Copyright: Guidelines for Using Copyrighted Materials

Due to the complexity of publisher agreements, reusing graphs, table, data, and other copyrighted materials is not as simple as citing and attributing. On this page, we will cover ways to ensure compliance with copyright agreements.

RightsLink (through the Copyright Clearance Center) is one way that many publishers streamline the process for requesting permissions to use materials from their research articles. In many cases, to reuse materials in your work, you will need to pay a fee. RightsLink allows you to see that cost. Below is an example from Elsevier. 

To get started with a RightsLink request, click on "get rights and content." You will then be prompted to select what type of content you are wanting to reuse from the particular article.

The STM Permissions Guidelines offer voluntary and reciprocal guidelines amongst Signatory STM Publishers to reuse limited amounts of material from published works in all languages in other print and electronic and audio publications, including subsequent editions and editions in other languages by the same publisher. Not all STM Publishers are Signatories of the STM Permissions Guidelines, and not all content published by a Signatory STM Publisher is included in this agreement. Use this link to see which publishers participate in this STM Agreement.

For Elsevier, for example, the following quantity limits apply: 

For use in a single journal article:

• A maximum total of 3 (three) figures/tables/images from works published by a single STM Signatory

• A maximum of 400 (four hundred) words from an individual journal article or book chapter.

• A maximum total of 800 (eight hundred) words from a single book or journal issue/edition.

For use in a book:

• A maximum total of 3 (three) figures/tables/images from works published by a single STM Signatory for a single chapter.

• A maximum total of 30 (thirty) figures/tables/images from works published by a single STM Signatory for the entire book or volume set, not dependent on the number of authors or contributors.

• A maximum of 3 (three) figures/tables/images from an individual journal article or book chapter.

• A maximum of 400 (four hundred) words from an individual journal article or book chapter.

• A maximum total of 5 (five) figures/tables/images from a single book or journal issue/edition.

• A maximum total of 800 (eight hundred) words from a single book or journal issue/edition.

• A maximum total of 6 (six) figures/tables/images from an annual journal volume.