Copyright provides the creators of original works of authorship with a set of exclusive rights to copy, distribute, and perform their works for a limited period. Protected works include (but are not limited to) books, plays, music, movies, photographs, paintings, sculptures, and digital files.
What are your rights as an author in terms of copyright?
You may decide to transfer your copyright to your publisher or, even if you retain your copyright, to agree to certain conditions about how you will disseminate your scholarship.
- Before you sign anything, ask! Read the fine print of your agreement with your publisher, and get as much information as you can about your ability to disseminate your work in other contexts.
- Check the SHERPA/RoMEO, an online resource that aggregates and analyzes publisher open access policies and provides summaries of self-archiving permissions and conditions of rights given to authors. Use the SHERPA/RoMEO publisher copyright policies & self-archiving search tool to determine whether the journal in which you are considering publishing will allow you to keep your rights.
- Creative Commons provides free, easy-to-use copyright licenses to make a simple and standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work—on conditions of your choice. The licenses include options for creators to retain copyright while allowing others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work—at least non-commercially. The licenses also ensure that licensors get the credit for their work they deserve.
