright issue.

The second problem is that even if this were free text, the tone is unencyclopedic and largely unsuitable. This is because Wikipedia has a strict policy on no original research. That is, all material and assertions must be referenced to reliable published sources. Nothing can be referenced to
 * "Author's observation"
 * "Personal count from database performed 8/25/11. Numbers are approximate because closed meetings are not always reported as such."
 * "Personal observation from attendance at 7-800 CoDA meetings."

It's one of the Five Pillars of Wikipedia and it's non-negotiable. The following pages provide explanations and guidance about this. Please take the time to read them:
 * No original research
 * Verifiability

I have two suggestions for you if you want to work on re-writing the article properly.
 * Don't try to do this in the actual article. Write it up on a page in your user space. You can then work on it gradually and learn how to reference and format it properly as well as making sure that it complies with our copyright and no original research policies before you add the material to the actual article. You can create your drafting space simply by clicking on this link: Jbr1937/sandbox. Add any bit of text. Then click save.
 * Pay a visit to Teahouse. The Teahouse is a place where new and inexperienced editors can get help from other editors. No question is too basic, and they can be very helpful. Best wishes, Voceditenore (talk) 07:28, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

Avoiding copyright problems
While we appreciate your contributing to Wikipedia, there are certain things you must keep in mind about using information from your sources to avoid copyright or plagiarism issues here.


 * You can only copy/translate a small amount of a source, and you must mark what you take as a direct quotation with double quotation marks (") and a cited source. You can read about this at Non-free content in the sections on "text". See also Referencing for beginners, for how to cite sources here.
 * Aside from limited quotation, you must put all information in your own words and structure, in proper paraphrase. Following the source's words too closely can create copyright problems, so it is not permitted here; see Close paraphrasing. (There is a college level introduction to paraphrase, with examples, hosted by the Online Writing Lab of Purdue.) Even when using your own words, you are still, however, asked to cite your sources to verify information and to demonstrate that the content is not original research.
 * Our primary policy on using copyrighted content is Copyrights. You may also want to review Copy-paste.
 * In very rare cases (that is, for sources that are public domain or compatibly licensed), it may be possible to include greater portions of a source text. However, please seek help at the help desk before adding such content to the article. 99.9% of sources may not be added in this way, so it is necessary to seek confirmation first. If you do confirm that a source is public domain or compatibly licensed, you will still need to provide full attribution; see Plagiarism for the steps you need to follow.
 * Also note that Wikipedia articles may not be copied without attribution. If you want to copy from another Wikipedia project or article, you can, but please follow the steps in Copying within Wikipedia.

It's very important that contributors understand and follow these practices, as policy requires that people who persistently do not must be blocked from editing. If you have any questions about this, you are welcome to visit me at my talk page or place here on your talk page and ask your question. Someone will come along to help. Best wishes, Voceditenore (talk) 07:38, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

Sources for Co-Dependents Anonymous
Hello, me again. I've listed reliable published sources that can be used to expand and improve this article (with their links) at Talk:Co-Dependents Anonymous. Best, Voceditenore (talk) 10:50, 9 July 2012 (UTC)