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Creative Commons: Research & Data

Research Funding and Grant Requirements 

It is becoming more common for research funders and grants to stipulate that research publications must be made available Open Access. Typically, this is done by applying a Creative Commons license to the research publication. It is important to be familiar with your funding terms to confirm which Creative Commons licenses will meet your Open Access requirements, and to ensure that your intended publisher uses Creative Commons licenses. More liberal licenses (such as CC BY or CC BY-SA) will often meet Open Access requirements. 

 

Creative Commons and Data 

Data is also frequently deposited under a Creative Commons license. Data is not copyright protectable, per se, but using a Creative Commons license helps provide notice to the user about how the data may be reused. Creative Commons licenses can also provide a good reminder that attribution is required for any data reuse. The most liberal licenses (such as CC0 Public Domain Dedication or the CC BY license) are often viewed as the most compatible with data deposits.  

Under some funding or grant requirements you may find there are both data deposit and Open Access publication requirements. It is important to ensure that any Creative Commons license you use will be compatible with both your data and publication obligations.  

 

Other Features of Creative Commons Licenses 

  • Research papers can have broader exposure and impact if they are openly licensed; 
  • Readers have automatic permission to do certain things with your work—this means having to respond to fewer reuse requests; 
  • Creative Commons licenses are standardized legal tools (you do not need to create your own licenses); 
  • Creative Commons licenses are irrevocable once applied—users can be assured they will have the ongoing right to use material under a Creative Commons license; 
  • Creative Commons licensed materials are “no cost” options for students; 
  • Most (other than CC BY-ND and CC BY-NC-ND) Creative Commons licensed works are remixable and adaptable—as long as the license terms are followed instructors may adapt the material to make it more relevant to their class;
  • It may be impossible to predict how a Creative Commons licensed work will be used in future or who is using the work (there is no central record of use and reuse);
  • Some terms in Creative Commons licenses are subject to conflicting interpretations (for example, the meaning of No Derivatives and commercial use is debated).