May I Have Your Permission, Please?

Where is Vincent Price when I could use him? The written word just doesn’t have the right sound effects! So I will have to ask you to imagine Vincent Price intoning, in his deepest, most Machiavellian voice, “Just tell me the source.”

The hapless hero cries out, “Source? What source do you mean? Source code? Source marketing? Energy source? Open source? Source control? Primary source? Source reduction? I don’t know!”

Vincent takes a menancing step forward, waving a sheet of paper in the air. “I just want to know where you got this from! ” I’ll let you imagine what tortures our villain threatens to use against the befuddled hero, but I do hope you come up with something suitably diabolical.

Ahh, that felt good. Writing may not have sound effects, but it can be therapeutic. I’ve imagined inflicting Vincent’s methods of persuasion on many an author, just to get the author to tell me “Where did this come from? What is your source?!”

This is really such a simple step, but it is often overlooked or ignored by an author. (Strangely enough, college professors are the worst offenders.) Naming the piece and saying who wrote/composed/drew it is not enough. At this first step of the permissions process, all you have to do is look at the material being quoted and write down all available information. This is the source information you need to start the permission process. No deep thinking required.

Are you using an article from a magazine? Identify the title, number, issue, date, and page numbers where the article is found, as well as the title of the article and the article writer’s name.

Are you using a newspaper article? Identify the title of the newspaper, the date, the section and page number of the newspaper where you found the article, the article’s headline, and the writer’s name. (It sounds like the information you need for a footnote, doesn’t it? Very astute observation!)

Are you using a cartoon? Where did you find the cartoon? (Reread the last two paragraphs about magazines and newspapers.) By the way, cartoons are usually identified by the words spoken in the first frame.

Are you using song lyrics? Quote the lyrics exactly, not as you remember them. Identify the full title of the song. Is the song from a musical, CD, or other identifiable source? Write it down. Has the song been recorded by various artists? In that case, record the name of the songwriter or lyricist as well the other information.

Are you using an excerpt from a book? Source information for a book is easy to find because books have these neat pages right up front that give all the information needed: full title, edition, correct spelling of the author’s name, copyright legend, and the publisher’s name. Don’t forget to include the ISBN number. (You might have to look at the front or back cover for the ISBN.) If two ISBN’s are listed, record both. If the book is an anthology, be sure to include the copyright information for the article being used as well as the information for the book itself.

This wasn’t too hard was it? If you remember to record all this source information while you’re photocopying the material–if nothing else, jot it down on the back of the photocopy–the job of obtaining permission just got immeasurably easier. How, you ask? You’ll find out when we review sending out permissions requests.

© 2009 Anne Wallingford. All Rights Reserved.