Final answer:
It is not permissible to copy material from a website without citing it because it constitutes plagiarism. Even when the material is under Creative Commons license, proper attribution is required. If an online source lacks author info, one should still provide as much detail as possible in the citation.
Step-by-step explanation:
When writing a report, it is not permissible to copy material from a website without citing it, even if the information is publicly accessible. The act described, where a student copies a passage word-for-word from an Internet site and pastes it into a paper without including quotation marks or author attribution, constitutes plagiarism. While it is true that you do not have to cite common knowledge, such as widely recognized scientific laws or historical facts, the specific information from a website that is not common knowledge must be properly cited to give credit to the original author.
As for digital works, certain web pages might be licensed under terms like a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License, which allows you to reproduce the work for non-commercial purposes as long as you attribute the source. Still, the original work must not be modified and must be cited accurately. If the online source lacks an author or publication date, you should still list as much information as possible, including the title of the web page, the URL, and the date you accessed the information.
In cases of citing an entire website, while it might not be necessary to include a reference in the references list, it's recommended to link directly to the website or provide the URL in your paper, if this is in line with your citation style requirements. Citing sources accurately is essential for scholarly integrity and avoiding plagiarism.