Scholarly Communication

Traditional publishing agreements typically transfer all rights, including full copyright, to the journal. You probably want to include sections of your article in later works. You might want to give copies to your class or distribute it among colleagues. And you likely want to place it on your website or in a repository. These are all ways to give your research wide exposure and fulfill your goals as a scholar, but they are prevented by traditional agreements.

The SPARC Author Addendum is a way to negotiate your publishing agreement and retain your author's rights.

• Read the publication agreement carefully. Publishers’ agreements (often titled “Copyright Transfer Agreement”) have traditionally been used to transfer copyright or key use rights from author to publisher. They are written by publishers and usually transfer more rights than are necessary to publish the work. Ensuring the agreement is balanced and has a clear statement of your rights is up to you.
• Publishing agreements are negotiable. Publishers require only your permission or license to publish an article, not a full transfer of copyright. Hold onto rights to make use of the work in ways that serve your needs and that promote education and research activities.
• Value the copyright in your intellectual property. 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. But if you give away control in the copyright agreement, you may limit its use. Before transferring ownership of your intellectual output, understand the consequences and options.

Authors

• Retain the rights you want
• Use and develop your own work without restriction
• Increase access for education and research
• Receive proper attribution when your work is used
• Deposit your work in DigitalFGCU or another repository where it will be permanently and openly accessible

Publishers

• Obtain a non-exclusive right to publish and distribute a work
• Receive proper attribution and citation as journal of first publication
• Migrate the work to future formats and include it in collections