Guide
Copyright and licensing in publishing
Copyright and licensing govern who may use a published article and how — covering author rights, the agreement with the publisher, Creative Commons licences and self-archiving.
The step most authors miss
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Who owns a paper: author copyright
Copyright arises automatically the moment an original work is fixed in a tangible form, so the authors initially own the copyright in their manuscript without registering anything. Copyright is a bundle of exclusive rights — to copy, distribute, adapt and make the work available — that lets the rights-holder decide how the work is used. In scholarly publishing, the central question is what happens to those rights when an article is accepted: the author and publisher settle this through a publishing agreement, and the terms vary considerably between journals and access models.
Copyright transfer versus licence to publish
Historically, many publishers required a copyright transfer agreement, under which the author assigns copyright to the publisher in exchange for publication; the publisher then controls reuse and grants the author limited rights back. Increasingly common is the licence-to-publish model, where the author retains copyright and grants the publisher the rights it needs — often an exclusive licence — to publish and disseminate the work. The practical difference is who holds the rights afterwards: retaining copyright gives authors more control over reuse, teaching copies and future republication, so it is worth reading the agreement before signing.
Creative Commons and open-access licences
Open-access articles are typically published under a Creative Commons (CC) licence, a standardised, machine-readable way of granting reuse permissions in advance while the author keeps copyright. CC BY (Attribution) is the most open and is required by many funders: anyone may share and adapt the work, even commercially, provided the original is credited. More restrictive variants add conditions — NC bars commercial use, ND bars adaptations, SA requires derivatives to share alike. Choosing the right licence matters because it is generally irrevocable and defines exactly how others may build on the work.
Self-archiving and version rights
Self-archiving (green open access) is the author’s deposit of a copy of their article in a repository — institutional, subject-based or a personal site. What you may deposit, and when, depends on the publishing agreement and usually differs by version: many subscription publishers permit deposit of the author accepted manuscript, sometimes after an embargo, but not the typeset version of record. Funder open-access policies increasingly require deposit and immediate access, and some assert rights retention so authors can self-archive regardless. Checking each journal’s self-archiving terms, and your funder’s policy, keeps deposit compliant.
Key facts
At a glance
- Copyright arises: automatically when an original work is fixed, no registration needed
- Transfer model: author assigns copyright to the publisher
- Licence model: author keeps copyright and grants the publisher rights to publish
- Open access: typically a Creative Commons licence (CC BY is the most open)
- Self-archiving: depositing a version in a repository (green open access)
- Version matters: rights differ for preprint, accepted manuscript and version of record
Common questions
FAQ
What is the difference between copyright transfer and a licence to publish?+
Under a copyright transfer agreement the author assigns copyright to the publisher, which then controls reuse and grants the author limited rights back. Under a licence to publish the author keeps copyright and grants the publisher the rights it needs to publish and distribute the work. The licence model leaves authors with more control over later reuse, so it is worth checking which model an agreement uses.
What does a CC BY licence allow?+
CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) is the most permissive standard open-access licence. It lets anyone copy, distribute, adapt and build on the work, including for commercial purposes, as long as they give appropriate credit to the original author and source. Authors retain copyright; CC BY simply grants these reuse permissions in advance, which is why many funders mandate it for the work they support.
Can I share my own published paper online?+
Often yes, but it depends on your publishing agreement and which version you share. Many publishers allow you to self-archive the author accepted manuscript in a repository, sometimes after an embargo, while restricting the typeset version of record. Open-access articles under a Creative Commons licence can usually be shared freely. Check the journal’s self-archiving policy and your funder’s requirements first.
Going deeper
