Author rights
Author rights, copyright and licensing
A journal decision affects more than where your paper appears. It determines who owns the published work, how others may reuse it, whether you can deposit it in a repository, and whether the publication meets funder or institutional requirements.
Maintained by the Beallslists.com editorial review team · Evidence reviewed: · Current verification cycle: 2026
Six questions to answer before signing
- Do authors retain copyright or transfer it to the publisher?
- Which license applies to the published article?
- Can the accepted manuscript be deposited in an institutional or subject repository?
- Is there an embargo period?
- Can figures or substantial portions be reused in later work?
- Does the agreement match your funder or employer's rights-retention requirements?
Creative Commons is not one license
Labels such as CC BY, CC BY-NC and CC BY-NC-ND permit different kinds of reuse. A journal should identify the exact license on the article and explain any author choices or additional fees.
Warning signs in publication agreements
- The license described on the website differs from the agreement you receive.
- Rights are transferred before an editorial decision without a clear reason.
- Repository or reuse rights are difficult to identify.
- Mandatory charges appear only inside the final agreement.
- The publisher claims broad rights that are inconsistent with an advertised open license.
Keep the version you agreed to
Save the author agreement, license selection and relevant policy pages. If the journal changes its website later, you will still have a record of the terms under which you published.
Also review APC transparency and publication ethics.
Sources and further verification
- Creative Commons licenses — plain-language information about standard open licenses
- Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing — copyright, licensing and author-fee transparency principles
Historical records are useful context, but journal ownership, indexing, policies and websites can change. Verify current claims at the original source before making a submission, hiring, promotion or funding decision.