Copyright for students

Copying work for your studies

How much can I copy?

There is an exception to UK copyright law that allows individuals to copy works for their own research and private study. This exception is subject to fair dealing. Fair dealing is a legal term that has no statutory definition but asks individuals to consider what would be a fair and honest amount to copy. Usually it would be fair to copy 1 journal article, 1 book chapter, or about 5% of a work. Please be mindful when copying sections of any work.

What we consider fair:

• 1 article per journal or conference proceedings
• 1 chapter, or 10% of a book (whichever is the greater amount)
• 1 illustration or map per book
• 1 poem in a collection
• 1 short story within a collection (a short story on its own would be considered a book and the 10% rule applies)

Please note that the copying of musical work is only allowed by students studying on a course with a musical element (such as a module). For more information, please see the details of the Higher Education Music Licence (HEPML) or contact our Copyright, Licensing and Research Librarian.

Can I copy a journal article or book chapter in the Library and study it later?

Yes, you can make single, limited copies of protected works for private study and non-commercial research. You could make a print or electronic copy through scanning or downloading work, or could take photographs of the work on your smartphone or device. There are no restrictions on the format of your copying so long as the copy you make is within fair dealing limits.

If you are unsure of how much to copy, please contact our Copyright, Licensing and Research Librarian for advice.

Can I make accessible copies of copyright protected works?

Copyright law permits and supports copying works for accessibility purposes, to allow those with impairments to work on an equal level to those without an impairment.

The Library and Learning Services Accessibility Support Service will support you with making your learning, teaching and research resources accessible to you.

For further details, please see our Supporting Accessibility pages.

Can I share copies I make with friends?

No, you must not share copies you make with anyone. Just because you have access to a work, it does not mean that you can copy and distribute the work. This would be copyright infringement. Instead of sharing copies you make with friends, you could share links or citations, so they can make single copies for themselves.

Can I copy materials from the internet?

Copyright exists for web-based materials in the same way as other published materials. If you are going to use and copy online materials, you will still need to cite and reference the source. Before copying any web-based material, you should check for any copyright statement, terms and conditions, or licence attached to the website.

Can I reuse teaching materials?

Teaching staff will often share their lecture slides and seminar handouts on Moodle for you to use. In general, most of the material is owned by York St John University and copyright applies to these materials. You are encouraged to use these materials to support your learning, but you do not have permission to make these resources available to others. If you use teaching materials in your work and assignments you will need to cite and reference them.

What is the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement?

Plagiarism is when you reproduce the work of others without properly citing or acknowledging the source. A result of this is that you have claimed ownership or creation of a work that isn't yours.

Copyright infringement is when you reuse someone's work without permission, a licence or exception, even though it may have been cited properly.

Plagiarism is a serious academic misconduct, whilst copyright infringement is breaking the law and could result in legal action. Plagiarism and copyright infringement can overlap if the work is reproduced without permission and without acknowledging the source.

Copyright free resources

Where can I find copyright free resources to use in my work?

Whilst there are exceptions that allow you to use limited amounts of copyrighted materials in your work and assignments, when using resources such as images and music we recommend using resources that are copyright-free or copyright-cleared. Often resources are licenced under open licences, such as Creative Commons licences, which allow for the reuse of resources so long as they are properly cited and referenced.

Copyright and your own work

How do I copyright protect my own work?

Copyright is an automatic right and applies to original works that are published or unpublished, so there is no need to apply for or register copyright. Usually the copyright owner for works created by taught-course or research students during the course of your studies at York St John University is owned by the student who created the work, unless the University specifies otherwise.