Checklist for seeking permission to use copyrighted material

This will include:

• Content you have created where the copyright has been assigned to a publisher
• Any more than a modest amount of text from books, journal articles, websites, etc
• Photographs or images
• Tables, figures or charts
• Maps
• Website content
• Computer programs

You won’t need to ask for permission if:

• Your use of the material is covered by the fair dealing exception for criticism, review or quotation (see Exceptions to Copyright)
• The work is covered by a Creative Commons licence or is Open Access
• The work is out of copyright

You must ask for permission to use any material that is not covered by one of the above.

Otherwise, you will be breaking copyright law. The originator of the material may take legal action against you for unauthorised use and request financial compensation from you. You may also be damaging your academic integrity and that of the University.

The copyright holder may be: an author, illustrator, composer, translator, photographer or other creator.

You may need to look at the original source (whether it is a Book, Journal or Conference Paper) – look for a © symbol followed by the publisher or author, eg ©2019 My Publishers Ltd.

Look for a section on publishers’ websites called something like ‘rights’, ‘permissions’ or ‘copyright clearance’.

For websites - check the Terms and Conditions. A link is usually found at the bottom of the pages. You may have to contact the website administrator if your intended use is not mentioned or covered.

NB If you are unable to trace a copyright holder, you will need to assess the risk of using the material. It is possible the rights holder may take legal action against you for unauthorised use and request financial compensation. If you decide to include the work, make sure you evidence that you have carried out a thorough search for the author’s details (record what you did).

In your email or letter you should:

• Give a detailed description of the material you wish to use
• Specify exactly how you wish to use it
• Describe the purpose of use and where you will be using it, eg, to be included in an e-thesis which will be openly available through WIRE (the open access repository of the University of Wolverhampton)

It is important to be very clear as to what you want to do with the material and assure the publisher or creator that the work will be fully referenced and acknowledged.

• Keep a detailed record of everything you do Template of Permissions Table (Word doc 15k)
• Keep a record of any replies and retain any emails or letters you receive granting you permission (in case there is ever a challenge to your use of the material)

Acknowledge permission at the appropriate place in your thesis, eg, ‘Permission to reproduce this [details of content] has been granted by [rights holder information]

Be patient!  It can take time to receive a response.  If you have not heard anything after 4-6 weeks, then repeat your request.

If you still do not receive a response, you do NOT have permission to use the material and cannot use it.

You may be granted permission to use the material freely; or there may be certain conditions that apply; or you may be asked to pay a fee.

If you are not prepared to accept their conditions or pay a fee, or they do not respond – you do NOT have permission to use the material and cannot use it.

Where permission has been granted:

• Cite and reference the work as usual
• Acknowledge permission at the appropriate place in your thesis, eg, ‘Permission to reproduce this [details of content] has been granted by [rights holder information]’
• Include the written permission as an appendix in your thesis.

In the event that permission to re-use some material is denied or you do not hear from the copyright holder – you cannot use the material in the public version of the thesis.

After examination, if there is any material in your thesis that you do not have permission to share publically, you will need to submit two electronic copies of your thesis to the STAR office, which are clearly identified in the file name as ‘full unedited version’ and ‘redacted version’. The full examination version will then be archived under embargo (not published online) and the redacted version will be published online.

The full unedited version must be identical to the copy submitted for examination, save for any amendments approved by the examiners, and the redacted version (if applicable) must have copyrighted material or personal data removed.

See Redacting material from your ethesis for more information