Publishing Your Research Article: Health and Social Sciences

1. COPYRIGHT BASICS FOR ACADEMIC AUTHORS

• You automatically own the copyright (a "bundle" of rights) to your original work at the moment it is "fixed in a tangible medium," such as saved on a hard drive or printed.
• You can transfer some or all of your rights to a publisher or other entity. 
  • Publishers do not need to own copyright to publisher your work, only your license or permission.
• Use an author addendum  to customize your publisher agreement.
• Check your rights as an author in advance! Review your publisher's agreement for details, especially regarding the NIH Public Access Policy or other funder requirements. 

2. NIH-FUNDED? (OR OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY?) 
For NIH, you must retain the right to deposit a copy of the final manuscript upon acceptance in PubMed Central. Other federal agencies also now require deposit in a repository. (Check new regulations for federal agencies here.) Some foundations may require deposit, as well. Check your publisher's agreement for specifics!