Using third-party material in publications and presentations

Third-party material means material where someone else owns the copyright.

This can include text, images, photographs, figures, tables, charts, maps, diagrams, screenshots, recordings, film stills, software, datasets and material from websites. In some cases, your own previously published work may also count as third-party material if you transferred rights to a publisher.

Do not assume: because you can access something through the Library, online, or in a journal database, it does not automatically follow that you can reuse it in your own publication or presentation.

You may be able to reuse material without asking permission where:

• copyright has expired
• a licence allows the reuse, such as a Creative Commons licence
• a copyright exception is likely to apply
• the rights holder has already granted permission

In many cases, permission will still be needed for more substantial reuse in publications, conference papers, posters, slides or other outputs that will be shared publicly. This is especially likely for images, figures, tables, maps, charts, photographs, long quotations, and unpublished material.

If you are unsure, seek advice before publication rather than afterwards.

UK copyright law includes exceptions that may help in limited circumstances, but they are not a blanket permission.

Fair dealing may help with some quotation, criticism and review, or with private non-commercial research. If you are relying on an exception, your use must be limited, relevant to the point you are making, and properly acknowledged unless there is a specific reason why that is not possible.

Take extra care: fair dealing is often harder to rely on for figures, illustrations, tables, maps, photographs, long quotations, unpublished works, internet content without an open licence, and material used mainly for decoration or general illustration.

Always check whether the material comes with a licence or reuse terms.

A licence may help, but only if your intended use is covered. Open access does not automatically mean free to reuse in any way. Creative Commons licences can allow reuse in advance, but you still need to follow the licence conditions. Publisher terms may also set additional requirements for how third-party content can be included in an article, chapter or open access output.

If your work will be published open access, pay particular attention to whether third-party material can lawfully sit inside a publication that will be shared under a public licence.

If permission is needed, start early.

Do not leave permissions work until the end of the publication process: rights holders may take time to respond, may refuse permission, or may redirect you to another rights holder.

When asking permission:

• identify the specific material clearly
• explain where it will appear
• explain whether the output will be published online, open access, recorded or otherwise shared
• keep copies of all requests and replies
• do not assume that no reply means permission

If permission is granted, keep a record of the wording and any conditions attached to the reuse.

You should acknowledge third-party material clearly and consistently.

A good credit line should identify both the source and the rights position. Depending on the material and the licence, this may include the author, title, source, copyright holder, licence, and a note that permission was obtained where relevant. If the material is included under different terms from the rest of your output, make that clear in the credit line.

For figures, tables, images and similar material, include the credit in the caption or legend where possible.

Images, figures, tables and similar visual material often need more careful checking than short textual quotation.

Do not assume that redrawing or cropping material removes the copyright issue. If your version remains recognisably close to the original, permission may still be needed. If you create a genuinely new table, chart or figure based on underlying facts or data, the source should still be credited.

If the visual material is central to your argument, it is usually better to check the rights position early than try to fix the issue at proof stage.

If you want to reuse your own previously published text, images, figures or other material in a new article, chapter, conference paper, poster or presentation, do not assume you still hold the right to do so.

Check whether you transferred copyright to the publisher, what your publishing agreement allows, and whether permission, acknowledgement or a particular version is required.

This is especially important if the new output will be published open access, shared online, or reused in a public slide deck or recorded presentation.

If you are unsure, seek advice before reusing the material.

The copyright position for a live presentation is not always the same as the position for slides or recordings shared afterwards.

Take extra care if the presentation will be recorded, uploaded, circulated, or made openly available online. Material that may be low-risk in a live room may raise a different issue once it becomes part of a reusable recording or downloadable slide deck.

If you are preparing slides, posters or conference materials that may later be shared online, check the reuse position before including third-party material.