Publishing and Copyright Support
Federal law grants authors certain exclusive rights over their work in the form of copyright. UTSA Libraries can help you understand, negotiate, and maintain your author rights during the publication process.
What is Copyright?
Copyright “is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works.” - U.S. Copyright Office
Put simply, U.S. law provides authors of creative and intellectual works the exclusive "right to copy" their work. This includes the rights to:
- Reproduce or copy
- Distribute
- Publicly perform
- Publicly display
- Create derivatives
Copyright exists from the moment a work is created and put in a tangible medium.
UTSA Copyright Policy
According to the UTSA Handbook of Operation Procedures and the UT System Regents Rules, the university does not claim ownership of scholarly works by UTSA employees. Authors and creators maintain their rights to "scholarly or educational materials, class content, art works, musical compositions and dramatic and nondramatic literary works authored by a Covered Creator(s) and related to his/her academic or professional field."
Additional related policies include:
- Conflicts of Interest in Research & Intellectual Property Chapter 10.04, UTSA HOP
- Misconduct in Research or in Other Scholarly Activities Chapter 10.02, UTSA HOP
Academic Publishers and Copyright
When publishing in an academic journal, authors are often asked to transfer the copyright to their work to the journal. Once copyright has been transferred, authors often have very little say in what happens to their work in the future.
UTSA Libraries can assist authors with understanding their copyright and even negotiating with publishers to maintain more of the rights to their work. Reach out to your subject librarian for assistance and more information.