Permissions
Initially, the author(s) own the copyright to their work. However, when the author(s) submit their work (i.e., journal article, book, manuscript, etc.) for publication, many publishers require the author(s) to contractually sign over the rights.
How to Request Permission
Obtaining the publisher’s permission to use copyrighted materials can be time consuming. For example, you may need to contact each author on the copyrighted material, or the publisher may have merged with another company, or the publisher does not have a formal Permissions system, etc. To account for the aforementioned and unexpected delays, it is recommended to allow at least 6-8 weeks for the copyright owner/publisher’s response.
If the UT Southwestern authorized user is interested in using copyrighted content (i.e., images, drawings, tables, figures, or substantial sections of a book, etc.) from subscribed resources, the user should:
- Review the permissions guidelines and complete required form, if available on the publisher’s website.
- Review “Terms of Use” (or equivalent), if the permissions guidelines are not available. The “Terms of Use” link is often located at the bottom of the webpage in small type.
- Submit a letter/email requesting permission to the Permissions Department, publisher, editor, or “Contact Us” mailbox.
You may be required to provide the following information in the Permissions Request form or letter:
- How the material will be used (i.e., coursepack, presentation to audience external to UT Southwestern, etc.)
- Where the material will be used (i.e., course name and number, professional meeting location (virtual or in-person), etc.)
- When the materials will be used (i.e., semester, professional meeting date)
- How the material will be reproduced (i.e., photocopying, scanning)
- How the material will be accessed (i.e., electronic – open access, electronic – secure access, print handout, etc.)
- Will the work be sold? If yes, associated fees or charges to access and use the material
- Title of copyrighted material
- Author(s) name
- Title, edition and volume number of book or journal
- Numbers of exact pages and illustrations
- Publication year
- Publisher name
- ISBN number for books, ISSN number for journals
- Number of photocopies to be reproduced
- How material will be reproduced (i.e., photocopying, scanning)
- Instructor name
- Your Contact information
For More Information
Getting Permission - Copyright Crash Course - LibGuides at University of Texas at Austin (utexas.edu)- includes a sample written request for permission
