Obviously you are not going to get admonished for reproducing one article, and we have already established that the author should have been credited and the article put in quotes - which was the original point which led to the argument! It was the general principle I was seeking clarification about - since this has been raised.
All I said was in the absence of additional advice to the contrary we can assume that we can carry on - provided we use quotes, and credit an author. It doesn't mean that copyright has not been breached - because it clearly says we mustn't use copyrighted material in the forum rules and on most websites where articles appear these will be copyright either of the website or of the author:
"You also agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or you have consent from the owner of the copyrighted material."However I imagine that this forum along with some others ( although I have come across some where quoted stuff has been removed by mods) is turning a blind eye because in practice it would be a full-time job to police and no-one is using the material for personal gain - rather for education.
Ha! I've just found this which I think is self-explanatory - but implies that despite the copyright rule for this forum - such use of material can count as an exception - provided that the author and source is credited:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyrightNon-commercial research and private study
You are allowed to copy limited extracts of works when the use is non-commercial research or private study, but you must be genuinely studying (like you would if you were taking a college course). Such use is only permitted when it is ‘fair dealing' and copying the whole work would not generally be considered fair dealing.
Criticism, review and reporting current events
Fair dealing for criticism, review or quotation is allowed for any type of copyright work. Fair dealing with a work for the purpose of reporting current events is allowed for any type of copyright work other than a photograph. In each of these cases, a sufficient acknowledgment will be required.
Sufficient acknowledgment
In relation to certain exceptions, if you are making use of that exception to copy someone else's work it is necessary for you to sufficiently acknowledge their work. For example, where you have copied all or a substantial part of a work for the purposes of criticism or review, or where the use was for the purposes of news reporting.
However such acknowledgment is not required where it is impossible for reasons of practicality.
Fair dealing
Certain exceptions only apply if the use of the work is a ‘fair dealing'. For example, the exceptions relating to research and private study, criticism or review, or news reporting.
‘Fair dealing' is a legal term used to establish whether a use of copyright material is lawful or whether it infringes copyright. There is no statutory definition of fair dealing - it will always be a matter of fact, degree and impression in each case. The question to be asked is: how would a fair-minded and honest person have dealt with the work?
Factors that have been identified by the courts as relevant in determining whether a particular dealing with a work is fair include:
does using the work affect the market for the original work? If a use of a work acts as a substitute for it, causing the owner to lose revenue, then it is not likely to be fair
is the amount of the work taken reasonable and appropriate? Was it necessary to use the amount that was taken? Usually only part of a work may be used
The relative importance of any one factor will vary according to the case in hand and the type of dealing in question.Interestingly it is a situation that is not cut and dried and according to the above relies on the interpretation of "Fair-Dealing"! Having found this information I feel confident that I can continue as before - ie quoting extracts from articles and papers provided the source is credited.
Hurdity x