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Copyright: Open Educational Resources

Open Resources

While UNBC has subscribed to licenses for thousands of journals and databases and purchased licenses for journals and eBooks, there are many other resources that are freely available for reuse. This includes media, such as photographs or videos, resources such as books and journals, and even textbooks, learning materials, and lesson plans. A few of these are highlighted below. 

Open Media

Finding Open and Creative Commons Content (UofA)

Open Educational Resources

Attributing Creative Commons Materials

All Creative Commons licenses require that users of the work attribute the creator. Attributions should include:

  • the author’s name, screen name, or user ID, etc. If the work is being published on the Internet, it is best practice to link that name to the person’s profile page, if such a page exists.
  • the work’s title or name (if applicable), if such a thing exists. If the work is being published on the Internet, it is best practice to link the name or title directly to the original work.
  • the specific type of license the work is available under. Linking to the license will allow others to find the license terms
  • The URL where the work is hosted
  • Mention if the work is a derivative work or adaptation, in addition to the above, one needs to identify that their work is a derivative work i.e., “This is a Finnish translation of [original work] by Allan Bell.” or “Screenplay based on [original work] by Allan Bell.”*

There is no one "right" way to attribute a Creative Commons work: provide the necessary information about the work, but also be reasonable. Attribution will look different depending on assignment format, citation style, and any further requirements from your instructor. The goal is to enable your reader to find the material you used, to know if it's been altered, and to understand how they can use it too.

*These bullet  points are from "Copyright at UBC: Creative Commons Guide", (c) Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office, CC BY-SA 4.0.

For more on attribution, see Recommended Practices for Attribution: basic components of attribution on the Creative Commons Wiki.

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Copyright Queries

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Barbara Willmer

Legal Disclaimer

The UNBC Copyright Office makes every effort to provide accurate copyright information for educational purposes. This information is not to be construed as legal advice and should not be relied upon in that regard.