Sharing and publishingMaking a digital copy available (e.g. uploading to an internet website) is viewed as akin to publishing as you are making it available to the public.
You can publish your own work (and should license it accordingly - see Creative Commons tab), but you must not publish anyone else's work without permission.
Please note that the information contained in this guide does not constitute legal advice. Copyright law is different across the globe and this guide reflects UK copyright law only and some of the advice reflects circumstances specific to the University of Cambridge.
As the author of work such as a journal article or book chapter you will initially own the copyright in that material. Your rights as an author can be divided into two groups:
Your moral rights include:
Your economic rights include:
As the copyright holder you are able to sell or give away your economic rights (essentially your right to make money from your work). This is usually done when signing a publication agreement. It is important to remember that you will always retain the moral rights to your work no matter where and how it is published, as will any co-authors on your work.
Most people will be aware that taking ideas and words from the work of others without proper attribution is known as plagiarism. This is poor academic practice and can result in punishment from the university. More information about plagiarism can be found on the University Good academic practice and avoiding plagarism LibGuide.
What many people don't realise is that it is possible for researchers to plagiarise themselves. If researchers publish a piece of work with a commercial publisher it is likely that they will have signed some type of publication agreement transferring the copyright in that work to the publisher. Once this has happened it becomes subject to the same rules as other third party material. This means that if a researcher wishes to use work they have authored but already published in further work they will need to seek permission from the copyright holder (the publisher) and/or use materials subject to the usual referencing and fair dealing restrictions.
Sharing your research outputs online is a vital part of building a successful online presence but you need to think carefully about copyright before publishing anything online. If you have signed a publication or copyright transfer agreement with a publisher then you may need their permission to share certain versions of your work (see the Authorship and IP tab on the Copyright for Researchers LibGuide).
If you are uploading your own work to a website always look at the terms and conditions and licence to see what you are agreeing to.
Make sure you are not uploading anyone else's work.
Publishing your workWhen publishing your work with a commercial publisher it is likely that you will sign something known as a publishing agreement. Many of these agreements include a transfer of copyright from the author to the publisher. This process means that you have given away your economic rights (the right to make money from your work) to the publisher. This is done to protect the interests of the publisher who will invest time and money in preparing a manuscript for publication.
It is important that you always read any publication agreement carefully before signing it to ensure that you are happy with what it says. Researchers subject to funder Open Access mandates should also check to make sure that the agreement they are signing is compliant with these. It is also good practice to check that any agreement should be consistent with any other collaborations or contracts you have committed to. More information about Open Access can be found on the University's Open Access webpages. If you are not happy with any part of the agreement you can talk to the publisher before signing and they may agree to change parts of the contract.
A wide range of teaching materials will be shared with you whilst at University. These may include recorded lectures, notes, slide presentations and exam papers. The copyright in these materials is generally held by the instructor who created them, or by the University. The materials are designed to enhance and support your learning; however, this does not extend to making the materials available to others (e,g. by uploading them to websites, sharing them on social media, or by distributing copies via email). For further information please see the Legal Services Division guidance on copyright compliance for Students and Researchers.
Some materials shared with you, such as copies of journal articles or book chapters, will include third party copyright. These materials are normally made available to course participants under the University's CLA Higher Education Licence or, in some instances, under 'fair dealing' exceptions. Course users are permitted to retain such copies after the end of their course, but strictly for their own personal, non-commercial use. No further copying or distribution is permitted without the express consent of the copyright holder.