---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:42:12 +0200 (CEST)
From: Stefano Ghirlanda <stefano@zool.su.se>
To: Stevan Harnad <harnad@coglit.ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Cc: cbergst@emory.edu, forsdyke@post.queensu.ca, mcneilljd@mail.utexas.edu,
magnus@zool.su.se, mh.uniespo@innet.be, Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>,
nholland@ufl.edu, pmg@nbi.dk, ravisri@vsnl.cm,
wolfgang.engelmann@uni-tuebingen.de, lieb@math.princeton.edu,
Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>,
Guedon Jean-Claude <guedon@LITTCO.UMontreal.CA>,
Andrew Odlyzko EJ <amo@research.att.com>, ginsparg@xxx.lanl.org
Subject: Re: Copyright FAQ for authors
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Copyright HOWTO - second draft
If you would like to ask a journal to modify their copyright policy so
that you and possibly others can post your articles on the web, you might
find the following suggestions helpful.
* TAKE THE INITIATIVE
Some journals will accept a copyright agreement different from their
standard one if asked to, but will not offer a liberal agreement from the
beginning. We know of several journals that will leave non-commerical
distribution of a paper unrestricted if the author asks for it.
Thus, when you get the copyright-transfer form from a journal, just
send back a different, already signed one with a science-friendly
policy. You can model your requests after the American Physical
Society's (APS) policy, which can be found at:
ftp://aps.org/pub/jrnls/copy_trnsfr.asc
A possible sample text is:
I hereby transfer to [publisher or journal] all rights to sell or
lease the text of [paper]. I retain the right only to distribute
it for free for scholarly/scientific or educational purposes,
in particular, the right to archive it publicly online on the Web.
More precise wording (legally speaking) can be found in the APS policy
above. It should be clear that only non-commerical distribution will be
unrestricted, and that the publisher would retain all commerical rights.
* IN CASE OF A "NO"
If your agreement is declined by the journal, it may prove effective to
express concern that a too restrictive copyright policy may hinder the
free circulation of scientific ideas. Say also that people's
willingness to submit to this or that journal may in the future be
influenced by their copyright policies.
Some journals are owned by scientific associations, but the copyright
is often managed by a commercial publisher. Try to go through the
association first, especially if you are or have been a member.
* REJOICE
You can consider your time well spent even when the publisher fails to
accept your conditions. It is important that the journals know what an
author considers an important precondition for submission.
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Stefano Ghirlanda, Zoologiska Institutionen, Stockholms Universitet
Office: D554, Arrheniusv. 14, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 164055, Fax: +46 8 167715, Email: stefano@zool.su.se
Support Free Science, look at: http://rerumnatura.zool.su.se
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