In the article I submitted for review, I’m using photographs from a website.  Can I include those photos in my article for publication?

Global Impressions strongly encourages authors to use their own work, and avoid using work that others have created (a.k.a., “third party material”).  However, if you decide to include third-party material (e.g., images, tables, charts, film clips, audio clips), you must get permission from the copyright holder of that material, to reproduce it in your own work.  If the material you’re using is not subject to copyright restrictions (e.g., in the public domain) you should follow best practice and identify the photograph’s source.  If you’re unsure who owns the copyright, we recommend that you contact the library (see below) before submitting your work.

What does “open access” mean?

Global Impressions is an open access journal, which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, print, search, email, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.  Authors  retain copyright to their work.

If my article gets published, will I own the copyright to my own work?  If so, what does “non-exclusive publication” mean?

Yes, as the author, you own the copyright to your own work, which means–among other things–that as the creator, you have the legal right to print, publish, perform, or do whatever you wish with what you create.  “Non-exclusive publication” means that because you are the copyright holder, you can go on to do whatever you choose to do with your work:  revise it, adapt it, post it on your blog, re-publish it in another format, etc.  (Note:  if you do go on to re-publish your work elsewhere, just be sure to note that you originally published it in Global Impressions).

What is a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license, and how does this affect my copyright of my own work?

If your work is accepted for publication in Global Impressions, the journal will make your work available via a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.  This means that anyone who wants to cite, quote from, build upon, copy, email, or link to your work can do so, as long as they attribute you as the author of the work.  You retain copyright of your work.  The reason Global Impressions uses this particular license is to allow for the broadest scholarly dissemination of your work, while still allowing you to retain your rights as an author.

This FAQ was developed by Smith College Libraries and Smith College IT Educational Technology Services. Questions should be addressed to Elisa Lanzi, Director of Digital Strategies and Services, Smith College Libraries, 7 Neilson Drive, Northampton, MA 01063 elanzi@smith.edu.