User talk:Mele2001

Importing previously published text onto Wikipedia
Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia! I just wanted to drop you a brief note about how to handle previously published content on Wikipedia. It is perfectly fine to import verbatim content that you take from public domain websites and publications (though you may have to demonstrate how you know they are public domain), but to meet Wikipedia's approach to avoiding plagiarism (Plagiarism), you must acknowledge that content is copied, not just cite your source. If the content is compatibly licensed, it may even be legally required that you do so, as many licenses (including ours) require that you attribute your source. If we can't verify that content is public domain or compatibly licensed, we do have to take the information we find in sources and write it completely in our own words. We can't copy it or closely paraphrase it. (See Copypaste and Close paraphrasing.) We can use brief, clearly marked excerpts, as long as there is good reason for us to do so. (See Non-free content.)

The article you created was tagged as a problem in that it contained content copied from previously published sources, one of which may have been public domain and two which were not. While you very clearly indicated your sources, I'm afraid that we have had to revise the material to eliminate similarities to those sources. We do appreciate your contribution, and I hope you will feel welcome to continue contributing, expanding our pool of information. Thanks. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 17:57, 20 December 2010 (UTC)