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Open Access

Open Access information for UniSC researchers

Author Rights

An ink pen

Can I post my articles in an institutional repository?

Can I share my work freely after assigning exclusive copyright to a publisher?

Is it okay for me to post my work in a subject repository like PubMed Central?

These and other questions are heard more and more frequently. That’s why SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has developed Author Rights – an educational initiative that informs faculty across all disciplines about how to use the SPARC Author Addendum to secure your rights as authors of journal articles.

The SPARC Author Addendum is a legal instrument that authors may use to modify their publisher agreements, enabling them to keep selected key rights to their articles, such as:

  • Distributing copies in the course of teaching and research,
  • Posting the article on a personal or institutional Web site, or
  • Creating derivative works.

SPARC Author Rights

Author Rights manual

SPARC’s Author Rights brochure identifies the rights faculty have as copyright holders and encourages you to retain the rights you need to ensure the broadest practical access to your articles. It explains how to use the SPARC Author Addendum and even gives tips on what to do if the publisher rejects the Addendum. It also offers specific language authors can insert in a publisher agreement when their article will be deposited in NIH’s PubMed Central.

 

Complete the SPARC Author Addendum Online

Enter basic information about your article and generate a printable addendum to your publishing agreement in one easy step. 

Produced by Science Commons, the Scholar's Copyright addendum Engine, and features an updated version of the SPARC Author Addendum.

Visit the SPARC website to generate your author addendum

Humorous: Scientist meets Publisher

A humorous look at a conversation between a Scientist and a Publisher.

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