Q. I recently wrote an essay and used some information that my adult son gave me, and when I told him I was using it, he said I had to cite him. In my view, if you give birth to a source and he’s still living under your roof, you don’t have to cite him. What’s your view?
A. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you do owe him something for the material. If you don’t want to credit him in a citation, you might try to cast this as a work-for-hire arrangement. Tell him you’ll negotiate the payment the next time you’re negotiating his rent.