Author Rights: Introduction

Congratulations!  Your latest research has been accepted for publication in a journal, but before you sign the publisher's Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA), are you retaining the necessary rights under copyright to use your work yourself?  Let's make sure. 

Your basic rights as an author include:

• the right to reproduce the work, for example through photocopying
• the right to prepare derivative works, including translations
• the right to distribute the work to others via a license, sale or other means
• the right to display or perform the work publicly
• the right to let others exercise any of these rights

Questions that you might want to consider before signing a publisher agreement include:

• Would you like to send copies of the article to colleagues?
• Do you want to post a copy on your course Web site or Blackboard Learn course?
• Do you want to include a copy with your online CV?
• Do you want to deposit a copy in iDEA or other digital repository?
• Do you want to publish a translation of the article in another language?
• Do you want to distribute copies for a conference presentation?
• Do you want to assign it as a reading to students?

This guide provides background information and tools necessary to retain the rights you need to reuse your work.

2008 ACRL, ARL, and SPARC author rights video.