Using Copyright Materials
In academic writing, students are expected to engage critically with a range of source materials. When writing your coursework or dissertation, you might want to include images, charts, graphs, or even short extracts from books, articles, websites, or films. While using these materials can help strengthen your arguments or illustrate a point, it’s important to understand and respect copyright rules. This includes fair use policies, citation guidelines, and Creative Commons licenses.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is a legal right that protects original works of authorship such as books, articles, music, films, and software. It allows creators to control how their work is used.
Best Practices for Students
Creative Commons Licenses
Creative Commons licenses are an easy way for creators to say how others can use their work. If you see a Creative Commons license on something, it tells you what you're allowed to do with it—like share, use, or change it. There are six types of Creative Commons licenses, ranked here from the most flexible to the most restrictive.
License Name | Icon | What You Can Do | What You Must Do | Commercial Use | Make Derivatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CC BY |
| Copy, share, remix, | Credit the creator | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
CC BY-SA |
| Copy, share, remix, | Credit + share under | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
CC BY-ND |
| Copy and distribute only | Credit creator, | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
CC BY-NC |
| Copy, share, remix, | Credit, | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
CC BY-NC-SA |
| Copy, share, remix, | Credit + non-commercial | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
CC BY-NC-ND |
| Copy and distribute only | Credit + non-commercial | ❌ No | ❌ No |
CC0 |
| Copy, share, remix, | Freely usable without | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
What You Should Not Do
- Copy and paste full texts from books or articles without permission;
- Download or distribute pirated textbooks, videos, or music;
- Share paid library materials publicly online (Google Drive, Telegram, etc.).