Copyright Resources

Producing any scholarly work (a book, an article, a poster or presentation) is the result of a tremendous amount of time and effort on an author's part. Having your work accepted for publication is a significant achievement, but don't let the excitement lead you to give away rights that can hinder your ability to disseminate your work widely.

Typically, publishers will ask you to sign a publication agreement (sometimes called an "author agreement" or "copyright transfer agreement”).  These agreements determine who owns the copyright to your work, as well as any other exclusive or non-exclusive rights of the author and publisher. It is important to know that you can negotiate with publishers to retain some of your rights.

• Consider how you might want to use your work in the future
• Review the copyright policy of a journal before submitting
• Review the publisher's copyright agreement form before signing
• Consider discussing or negotiating for additional rights with the publisher
• Retain a copy of the signed copyright agreement
• Retain a copy of the final, peer-reviewed accepted manuscript version of a paper if possible (for the NIH public access compliance process if applicable, or for self-archiving in an institutional or discipline repository)

Many journal publishers allow authors to freely and legally post a version of their published articles in an institutional archive or repository. This is called “self-archiving.” UMass Chan authors can use the eScholarship@UMassChan repository, maintained by the Library, for self-archiving.

How to self-archive your journal article:

• Check the journal's copyright policy for self-archiving (use Sherpa Romeo or search for information on the journal's website). Publishers prohibiting inclusion may grant exceptions if the author requests it. If your journal or publisher does not give standing permission for self-archiving, ask for permission.
• Identify an appropriate repository available to you (such as eScholarship@UMassChan or a disciplinary repository)
• Deposit your work
• Consult your UMass Chan librarians for assistance with any of these steps (see Contact Us information on this page)