#295: Give Credit Where Credit Is Due (Friday, August 24)

As a writer, one of the most objectionable things is to learn that someone has plagiarized or has taken credit for someone else's work. Not only is it dishonest, it's also unkind not to recognize those who have contributed to something you are presenting as your own.

I've been the victim of the "credit-hog" many times. In fact, I sent my first freelance pitch to a "friend" who was an assistant editor at a magazine and never heard back, but read my pitch idea with my unique spin in the magazine a couple months later. But while some people will loudly proclaim their contributions and let the world know that they did all the work, I'm firmly of the opinion that cream rises to the top. In my mind, it will only be a matter of time before the credit-hog has to prove his/her own salt without your help. So...

If you've been the victim of a credit-hog:

• Speak to the credit-hog directly; it could have been an honest oversight.
• If you discover that you were not intentionally given credit, take the higher road.
• Don't broadcast that your contributions were not recognized, but if you feel the need to let others know, there are subtle ways to do so. ("When Jane and I were crunching the numbers for Project X, I thought that one outlier was odd.")
• Make a mental note. There will be a next time.

If you're the credit-hog:

• And you're doing it intentionally, STOP NOW. You're not making any friends.
• If you unintentionally forget to give someone credit, acknowledge it immediately to the person you forgot as well as to anyone who might need to know. It's never too late to send an email. ("I completely forgot that Sally did the numbers for this project and did a FANTASTIC job!")

As a general rule, always source quotations, statistics and other data that you didn't create or research. And always remember to thank anyone who helped you on a project. It builds goodwill for the next time.