What rights am I granting to UWG when I contribute to WISE? 

• When you upload to the Institutional Repository, you will encounter a clickable license.  
• You will keep your own copyright.
• You are providing UWG with a non-exclusive right of publication (you will be able to publish the item elsewhere).  
• The records of items uploaded using this license will include the message "All rights reserved" so that those who wish to use the materials beyond fair use know to contact you as the author.  
• The text of the clickable license reads:  
  • NON-EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION LICENSE By signing and submitting this license, you (the author(s) or copyright owner) grants to University of West Georgia (UWG) the non-exclusive right to reproduce, translate (as defined below), and/or distribute your submission (including the abstract) worldwide in print and electronic format and in any medium, including but not limited to audio or video. You agree that UWG may, without changing the content, translate the submission to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation or for transferring it to a different platform. You also agree that UWG may keep more than one copy of this submission for purposes of security, back-up and preservation. You represent that the submission is your original work, and that you have the right to grant the rights contained in this license. You also represent that your submission does not, to the best of your knowledge, infringe upon anyone’s copyright. If the submission contains material for which you do not hold copyright, you represent that you have obtained the unrestricted permission of the copyright owner to grant UWG the rights required by this license, and that such third-party owned material is clearly identified and acknowledged within the text or content of the submission.

What if I wish to offer my items via a Creative Commons License instead of "All rights reserved"?

There are a variety of Creative Commons Licenses which provide various combinations of permissions to users.  We are happy to work with you to offer your contributions by the Creative Commons License you prefer and will add the license information to the appropriate field in the record so that users will be able view it.  

Will my publisher allow me to contribute my published item?  

Ingram Library is happy to assist with writing to publishers and trying to obtain copyright clearance if you have assigned your rights to publishers.

Some publishers allow authors to retain all rights, allow prepublication versions to be shared, or may have other stipulations such as embargo periods.  

Publisher policies may vary.  Here are some tips: 

• If you have kept a copy of your contract or clickable license, please consult it (note, it is a good practice to capture a screen shot of any clickable license and save it at the time of article submission).  
• Sherpa / RoMEO is a database in which many publishers have listed their restrictions. 
• If you are in the process of seeking publication, consider using an addendum to your author agreement to allow for deposit to WISE.  You can generate a sample using the Scholar's Copyright Addendum Engine 
• UWG's Legal Counsel is willing to assist UWG Faculty regarding publishing agreements that involve the IP rights of faculty scholarship.  

Is it possible to deposit an item when I have co-authors?

Depending on rights assigned to the co-authors at the time the work was created, you may have Joint-Authorship.  According to Joint Ownership Doctrine as explained by the University of California, any individual author may grant non-exclusive use of the piece to a third party without needing the consent of the other(s).  The license granted to the Wise Repository is non-exclusive.  That being said, common courtesy would be to notify your co-authors of an intent to submit a collaborative piece to WISE.  After all, one might wish to retain your colleagues'  good will for future co-created projects.