Copyright and Open Access

HDR candidates must complete this module during the first 12 months of candidature (full-time equivalent).  

Researchers need to be aware of copyright obligations and privileges as both creators and users of copyright protected material; understand their rights as the creator (e.g. author) of your thesis, research publications and other works; and realise their obligations in using the work of others, e.g. when reproducing figures, images, photos, tables, survey instruments, multimedia, other print and online materials.

This series of videos introduces the copyright issues to be addressed throughout the thesis process – research, writing, submitting and publishing – and provides examples of how best to protect your copyright including assigning, licensing and seeking permissions to use other third party copyright materials. The module also considers the trends towards open access publication and what this means for researchers. This workshop will provide practical advice and examples on how to submit a thesis to ResearchOnline@JCU (http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/) the JCU digital repository and how to promote the thesis through the repository.

Have you or do you intend to publish sections of your thesis or your thesis as a whole?

• You must understand what you agree to in the publisher agreement before you sign it. Once you have signed this agreement it will influence how you can use your own work in the future.
• There are certain conditions you should look for in an agreement; can you include a published or Accepted Version in your thesis, both in print and online?
• If you have already signed an agreement or published your work, re-read the agreement to see what it allows. If you sign copyright over to the publisher, you are no longer the copyright holder, even though you are the creator of the work.
• This means that you must obtain permission from the publisher if you wish to include your published papers in your thesis and that your thesis will be available through the institutional repository (ResearchOnline@JCU).
• Other helpful resources include the ResearchOnline@JCU LibGuide, Publishing Academic Research LibGuide or you can contact copyright@jcu.edu.au for further information.

The module can be found in the Higher Degree by Research organisation in LearnJCU, in the Copyright folder.

For information  on how to access the organisation please refer to the Using CareerHub and LearnJCU guide.

Please complete the associated brief quiz.