If you find a cartoon in the Sunday newspaper, should you document or request permission before using it to introduce a concept or highlight a point in a report you are writing?

Another aspect of borrowing or using others’ words and ideas involves copyright. Copyright legally protects the rights of writers or creators and gives them a way to control how their work is used. Copyright applies only to tangible and original expression, not to oral presentations.
Using copyrighted work requires special considerations. If the way you plan to use someone’s words or ideas fits the definition of fair use, you may use the work without paying for it or getting permission. Yet you still must give credit to the creator. Fair use guidelines are special exceptions that allow others to use a portion of a writer’s work in a limited way.