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Protect Your Copyright 
Why should I care about managing my copyright?
A journal article is often the culmination of years of study, research, and hard work. The more the article is read and cited, the greater its value. Before transferring ownership of your intellectual output to a publisher, it is important to understand the options and the consequences.
Where can I quickly learn the basics about copyright and author's rights?
- SPARC – The Scholarly Publishing and Research Coalition – Introduction to Copyright Resources webpage provides basic information including author's addendum and Alternative Publishing Options.
- Authors and Authority Podcasts – Perspectives on Negotiating Licenses and Copyrights.
- Understanding Author's Rights webcast
- Author's Rights (University of Minnesota) – Adobe presentation
- SUNY Faculty Ownership of Instructional Content- Explains SUNY copyright policy for instructional material produced by SUNY faculty.
Aren't all publication agreements between authors and publishers the same?
Traditional publication agreements assign all rights—including copyright—to the publisher. Fortunately, many publishers will consent to author-friendly agreements for specific rights. These rights vary from publisher to publisher, and the SHERPA/RoMEO database (searchable by publisher and journal title) keeps track of publisher policies.
Other options to consider are open access publishing as well as archiving your scholarship in disciplinary or institutional repositories, including the UB Institutional Repository. These are all ways to give your research wide exposure and fulfill your goals as a scholar, but may not be possible if you sign away your rights.
How can the UB Libraries help?
If you have questions about scholarly publishing options, author's rights, copyright publication agreements or other scholarly communication issues, please contact A. Ben Wagner, Chair of the University Libraries Scholarly Communications Committee.
Last updated: 11 October, 2012.
