Copyright
Guide to using/obtaining correct copyright information and permission when duplicating graphics and/or text from published articles (or other sources).
It is important to note that in all cases where Figures and other graphics (as well as text) are duplicated into a thesis, a manuscript, or other document in the public domain, it must be established whether this is protected by copyright, and if so, what is needed to correctly and legally duplicate it. Also note that “Open Access” does not give rights to duplicate material; it is basically a personal permission to freely (no cost) access the material and may be coupled to a license agreement.
Information on the copyright status of medical and natural science publications is in many cases available in the published article. Typically you may find a link to “permissions/rights” (or analogous) on the front page of electronic version of the paper (via DOI link), which will lead you to the Copyright License information. If not there, the information may be found via the publisher’s/journal’s homepage.
An increasing number of scientific publishers use either the “Creative Commons” license platform (“CC By”) or the “CCC Rightslink” platform.
The “CC By platform” operates with a series of six License forms with varying restrictions stipulated in the license. For instance, some licenses allow adaptation/modification of duplicated material, others only allow use of the original material. Therefore, read the license conditions carefully, and seek advice if in doubt.
The “CCC Rightslink” platform operates with an individual license which is obtained online by answering a questionnaire concerning the specific character and intended use of the copied material; and at the end provides a license number (you need to sign in before filling out the questionnaire).
Do keep in mind that the license is a legal document, and violating it eventually may have legal consequences. If the particular license in question does not allow the intended use, it is often (and especially for use in a thesis) possible to apply for a specific permission/license via a link in the (electronic version of) the journal, or via the publisher homepage.
Indeed, many journals have a link on the front page of the online version to a “CC By” or to a “CCC Rightslink” license page determining whether permission to the specific case is required, and if so, how it may be obtained. It may be found under headings such as “Rights and Permissions”.
In some (rare) cases you may have to contact the publisher by email. If you are a co-author of the publication, it is typically easier to obtain such a special copyright permission (if needed).
In the few cases where only a written authorization (e-mail) from the publisher is possible, a procedure could be that this is attached as an appendix to the thesis, and with reference to the appendix in the text.
The copyright information must be specified in connection to the copied material (for graphics in the legend text), and must include detailed reference of origin of the material (typically author(s), journal, volume, year, issue and page no., and including the DOI-link). In addition, the obtained copyright type must be stated, including a link to a valid copyright license, or a license number must be included. Depending on copyright type, it could be phrased like this: “Copyright via “CC-BY-4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)”, or “Copyright via “CCC RightsLink” license number xxxxxxxxxx)) for the two most common types of copyright licenses in science journals.*
*Example: “Reprinted from "Nursing Students' Experiences of a Pedagogical Transition from Campus Learning to Distance Learning Using Digital Tools," by U. Langegård, K. Kiani, S. J. Nielsen, and P. Svensson, 2021, BMC Nursing, 20, Article 23 (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00542-1). Copyright via CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Please also consult the examples illustrating the process (CC BY and CCC RighLslink license example).
In the (rare) cases where copyright information is cannot readily be found, contact the Graduate School for advice.
Some useful links:
Copenhagen University Library (KUB)
Elsevier - permissions guideline
How to Complete a RightsLink® Request