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I am currently writing my Bachelor's thesis and I have produced a list of terms that I plan on including in the attachments. The description of each term is directly copied from search engine results and different wikis. Is this legal? Is it OK to just write a notice saying the following?

The descriptions below have been directly copied from search engine results.

I am using IEEE as the writing format. Is there a standard way to include a list of terms using IEEE?

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1 Answers1

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If you cite definitions you have to mark them as citations and give a source. Otherwise you are plagiarising.

Guidelines for formatting glossaries:

  • arrange entries alphabetically
  • if the entry is a phrase, give it in its natural order (software development) rather than reversed (development, software)
  • non-letter characters precede "a" in ordering
  • show alternative spellings in parentheses
  • if a term has more than one definition, number the definitions

Example:

question (Q). (1) What you ask if you don't know the answer. (2) A post type on Stack Exchange sites.
Contrast with: answer. See also: tour; off topic.

Explanation of example:

In the example, "Q" is an alternative spelling for "question". "(1)" and "(2)" signify different definitions. After a linebreak, "Contrast with:" gives the opposing concept and "see also:" points out related definitions.

Note:

I only have access to an old guide from the early 90s, so the formatting may have changed. If you can verify or falsify, please comment or edit.