Knowledge Mobilization

Intellectual Property (commonly referred to as "IP") is a form of legal protection for creators so they have exclusive rights on how their works get used, reproduced and shared. The most common form of IP is copyright which applies to a wide range of works including books, journal articles, films, songs, and computer programs. For example, when you write a research article, you are the copyright owner by default. Trademark and patent are other forms of IP.    

Under Sheridan's IP Policy, students own copyright to their work unless the material is created for:

• A student job or work study at the college
• A research project led by a faculty or staff member. Copyright ownership belongs to the individual(s) who is/are primarily responsible for creating or directing the work's development. 
• A research or capstone project with an agreement with a third-party (e.g., an industry partner) indicating different copyright ownership. Refer to Generator at Sheridan's IP Module for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Activities for Students.

Students who are co-authors on a project share copyright ownership unless there is an agreement stating otherwise.   

If you plan to publish your work in a journal or book, you should be aware that many publishers ask authors to transfer their copyright through a contract. It is important to carefully review your contract and ask questions before signing it. You could try negotiating with the publisher to retain certain rights in your contract. For example, be able to copy and share your work for a non-commercial purpose such as sharing your work in an open access repository. Refer to the "Canadian Author Addendum" to make this kind of request with a publisher. 

• You would need to ensure your use is permissible under the Canadian copyright law. For example, if you are copying an article to read for a research purpose, it is permissible under fair dealing of the copyright law. However, if you want to copy a large portion of the same article to use in your research publication, you will likely need permission from the author or publisher. Refer to Sheridan Library's Copyright Guide for more information.
• Copyright and academic integrity are related but separate issues. Citing a source is important for avoiding plagiarism (i.e., not misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own). However, citing a source may not be sufficient for copyright compliance. For example, if you share your peer’s unpublished research paper with their name included but without authorization, you could be infringing on their copyright.
• You need to cite your sources AND comply with copyright in your research activities.