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Copyright and Intellectual Property

FAQs for student work

When doing research or working on a project, you may copy, scan, and print copyrighted materials for your own use. Excerpts from this material may be quoted, paraphrased, or summarized using proper citations.

You may not disseminate any copies or scans of the original materials, or incorporate the reproductions into your own work, without permission from the copyright holder or licensing entity. This includes photographs you have taken of textual or visual works produced by others. If you intend to use your own previously published work, refer to the terms of your contract, or contact the publisher for clarification on any reuse restrictions or required permissions.

For text and images, most databases and journals provide a link to request permissions directly on the page where you accessed the material. The link may also be embedded in a PDF you have downloaded. Permission for excerpts of film and audio recordings may require a more involved process, depending on the venue through which the material is available. See "ways to get permission" for more help.

We suggest you review the guidelines of Fair Use and work closely with your advisor regarding types of materials that can and cannot be used. Please remember that all the materials you use, even if the work is in the public domain, must have attribution.