Giving credit where credit is due is critical to boosting your online credibility and aiding in enhancing your general impact on the web.
Citing your source and giving a hat tip are two different approaches to acknowledging the origin of information or inspiration in your writing.
Hat Tipping - Crediting Sources
What is a Hat Tip
Using a hat tip is considered a good practice when you get inspired by another source, like a press release or a blog, to write a post. While it's not technically considered plagiarism to write a post inspired by another source without giving a hat tip, it is still regarded as good manners and recommended to provide one.
At BoardingArea, we require hat tips to avoid stepping on others' toes. If you ever find inspiration from a post by another BoardingArea blogger, I would like to ask you to please give a hat tip as a sign of acknowledgment.
When to Hat Tip
When you gain inspiration or ideas: If you come across an article, blog post, or any other source that sparks an idea or inspires your writing, it is considered good manners to give a hat tip. This acknowledges the source of your inspiration without necessarily directly quoting or relying heavily on other people's work.
When referring to a source for further reading: If you mention a source that provides additional information or expands on a topic you discuss in your writing, you can use a hat tip to direct readers to that source. This allows them to explore the topic further if they are interested.
Example - Hat Tipping
Direct Quote from Article That Inspired Me
"A hat tip is typically used to credit the individual or source of a fact or piece of information. A news writer or blogger might include a hat tip followed by the name of the person or source with an optional hyperlink to their social profile, blog, or website. This credit is usually put directly after the fact or piece of information is stated, sometimes in parenthesis."
Paraphrase the Text and Add a Link to the Source
liveabout defines a hat tip as a way to acknowledge and give credit to someone or something for a fact or information. When writing news articles or blog posts, it is common to use a hat tip by mentioning the person or source's name and optionally linking to their social profile, blog, or website. This credit is usually placed immediately after stating the fact or information, sometimes within parentheses.
Citing Quotes and Images
When to Cite
When presenting factual information: If you are including specific data, statistics, research findings, or any information that can be verified, it is essential to provide a proper citation. This allows readers to trace back the information to its original source and verify its accuracy.
When quoting or paraphrasing: Whenever you directly quote someone else's words or paraphrase their ideas, it is crucial to attribute them properly. Use quotation marks for direct quotes and provide a citation indicating the source.
When relying heavily on someone else's work: If a significant portion of your content is based on someone else's work, it is best practice to cite the source to give credit and acknowledge their contribution.
Citing Written Content on Your Blog
Whenever you use any information found somewhere other than your brain on your blog, you should be citing your source. This includes if you are paraphrasing. To cite a source, you place an exact copy of the text in quotes. After the quotes cite the original content in parenthesis by writing the article or blog post title, the author or company’s name, and linking to the original content.
Example - Citing Content
Plagiarism is defined as, "Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgment" (Plagiarism, University of Oxford).
Citing Images on Your Blog
The rule of thumb is that if you did not take the picture yourself, then it is not your property and you need to give credit to the source.
You can write "image via [source link]" in the caption of the image (example below). You can also link to the original source through the "Custom URL" option when adding a photo to a blog post.
Finding Image Sources
No Citation from Source
Sometimes when you find images online, the source has not provided a citation. It is important to do a bit of research to make sure you are not citing the wrong source.
If you are using Google Chrome, you can right-click on the image and select "Search Image with Google". This will bring up a Google Lense window and you can select "Find image source" at the top of the sidebar that appears. Here is an example using an image on Pilot Institute:
Looking at the image sources, it seems that this is a stock image and the source is most likely iStock or Adobe. Looking at the image on both iStock and Adobe reveals that the image's author is andreusK. This means the proper citation is: image via andreusK iStock
Improper Citation from Source
Sometimes when you are using an image found online, you might notice that the source has already provided an image citation, but the citation is not specific. Here is an example of that situation from an article posted in The Times:
Since Google is a search engine, it cannot be used as a source for citations. Using Google's Reverse Image Search reveals that this image is sourced from Google Map's Street View. Reviewing Google's Attribution Guidelines reveals that the proper citation for the image would be: image via Map data Google
Example - Citing Image
image via BoardingArea
Citing on Social Media
Social media sites require that you have permission from the author of the image or content if it does not fall under the public domain.
A general best practice is to ask permission to repost the image or content. Most people will be flattered that you want to use their image or content, but asking for permission is polite and manners are #trending.
When citing images or content on social media, do not change images (adding a filter, cropping, etc.) or content. You should tag the author in the image or content.
While it is not a must, tagging and crediting authors in the caption of an image increases your network and should generally be considered a best practice.
Guide - Citing On Social Media
More detailed copyright policies for social media platforms:
SEO Impact
Citing your sources and hat-tipping also places outbound links on your post, which increases your SEO. Outbound links in blog posts can have a positive impact on SEO for several reasons:
Credibility and Trust: By including outbound links to authoritative and reputable websites, you demonstrate that you have done a thorough research and are providing valuable resources to your readers. This can enhance your blog's credibility and establish trust with both readers and search engines.
Relevance and Context: Outbound links can provide additional context and relevant information to your readers. By linking to related content on other websites, you are showing search engines that your blog post is part of a broader conversation or topic cluster. This can help search engines understand the relevance and value of your content, potentially boosting your search rankings.
User Experience: Outbound links can enhance the overall user experience by directing readers to more in-depth resources or related content they may find useful. When users spend more time on your website, click on relevant outbound links, and engage with the content you provide, it sends positive signals to search engines, indicating that your blog is valuable and worthy of higher rankings.
Networking and Backlinks: Outbound links can also be seen as a way to build relationships with other website owners and bloggers. When you link to their content, they may take notice and potentially reciprocate with a backlink to your blog in the future. Backlinks from reputable websites are a crucial factor in SEO, as they signal to search engines that your content is valuable and deserving of higher rankings.
However, it's important to use outbound links judiciously and thoughtfully. Make sure the linked websites are relevant, trustworthy, and genuinely add value to your content. Avoid excessive linking or linking to low-quality or spammy websites, as this can hurt SEO.