Copyright is an intellectual property right which protects a creator from other people using their work without permission. It is important you consider copyright when creating a reading list as you will be reusing material created by others as well as content you have written yourself.  Non-compliance with copyright can lead to loss of access to resources by all staff and students and financial/reputational damage to the University.

There is no blanket exception for 'educational use' in UK law.  There are specific exceptions that allow staff and students to copy a work (or extracts from it) without seeking the permission of the copyright owner, subject to certain conditions and limits. For example, short quotations from a work do not require permission. The University also has a range of licences in place to allow staff and students to reuse copyright protected work without having to obtain permission. A key licence is the CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency)which allows the photocopying, scanning and re-use of digital content from books, journals and electronic publications.

What can I copy?

• If you created the work you (or the University) will own the copyright - no restrictions apply.
• You can copy or reuse someone else's work if:
  • the work is out of copyright.
  • the copying is covered by a licence.
  • a statutory exception applies.

The University has a range of licences in place to allow staff and students to reuse copyright protected works without having to obtain permission. A key licence is the CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency) licence which allows the photocopying, scanning and re-use of digital content from books, journals and electronic publications. Further information is contained within the Digitisation Guidelines.

Quick Tips to comply with copyright:

• Always fully reference the material you use.

• Always check terms of use on websites before extracting any material, including images or sound clips.

• Always check the licence terms of e-books, journals etc for restrictions on use and copying.

• Refer to the Digitisation Guidelines to request a scan/digital copy extracts from a work.

• Link to materials on webpages, rather than extracting and embedding them.

• Consider open licenced resources for images.

• Ensure you have permission if using previous student work.

• Keep a paper trail of any copyright permission you seek as you may be asked to prove it at a later stage.

Further Guidance on copyright:

• Copyright Guide for Staff

• Copyright webpages

Further help:

• Contact ictlegalcompliance@strath.ac.uk with any copyright queries

Do not upload documents unless you are the sole author or have permission from co-authors. Instead, provide links to resources that are hosted elsewhere.

Do not scan and upload materials yourself. Staff wishing to scan materials for use in teaching must make a request through the Digitisation Service.

Information is available in the Finding Open Access Resource LibGuide.

Information is available in the Using Audiovisual Materials for Teaching LibGuide.