One issue that comes up regularly for family cookbook project editors is the topic of copywriting recipes and proper usage. While we at the FamilyCookbookProject.com are not lawyers and do not give legal advice, our research shows that recipes can not generally be copyrighted.
At the same time, it is not right to simply take credit for other people’s work. One way to avoid this is to give credit were credit is due. If your contributor submits a recipe that they originally found in a magazine or cookbook, it is appropriate to list the source in the notes section of the recipe.
A few articles of interest in this topic
Copyright Office flyer on recipes
http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl122.pdf
Copyrighting Recipes
http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/copyright/copyright-realworld/recipe-copyrighting.html
Questions & Answers – Copyrighting Recipes
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/CookbookAdvice.htm