To reproduce anything more than a short quote or extract, you will generally require permission from the copyright owner. This is usually the creator or publisher of the work.
Most publishers will require you to obtain permission to reproduce copyright works (e.g. diagrams, charts, photographs, images, journal articles or book chapters) in your thesis.
This table is a list of initial contacts for assistance with seeking permission:
| Type of Work | Inital Contact Point |
|---|---|
| Published book or journal article | Publisher |
| Unpublished work | Author |
| Artistic work (including photographs) | Creator |
| Films, videos and TV programs | Production Company |
| Music (scores and notated music) | Publisher |
| Recorded music | Record company |
If the work you wish to reproduce has been published by one of the major publishers (e.g. Elsevier, Wiley, Springer), you will generally be directed to seek permission through the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC).
This is a relatively quick and simple process, usually resolved in minutes. Many publishers will permit you to include copies of your own work in your thesis gratis.
To seek permission via the CCC:
As part of the process, you may be asked to set up an account. This is also a relatively quick and simple process.
When submitting your thesis, ensure you include a copy of the licence agreement and acknowledge the work.
Copyright, publishing and theses: When is permission required? A 3 minute video explaining when you might need to seek permission for including previously published material in your thesis, followed by a demonstration of how to use the Copyright Clearance centre to get those permissions.
The MIT Libraries' Thesis content and article publishing page has a useful list of journal publisher policies, including:
policies regarding graduate students' reuse of their previously published articles in their theses
policies on accepting journal submissions that first appeared in an author's previously released thesis.
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