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Copyright training

Understanding copyright is a key part of digital literacy. We offer the following training to support your study and skills development.

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UCL Copyright Essentials online tutorial

The UCL Copyright Essentials tutorial is suitable for students and staff who would like an introduction or refresher on copyright basics.

You can complete the 20-minute online tutorial at your own pace. You will learn through quizzes, short videos and common scenarios.

Complete the Copyright Essentials online tutorial →

You will learn about:

  • Being mindful of other people's rights when using their work.
  • Types of works protected by copyright.
  • Getting permission.
  • Working around permissions: using copyright exceptions in education and research.
  • Using open materials - Creative Commons Licences.

What others say: 

"Excellent examples and easy to understand."
"Fantastic course, engaging, interactive and informative."
"Great introduction that also manages to be entertaining and thought provoking."

MicroCPD: embedding copyright literacy into your teaching

This 90-second video explains how to help your students understand and apply best practices when using and creating copyright materials - and why it is important to do so. 

Access the microCPD


Copyright training sessions

The following sessions are scheduled for 2023-2024. Each is delivered twice per semester, online and in person. See full programme.

If you cannot make the scheduled dates, please contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk to arrange a bespoke session.

Copyright for postgraduate students

Who owns the rights to your thesis, publications and other works you create in the course of your studies? Can you include other people's materials in your thesis? Can you include your own published articles? What do you need to consider?

In this session we address these questions and many more. You will hear about the essentials of copyright, discuss copyright in relation to your research, and have the opportunity to ask questions.

By the end of this session, you will:

  1. Understand how to use your knowledge of copyright, permissions and exceptions to include copyright materials in theses.
  2. Understand ownership and licensing of your own works (theses, publications and data).
  3. Be able to use and create open (e.g. Creative Commons) materials).
Copyright for research staff

In this session we address copyright as it relates to your publications and research data. We start with an overview of copyright, licences and permissions and take a closer look at the following: using copyright materials in your research publications; considerations for open access materials; licensing your own publications and data. We allow time for questions and discussion.

By the end of this session, you will:

  1. Make well-informed decisions about reusing the works of others in your research projects and publications.
  2. Understand copyright exceptions and licences as they apply to research.
  3. Manage your own copyright with confidence when seeking to publish your work.
  4. Make informed choices about publishing in an open access environment.
Copyright and your teaching

Can you include a resource (e.g. a quote, image, recording) in a lecture? What about a recorded lecture? What about Moodle? While this session outlines what it not advisable to do, it also focusses on what is possible. We discuss applying copyright exceptions and fair dealing in an education setting and guide you through using openly licensed resources, both when using copyright materials and when creating your own. We also discuss what you can do to help increase your students' copyright knowledge.

By the end of this session, you will:

  1. Know more about copyright law, licences (CLA) and exceptions.
  2. Use this knowledge  to include copyright materials in your teaching.
  3. Know how to use and create open (Creative Commons) materials in your teaching.
  4. Be able to pass on best practice to your srudents.
Using and creating open materials: an introduction to open licences

What are open licences, and why do they matter? How do they work alongside copyright? In this session we discuss how open licences can be used to support a more open, sustainable and creative research environment, drawing from case studies in  research, teaching and the creative industries. You will learn how to reuse and attribute openly licensed materials, and how to license your own works. The session focusses primarily on Creative Commons licences, but we also outline other licences applied to software and code.

By the end of this session, you will:

  1. Understand how open licences work.
  2. Know what you need to consider when reusing open resources in your research and teaching.
  3. Know what to consider when licensing your own work for reuse, in line with funder requirements.
Copyright and your publishing contracts

What is a copyright transfer agreement? What is an exclusive licence? What rights do you normally keep or give away when you sign a publishing agreement? And where does open access fit in these agreements? In this hands-on session we will visit some common terms that come up in copyright transfer agreements and suggest some things you can do to be able to reuse your own work in your research and teaching activities. If you are about to sign a publisher agreement and have specific questions, please bring them along.

By the end of this session, you will:

  1. Understand common terms in publishing agreements.
  2. Be able to identify what rights are important to keep to enable research, teaching and open access practices.
  3. Understand the current developments around rights retention.
Bespoke advice and training: book an appointment

If you cannot make the scheduled sessions or if you require advice on a specific topic, please book an appointment with the copyright support officer or contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk.