Copyright and Your Thesis

COPYRIGHT AND YOUR THESIS making your thesis legal

Bennet Jones Research Support Librarian

order of events • Theses, third party material and online publishing • Shortcuts: Creative Commons licences and “open”

resources • Getting copyright permission • Attributing • Some FAQs

Adapted from The Battle of Copyright by Christopher Dombres, CC BY 2.0

theses and online publishing

Electronic theses…

• have increased usage • facilitate access to your research • are more discoverable, e.g.

through Google • are among the most downloaded

items in the UWE Research Repository

“Stepping in theses” by Jeffrey Beall, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / adapted from original

3rd party material and copyright

• Your thesis may include 3rd party material, for example:

• Illustrations or images

• Figures or tables

• Maps or charts

• Your own material which has been previously published

3rd party material and copyright

You MUST get permission to use this material before

the thesis is published online!

Unless…

• The material in question is in the public domain • The material is covered by a Creative Commons licence

creative commons licences A creative commons (cc) licence details the circumstances under which work may be re-used.

• BY – by attribution (original source and author must be cited)

• SA – share alike (the work this is included in must also be shared under the same CC licence)

• NC – non-commercial (the material cannot be republished or shared in an item which is sold or otherwise used commercially)

• ND – no derivatives (the material cannot be changed, paraphrased or built upon)

We recommend you use material covered by a creative commons licence where possible!

finding cc-covered material We recommend you use CC Search (https://search.creativecommons.org/)

finding cc-covered material

Find a CC-covered picture of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Prove that it is definitely covered by a CC licence, and identify which one.

Remember, finding an image through CC Search doesn’t guarantee it is covered by a CC licence!

Adapted from Clifton Suspension Bridge by Gothick, CC BY-SA 3.0

some tips and shortcuts

To avoid having to get copyright permission: • Use material covered by a CC licence wherever possible!

• CC Search is a useful resource for finding CC images

• For maps, use OpenStreetMap.org (free to use as long as you credit OpenStreetMap and its contributors)

• Check if material is out of copyright or in the public domain

for everything else… Getting copyright permission for material in your thesis is a two-step process:

1. Get permission from the rights holder

2. Make the necessary attributions within the thesis

getting permission Four simple steps…

1. Identify the rights holder

2. Formally request permission to include item

3. Keep records of all correspondence

4. Repeat request after six weeks if you haven’t heard anything (twice)

identifying the rights holder

• The rights holder is usually the publisher. • You should contact the publisher in the first instance.

requesting permission • For many publishers getting copyright permission is a

reasonably straight-forward process… • In other cases you may need to email the publisher

directly • Remember to mention which item you are seeking permission to

reuse • Explain that you are seeking to reuse it in your thesis • Include a short background to your need (UWE regulations,

electronic publishing of thesis on UWE Research Repository, etc)

dealing with rights holder responses

Read the licence or email response!

• Does it give you permission to use the item in the way you have (e.g. adaptation)?

• Are there any conditions attached?

You must only use material by the terms set out in the copyright licence.

Adapted from small print by Aden Davies, CC BY-SA 2.0

when conditions are a problem

• Some rights holders may charge a fee • Others might refuse permission outright

If the material in question is integral to your thesis, but you encounter the above problems with getting copyright permission, then you should apply to the Graduate School to get the item redacted from the Open Access version of your thesis.

making attributions in a thesis It is not enough to get permissions for 3rd party material – you must also make the appropriate attributions.

Attributions should be made directly below the reused material…

Adapted from Angry Old Lion by koorosh B, CC BY 2.0

…like this!

making attributions in a thesis

• Check licences in case it is a condition that you use particular wording in your attribution

• If no particular wording is stipulated, then write:

“Used with permission of the [author/publisher, as appropriate]”

• Items covered by a Creative Commons licence must be

attributed: • by giving “appropriate credit” • by indicating if any changes were made • by providing a link to the human-readable version of the licence

making attributions in a thesis

All figures and tables should have an attribution, unless:

• You have created them yourself • They are in the public domain (though you may indicate that the

material in question is in the public domain)

the perfect student researcher… …will get permissions for 3rd party material as s/he goes along

don’t leave it too late – getting permissions can be a stressful process

…will use the material only as set out in the licence

e.g. material has not been adapted if the licence prevents it

…will make the appropriate attributions within the thesis

directly below the material in question, in line with licence specifications if appropriate

Adapted from A researcher working with delicate resource at The National Archives, by The National Archives, CC BY 3.0

what we wish to avoid… I had no idea that it would be an issue and only decided at the last minute to include [the figure]. Oh dear. I hope you can understand that I

want to get through the viva first, and pass, before I consider pursuing copyright material. I also haven't got a clue how to find out! Can you specify which figures are

in breach of copyright please. It would save me substantial time trying to contact authors that are not relevant. Can I just remove all of those

images if that is easier? Or do I have attempt to get copyright first?

some frequently asked questions I want to use a diagram from a journal article in my thesis. Does Fair Dealing cover me for this?

some frequently asked questions

I’ve been refused permission for an image

The publisher wants to charge me for using third party material in my thesis

I’ve not been given permission to adapt an image which I have adapted

I can’t locate the rights holder

WHAT DO I DO NOW?!?!?!

some frequently asked questions

• If possible you should substitute the image for one where you are able to get permission, or which is CC-covered • This should be done before you submit your soft-bound

version!!!

• If this particular image is essential, you will have to apply to the Graduate School to get it redacted from the final published version.

redactions • Email the Graduate School:

research.degrees@uwe.ac.uk

• Your case will be taken to the Research Degrees Award Board (RDAB)

• You must show that you have made every effort to obtain the necessary copyright permissions

thanks and questions