Skip to Main Content

Thesis and Dissertation

Directions on Form, Preparation, and Submission of the Final Copies of Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

What is Copyright?

Slide 1: what is copyright?
Slide 2: Order of content
Slide 3: authors and creators create original works. These people include writers, photographers, artists, film producers, composers, and programmers
Slide 4: own the exclusive right to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies, and publicly perform and display their works.
Slide 5: Exceptions: author legally signs all rights over to another entity, such as a publisher, or author gives another entity partial rights to use material, such as another author.
Slide 6: what's not copyrighted? Titles, names, short phrases, slogans, familiar symbols, or designs (but may be protected under trademark or service mark laws). Lists of ingredients, contents, or facts. Ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles, discoveries, and devices (but may be protected under patent law). Standard calendards, rulers, lists, or tables taken from the public domain and other works containing no origial authorship.
Slide 7: How to ask for permission. 1. Contact the author and ask if he/she owns the copyright. And if they do, then would they allow you to reprint and/or modify the work for your thesis or dissertation? Provide specific details about what you want to use and how you will use it.
Slide 8: 2. Contact the publisher and ask if they own the copyright. And if they do, then would they allow you to reprint and/or modify the work for your thesis or dissertation? Provide specific details about what you want to use and how you will use it. You may have to pay fee.
Slide 9: 3. Go to www.copyright.com, click on Advanced Search at the top right side of the screen, and search for the publication that you need permission from. You may have to pay a fee. If you can’t find the publication you need on the Copyright Clearance Center website, don’t give up. Contact their service representatives and ask for help. Sometimes they can help you get permission for hard-to-find items.
Slide 10: What to do with permissions: Place copies of all permissions in Appendixes at the end of your document, whether they are copies of emails or legal contracts. This lets Sam Houston State University and ProQuest (your publishers) know that all required permissions have been acquired.
Slide 11: Creative Commons licenses. Creative Commons licenses allow you to reprint and/or modify another author/creator’s work with SOME or NO restrictions – without having to ask for permission.
Slide 12: There are currently six different Creative Commons licenses available. Be sure you understand which one the author is using for their work, and understand the restrictions (if any) associated with it. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Slide 13: Creative Commons attributions. “Title of Item” by [name of author] is licensed under C C BY 2-point-0. Example:
Slide 14: Because: Title is Creative Commons 10th Birthday Celebration San Franscisco. Author is tvol. License is C C BY 2-point-0.
Slide 15. Example of a modified item. “Title of Item” by [name of author] is licensed under C C BY 2-point-0 / [How item has been modified].
Slide 16: Public Domain. Items in the public domain allow you to reprint and/or modify another author/creator’s work with NO restrictions, and without having to ask for permission.
Slide 17: A work may be in the public domain because: It was published before there was a copyright law. Its copyright protection has expired. The copyright protection was lost or never acquired. The copyright owner dedicated the work to the public domain. The work was never entitled to copyright protection.
Slide 18L Note: Items created by government entities are usually in the public domain, BUT sometimes materials are protected by copyright. Check the source and make sure there are no restrictions for use. When in doubt, ASK FOR PERMISSION.
Slide 19: POP QUIZ! Question: Can you use material found on a website without permission?
Slide 20: Answer: Maybe. If the material is created by a government entity that hasn’t placed any restrictions on use. If the material has a Creative Commons license (look for restrictions). If the material exists in the public domain.
Slide 21: Someone created that website and all the content it contains. That person or entity is the copyright owner. Therefore, you need to establish whether there are any restrictions for use.
Slide 22: Question: When is an author or creator not the copyright owner of a work
Slide 23: Answer: When they have signed their rights over to another entity, such as a publisher. When they have not renewed the copyright on an original publication.
Slide 24: Question: I found a photograph that I want to use. It is a picture of an old Leonardo da Vinci painting. Since it’s such an old painting and should be in the public domain, can I use this photograph?
Slide 25: Maybe. If the material is created by a government entity that hasn’t placed any restrictions on use. If the material has a Creative Commons license (look for restrictions). If the material exists in the public domain.
Slide 26: Someone took the photograph, and that person or entity is the copyright owner. Therefore, you need to establish whether there are any restrictions for use.
Slide 27: End of slideshow.

Copyright Permission Letter Template

Copyright & Attributions by Style Guide

Copyright & Permissions Flowchart

Duration of Copyright

Creative Commons Attributions

Learn More About Copyright

 

Copyright Clearance Center - Copyright Basics video

 

 

United States Copyright Office -- everything you could ever want to know about copyright -- https://www.copyright.gov/

 

 

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

 

 

Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works -- http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/text.jsp?file_id=283698

 

 

Newton Gresham Library's Copyright & Fair Use page - Information about Public Domain, Fair Use, and Copyright law

 

 

 

Newton Gresham Library | (936) 294-1614 | (866) NGL-INFO | Ask a Question | Share a Suggestion

Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, Texas 77341 | (936) 294-1111 | (866) BEARKAT
© Copyright Sam Houston State University | All rights reserved. | A Member of The Texas State University System