Use of copyright material
The use of material owned by a third party - another author, photographer, publisher, etc. - is governed by the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (UK) and the Copyright Regulations 2003 (European Directive). It is considered acceptable to include third party copyright material in a printed thesis without gaining copyright clearance from the holder but submission of the electronic thesis requires prior clearance to be obtained.
If the material concerned is an insubstantial short quotation from a published work that has been acknowledged and referenced accurately it will not be necessary to seek permission from the copyright holder. This is allowed under `fair dealing´ exceptions under the Act for 'non-commercial private research' or 'criticism and review'. Copyright law does not define what is meant by insubstantial use of short extracts or quotations so it may be best to seek permission if in doubt.
In order to seek permission students should contact the copyright holder. If the material is from a published book or journal it is best to contact the publisher of the work in the first instance. Many large publishers have Rights and Permissions departments used to dealing with copyright clearance; email addresses can often be found on publishers' websites. It is important to realise that no response DOES NOT mean permission is granted. Where permission to use the third party copyright material is obtained, students should make sure that clear acknowledgements are provided within the thesis.
If clearance is not obtained to use substantial sections of copyright material that are considered essential by the student to be used in their entirety, there are two options: i) embargo the electronic thesis, though submission to the University in this format is still required, making the printed copy fully available; or ii) edit the electronic thesis - but not the printed copy - so that it complies with third-party copyright requirements, clearly indicating the excisions made.
Further information can be found at: Copyright guide: eTheses
All newly-registered research students are required to undertake training on using copyright materials. You can use the Library's online tutorial or attend the annual lecture listed in the Library Doctoral Development Programme sessions. A full list of sessions is available online here .