The Copyright Act allows people to copy a limited amount of text material for the purpose of research or study given the use is in ‘fair dealing’.
Examples of copying under the exception of research or study:
· Copying text material for your research
· Copying text material for assignments or thesis
· Copying text material to read for your studies
Examples of what is not covered under the exception of research or study:
· Making and distributing multiple copies of articles and chapters, for any purpose including, teaching, study groups and journal clubs
· Uploading journal articles and chapters on the internet or intranet
· Uploading articles and chapters online for students
· Using material in an article or a thesis that you intend to publish
In relation to printed text, the Copyright Act indicates that it is ‘fair’ to copy:
· 10% of the number of pages or
· One chapter, if the work is divided into chapters.
In relation to text published in electronic format, it is fair to copy:
· 10% of the number of pages or
· One chapter, if the work is divided into chapters
In relation to journal articles, print or electronic, it is fair to copy:
· A single article. However, it is possible to copy more than one article if it relates to the same research or study.
Internet content including free articles is protected by copyright law. Before using free online material, have a look at its terms of use.
The exception of ‘fair dealing’ for research or study, does not permit you to publish an article or a thesis which contains other people’s work. You will most likely need permission from the copyright owners/ agency before submitting your work for publishing.
If you need to make copies of material or upload material online for your students, then you will need to obtain permission from the copyright owner beforehand.
You can contact the author or the publisher directly. Publishers will have the relevant information on their web site.
Alternatively, permissions can be requested from Licensing organisations such as the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL)
If you are affiliated with a university, then you may have permission under their CAL license. Please contact your university library for details.
The library’s electronic journal collection has multiple license agreements with varying terms of use.
In general, STV staff and students are able to print, download and save a single copy of articles, for the purpose of research and study.
You can send links to the fulltext article to colleagues. Forwarding pdfs of articles to colleagues and others is not recommended, as it’s not permitted under some license agreements.
If you would like to use articles for teaching purposes or have any other copyright questions regarding the library’s resources, please contact us on 9231 2540 or library.svhmlibrary@svhm.org.au
