Academic publishers often have contracts that transfer full copyright to the publisher and limit the author's rights to use the published work in the future. By selecting open access journals or through negotiation and the use of an appropriate addendum for traditional publishing contracts, authors can avoid the problems that accompany full transfer of copyright to publishers and increase the accessibility of their work and, in turn, the visibility of their scholarly profile. The resources below provide information about copyright and author rights issues and can help in contract negotiations.
This website provides an overview of author rights and why they matter, as well as an addendum that you can attach to publisher contracts to limit copyright transfer.
This site provides information and resources pertaining to copyright, fair use, publication contracts, open access, rights reversion, and termination of transfer.
Author's Rights, Tout de Suite (by Charles W. Bailey Jr.)
This article provides a brief, but comprehensive overview of author rights, copyright, creative commons licenses, and descriptions of various addenda types.
Cornell's Copyright Management for authors
Provides an overview of copyright and copyright options for authors, as well as a sample copyright agreement.
The SHERPA/RoMEO database provides information about publisher copyright and self-archiving policies. The database uses a color coded system for archival rights; the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) recommends choosing journals classified as green or blue, then researching any additional restrictions that the journal may impose.
Scholar's Copyright Addendum Engine
This Creative Commons tool allows you to choose between four addenda types to generate a PDF of a copyright addendum that can be attached to publisher agreements.
SPARC Access and Reuse Addendum
This link provides a customizable copyright addendum that can be downloaded or completed online.