Copyright Resources: Copyright Considerations for Authors

A publication agreement is a legally binding contract between author/s and publisher that enumerate the conditions under which a work may be published. Publication agreements are usually signed at the point of acceptance for publication. Authors wishing to exert more control over their rights as authors should:

• Understand publication agreements; Introduction to Publisher Agreements (pdf) is a short primer for authors
• Familiarize themselves with journal & publisher policies on copyright and author sharing after publication; SHERPA/RoMEO is a database of publisher copyright and sharing policies. Search for publisher policies by journal title or by publisher name.
• Retain rights to share a copy of your published article, book chapter, or other scholarly work in KU ScholarWorks through the publication agreement:
  • Negotiate rights: carefully read the publication agreement, ask questions, consider desired future of the work, communicate these needs to editors, request a better contract;
  • Add a brief statement (pdf) to publication agreement securing additional rights to share;
  • Request the right to share the accepted manuscript version (see "Versions" box below) via Author Addendum to publisher agreements (pdf)
  • Request rights to share the publisher's published version via Author Addendum to publisher agreements (pdf)
• Additional information on publication agreements, components of a typical agreement, and how editors of journals can choose language that supports authors' choices for open sharing, see the Journal Author Agreements tab on the Resources for Editors page.

Authors wishing to share a work in KU ScholarWorks after signing a publication contract (that doesn't permit sharing) may request permission directly from the publisher using language suggested in the documents linked below.

For scholarly articles:

• Request permission to share the published version of an article (Microsoft Word document)
• Request permission to share your final draft of an article (Microsoft Word document)

For books and/or book chapters:

• Request permission to share the published version of a book or book chapter (Microsoft Word document)
• Request permission to share the final draft of a book or book chapter (Microsoft Word document)

For more information on versions, see the "Versions" box on this page.

An embargo is an academic publishing term that refers to a delay on full text access, or a period during which access to content is not allowed to users who have not paid for access (or have access through their institution). From an author's rights perspective, any delay on full text access is a potential damper of impact.

Embargoes may delay KU authors from openly sharing their work outside of a paywall unless authors negotiate their publication contracts or take other action to eliminate them. Embargoes are established in publication contracts, and may be as short as a few months, or in some cases up to four years in length; 12 months is common. For general information on embargoes, see Wikipedia: Embargoes. For KU authors interested in navigating embargoes, contact copyright@ku.edu.

Open Access (OA) refers to scholarly literature that is digital, online, free of charge, and ideally, free of most copyright and reuse restrictions. OA directly benefits authors (visibility, impact) and readers. For more information about OA at KU, including support via the Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright, the KU Faculty Open Access Policy, and KU ScholarWorks, visit KU Libraries' Open Access site.