Raising your research profile

Know your rights: increasing access to your publications

Library Research Team

By the end of this session you will be:

• Aware of how rights are assigned during the publishing process

• Aware of the scope to negotiate with publishers to secure your author rights

• Introduced to the SPARC Author Addendum and other practical steps to negotiate your rights

• In a position to distribute your work as widely as possible, within the scope of your publishing agreement.

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Why do I need to know about my rights?

• By understanding the rights attached to your work, you will be in the best position to ensure your research reaches the widest possible audience and increases its potential impact.

• Dissemination of your work beyond the act of publishing is:– Easy to do via academic social networks or personal websites– Encouraged by NTU in the NTU Publications Strategy and Good Practice

Guidelines– Increasingly viewed as a normal part of academic practice

• BUT that doesn’t mean it is allowed within the terms of your publishing agreement.

• Always read the small print– Can you self-archive your work elsewhere? – If yes, where? Publishers may allow posting to your personal website but say no

to an institutional or subject repository.– Which version? Pre-print, post-print, publisher’s version?– When? Is there an embargo?– Can you reuse your own work in your subsequent research or teaching?

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What are my rights?

• As the author of a work, you are the copyright holder unless or until you transfer your rights.

• Copyright law gives the creator of copyrighted works exclusive rights, including:– To reproduce the work in copies (e.g., through photocopying)– To distribute copies of the work– To prepare transitional or other derivative works– To perform or display the work publicly– To authorize others to exercise any of these rights

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What happens when I publish?

• Publishers require authors to sign a copyright transfer agreement or license to publish consent form before proceeding with formal publication.

• If you have co-authors from other institutions, you should ask their permission to sign on their behalf.

• Publisher policies and agreements vary considerably. The SHERPA/RoMEO database offers a summary of publisher copyright policies & self-archiving.

• Publisher policies change over time, and the terms stated on their websites often vary from the terms of their actual agreements, so it is important to read the agreement itself

• Remember: transferring copyright doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can negotiate with your publisher.

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Negotiating your rights

Be Prepared: • Before entering negotiations, think about what you would like to do with your work

and be clear about which rights you wish to retain.

• Beware of the consequences of retaining full author copyright. You will be responsible for policing any copyright infringement of your work. You can assign rights for others to use your work by adding a creative commons licence.

• As a minimum, we suggest you ask for the right to:– Deposit a full-text copy of your work in NTU’s institutional repository. Ideally,

the full-text would be the publisher’s final version, or as near to this as possible (e.g. post-print).

– Reuse your work for teaching, future publications and in all scholarly and professional activities.

• Use the SPARC Author Addendum as a starting point for negotiation.

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Negotiating your rights

Negotiations:• Try to conduct negotiations in person or over the phone. It is easier to explain

your position and it speeds up proceedings.

• If you are using email or written communication, state why it is important to you to retain your rights and explain that the NTU Publication Strategy expects you to deposit a full-text copy in your institutional repository.

• Attach a copy of your completed SPARC Author Addendum.

• While some publishers will not accept an addendum outright, they might respond by sending back a second, more author friendly publishing contract.

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Negotiating your rights

Closing the deal• Establish that both parties share the same understanding of the new agreement.

Restate the details and ask the publisher to confirm they understand and agree to the new terms.

• Put it in writing. Copyright must be transferred in writing to be legally binding.

• Keep a record of your new agreement.

• When submitting to IRep, be aware that your new agreement overrides the Sherpa/Romeo advice that appears during the submission process.

What if my negotiations are unsuccessful?• Investigate if your chosen journal offers an Open Access option (there is likely to

be a charge for pursuing OA, discuss with your School Research Co-ordinator)

• Consider another publisher with more liberal policies

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Summary

• Consider copyright policy alongside impact and esteem factors when choosing where to publish.

• Check Sherpa/Romeo for guidance on journal copyright policy

• Find out if there is a green open access journal in your discipline?

• Allowed to self-archive your research output? Submit the copyright permitted full-text to NTU IRep and link to your other profile sites e.g. ResearchGate, Academia.edu

• Permission denied? Be prepared to negotiate!

• The Sparc Author Addendum will help you explain which rights you wish to retain

• And finally …

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Further reading

• Copyright: the basics – CLA Advice

• Retaining your rights– Advice on negotiating with publishers from Arizona State University– SPARC Author Addendum – JISC/SURF copyright toolkit

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Any questions?

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