B. People have a moral obligation to cite sources.

Question: "1 Doing the right thing often requires more effort than doing the wrong thing. It is easier to stroll by someone who has dropped a bag of groceries on the sidewalk than to stop and help that person. This is also true with citing the work of others. Although it might be easier to ignore citations in the short term, using them has substantial benefits in the long run. 2 First, citing sources is simply the right thing to do. This is because one is giving credit where credit is due. When we use others' words, images, or ideas found online or in print, we need to show that we are borrowing something from these creators. Otherwise, we are dishonestly taking the work of others and trying to pass it off as our own. After all, when someone asks our permission to use an item we own, we often give permission. On the other hand, if a person simply takes something of ours without asking, we understand how that act is profoundly different from sharing. It is a kind of theft. 3 This idea is generally understood when it comes to writing. Each time we use something from another writer, we need to properly cite the ideas we take. By giving credit in this way, we are acknowledging our debt by the most efficient means possible. (We cannot feasibly ask permission from most of the writers whose ideas we cite.) Another benefit of citing sources is that it helps writers avoid plagiarism. This is the act of presenting someone else's work as one's own. 4 However, when it comes to ideas and creative forms, people are often less clear about the need to cite sources. Some experts claim that using an idea or part of an artwork without permission is not morally equivalent to stealing physical property. Disagreement over this matter is at the heart of debates over intellectual property, which is defined as ideas, words, or images that are the product of creative or thoughtful work. 5 According to intellectual property expert Sheldon Richman, "Two or more people cannot use the same pair of socks at the same time and in the same respect, but they can use ideas with the same content. If I articulate an idea in front of other people, each now has his own copy. Yet I retain mine. However the others use their copies, it is hard to see how they have committed an injustice." One problem with this viewpoint is that it does not make a clear distinction between "an idea" and the "copies" of that idea that others are using. This is where citations come in. They make it clear where an idea originated from, and that a writer using or copying that idea is giving proper credit for it. 6 Citations are also useful because they allow for the fact-checking of sources. For example, imagine if a student wrote a research paper that included statistics and failed to cite the sources of those statistics. In turn, no one could adequately check and verify the accuracy of the statistics. If a writer does not reveal the sources of statistics, one might wonder if the writer is trying to hide information or mislead readers in some way. On the other hand, using citations correctly can introduce teachers and other students to valuable sources of information. Therefore, citations can enhance learning opportunities for everyone in a class. 7 At the same time, the use of citations has the potential to create reciprocal working relationships and uphold key social norms. Creators who give credit to others might also receive credit for their own public work. In a broader sense, citing sources upholds the key norms of honesty and respect—for others' property and for one's own. As historian Chris Gehrz states, "Citation is an act of courtesy and an expression of gratitude." Successful writers routinely refer to the words and ideas of authors they admire. By acknowledging these other writers, they are revealing how they have learned from artists who inspired them. Students do something similar when they cite sources: they show how they have benefited from the work of other writers and thinkers. This practice can help promote civility, respect, gratitude, and humility in the classroom and in our society. 8 Today, the internet gives billions of people access to a vast array of information and artistic work. Unfortunately, though, the internet also makes it easier than ever for people to use ideas or artwork without giving credit or compensation. A society in which people commonly use artists' work without paying for it is bound to leave these creators vulnerable. As expert James V. Delong argues, "In the entertainment field, individual artists have always had a hard time making a buck, but the trend, as intellectual property rights become less reliable, is toward ever-greater industrial concentration." According to Delong, intellectual property rights are being eroded in part because individual artists find it virtually impossible to control the use—or theft—of their creations by potentially huge numbers of internet users. 9 Citing sources and giving proper credit is more important now than ever before. Each of us has crucial choices to make in how we use information and art. Even if it is not easy, doing the right thing can benefit ourselves as well as others in our society and around the world." Which of these best states the author's claim about citing sources? A.People produce better writing when they cite sources. B.People have a moral obligation to cite sources. C.It is challenging for most people to properly cite sources. D.There is much debate about how people should cite sources.