Proceedings Citation Guide

Copyright and Licences for Proceedings Papers: CC BY, Copyright Transfer, Self-Archiving

Publishers handle rights in proceedings papers in different ways. This guide explains the common models in general terms. It is information, not legal advice.

Last updated 6 November 2026

On this page
  1. Copyright, transfer and licence to publish
  2. What large publishers describe
  3. Creative Commons licences
  4. Self-archiving
  5. How to read a licence line
  6. Reusing figures, tables and text
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Sources and further reading
  9. Related topics

In brief

  • Copyright can be transferred to a publisher, or the author can keep it and grant a licence to publish; terms differ by publisher and event.
  • CC BY 4.0 lets others copy and adapt the work, even commercially, if they give credit, link the licence and note changes.
  • Self-archiving rights depend on your signed agreement, so read it rather than assume.
  • The licence line on a paper applies to that version; check each figure for separate terms.

Copyright, transfer and licence to publish

Copyright is the legal right that an author holds in an original work. Rules differ by country, so this page stays general. When a paper is accepted, the publisher or organiser usually asks the author to sign an agreement. Two broad models are common.

  • Copyright transfer: the author assigns copyright to the publisher, and the agreement then lists the rights the author keeps, such as reuse in their own teaching or posting a version online.
  • Licence to publish: the author keeps copyright and grants the publisher permission to publish and distribute. The licence may be exclusive or non-exclusive.

The exact wording matters. Two agreements that both sound like a transfer can leave authors with very different rights, so read the form before you sign.

Authors are not always the only rights holders. An employer, a funder or a university may have rules on who owns work made in their service, and a funder may require open access or a specific licence. Check these obligations before you sign a publisher's form, because the form may conflict with them. Your library or research office can usually explain the local rules.

What large publishers describe

Publisher policies change, so confirm them on the publisher's own pages. As a general pattern, the ACM describes several options for authors: a copyright transfer, an exclusive licence to publish, or a non-exclusive licence combined with open access, depending on the title and the author's institution. Other societies and publishers, such as IEEE and Springer, have their own agreements and author-rights pages.

Some proceedings, including many open-access series, ask authors to keep copyright and to publish under an open licence. An organiser may also publish a workshop volume on a repository with its own terms. Never assume that one publisher's rules apply to another. Find the form that applies to your event, and keep a copy of what you signed.

Creative Commons licences

Creative Commons (CC) offers standard public licences that authors apply to their own work. The most open common option is CC BY 4.0. According to Creative Commons, it allows anyone to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to adapt it, for any purpose including commercial use.

Reusers must meet these conditions:

  • give appropriate credit
  • provide a link to the licence
  • indicate whether they made changes
  • not suggest that the licensor endorses them or their use
  • not add legal terms or technical measures that block what the licence allows

Other CC licences add conditions. For example, a NonCommercial element limits commercial use, and a NoDerivatives element limits adapted versions. A licence does not cover rights it cannot grant, such as third-party material in the paper, and other rights such as privacy or moral rights may still apply. Creative Commons also states that the licensor cannot revoke the freedoms as long as the user follows the terms.

Self-archiving

Self-archiving means that authors post a copy of their paper on a personal page, an institutional repository or a preprint server. Whether you may do it, and which version you may post, depends on the agreement. Some publishers allow the submitted version, some the accepted manuscript, and some the final published version. Some set conditions, such as a link back to the official record or a waiting period called an embargo.

Check three things before you post: the version you plan to share, the place you plan to share it, and any notice the publisher requires. The guide to preprints and versions explains the version names. If you want to find legal free copies of other people's work, see open access proceedings.

How to read a licence line

A paper's first page or landing page often carries a short rights statement. Read it in this order.

  1. Find the copyright holder named, which may be the authors, the publisher or the organisers.
  2. Find the licence name and version, for example CC BY 4.0, and follow the link to the licence text.
  3. Check whether the statement covers the whole proceedings or only this paper.
  4. Look for notes about third-party material, which often carry separate permission.

If no licence is stated, do not assume reuse is free. Contact the rights holder or follow the publisher's permissions route.

Reusing figures, tables and text

Quoting a short passage with a citation is usually handled by the quotation rules in your jurisdiction and your style guide. Reproducing a figure or table is different, since you copy an expressive part of the work.

  • If the paper is under CC BY, you may reuse a figure with credit, a licence link and a note of changes, unless the figure is marked as third-party material.
  • If the paper is under a transfer or a restrictive licence, ask the publisher for permission. Many publishers offer an online request form.
  • If you redraw data yourself, cite the source, because the underlying facts may be free to use while the original graphic may not be.

Rules on exceptions vary by country. Ask your library or a qualified adviser if the case is not clear. For correct attribution of what you do cite, see common citation mistakes.

Frequently asked questions

Do I keep copyright when I publish a workshop paper?

It depends on the agreement you sign. Some publishers take a transfer, while others let authors keep copyright and grant a licence. Read the form.

What does CC BY 4.0 allow?

It lets others copy, redistribute and adapt the work, including commercially, if they credit the author, link to the licence and note any changes.

Can I post my accepted paper on my website?

Only if your agreement or the publisher's author-rights policy allows it for that version. Check the version, the place and any embargo.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is general information. Rules vary by country and agreement, so consult your library or a qualified adviser for a specific case.

Sources and further reading

  1. Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
  2. Creative Commons — About CC Licenses
  3. Association for Computing Machinery — ACM Author Rights
  4. Association for Computing Machinery — ACM Open Access
  5. NISO — NISO RP-8-2008, Journal Article Versions (JAV) (2008)
  6. Zenodo — Manage versions (Zenodo help)