Copyright for researchers
Copyright Ownership
- Intellectual property policy: This policy outlines copyright ownership for staff members, academic status holders and students.
- University ownership: The University asserts ownership over all work and research outputs produced by staff members
- HDR Student Ownership: Students typically retain copyright in your own research outputs and theses
- Public Access: Students are bound by the HDR thesis rules to make their thesis publicly available.
- IP Assignment: The Student Research IP Procedures outline circumstances in which students may be required to assign their intellectual property to the University.
- Library assistance: The Library provides support for managing copyright and permissions regarding publications, datasets, pre-existing published material, and the sharing of research outputs.
- Commercialisation: For matters involving trademarks and patents, you must consult Strategic Partnerships and Research Commercialisation.
Using Third-Party Material
You must obtain written permission to include third-party material
(figures, photos, maps, etc.) in any work that will be published or made public.
- When it is required: For almost all material, even if it is freely available online.
- When it may not be required: If the copyright has expired, it is in the public domain, or it has an open license like Creative Commons.
- How to get permission:
- Online Journals: Use the RightsLink (see RightsLink permission directions) service found on the article's webpage.
- Other Sources: Email the copyright holder with specific details of the material, how you will use it, and the expected distribution format.
- Email Template: Always use the Library’s email template when requesting permissions via email.
HDR Thesis Tracking & Submission
- Thesis Submission Page: HDR students should refer to the Thesis Submission page for comprehensive submission instructions
- Copyright Tracker: Use the Copyright Tracker handout from the start of your candidature to simplify the final submission process and identify necessary permissions early.
- What to track: Record all third-party images, tables, and maps, as well as any published journal articles included in your chapters.
- Final Checklist: Before submitting, ensure all sources are recorded, permissions are obtained, and required acknowledgments or redactions are completed.
Sharing your research outputs
Datasets belonging to Flinders University can be made open access and shared via ROADS (Figshare), which allows you to select an appropriate open licence to make the data usable by others.
- Publications:
- Staff: Upload your final peer-reviewed accepted manuscript to ResearchNow. To responsibly share papers with others, staff can attach a copy of the final peer-reviewed accepted manuscript.
- Restrictions: Publisher PDFs usually cannot be shared on sites like ResearchGate or Academia.edu unless they have a Creative Commons licence.
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Last Updated: 14 Jul 2026