This practice is acceptable within reason. The Alumni Association Faculty discussed how to tackle the problem of copy/paste blogs without any substance, and have came up with the following guidelines.

• Make sure you have a position. There's no point in posting an article if you don't have anything to say about it. The majority of your post (at minimum 200 words) should consist of your opinions.

• Do not post the entire article without written permission. It is illegal. To figure out what you should include, keep in mind that most news sources use AP style, which recommends the "inverted pyramid" method of writing. This means that the most important information is contained within the first few (3-4) paragraphs of an article, so editors can cut off the article when there is limited space.

• Cite your source (author, title, location) and/or post a link (when possible). This prevents plagiarizing, gives your credibility, and allows users to read the article in full (since you did not include the entire article).

• Check copyrighting rules and regulations of the news article you are trying to cite. Some news sources require that you gain written permission before posting ANY part of their article. To not gain copyright permission means that you are infringing on copyright laws, which is against the Terms of Service.

Please keep in mind that if these guidelines are not followed, your blog may be removed by a Faculty member. If it is removed, you will be warned.