Researcher copyright questions and answers

As a researcher, I want to cite works in my article, conference paper, book (chapter), dissertation

How to cite sources in new work    

You should always cite your sources properly, even if they are your own works. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism. There are three ways to include information from sources in your own text: you can quote, paraphrase, or summarise it.    

Quoting

If the exact wording used in the original document is important, you should quote the text, e.g. when the formulation used by the author matters. Put the quotation between double quotation marks to indicate that the words are not your own and add a reference. Important: long quotations of 40 words or more are considered block quotations and are formatted in an isolated block without quotation marks.   

When quoting other texts, bear in mind that:   

  • Too many quotations make your text difficult to read.   
  • Quotations must not be too long. Your text should mostly be your own, not a copy of what someone else wrote.   

Paraphrasing  

Often, you will find yourself wanting to use ideas put forward in someone else’s work in your own. By paraphrasing other people’s ideas instead of quoting them directly, you can show that you understand the idea(s)in question. A paraphrase is approximately the same length as the original text.   
Paraphrase a text by describing the original idea(s) in your own words and adding a reference.   

When you paraphrase:   

  • Use your own words. You have to do more than just replace one or two words with a synonym!   
  • Make sure your readers are absolutely clear about which parts of your text are paraphrases, and which parts are your own ideas.   

Summarising  

Summarising means describing a significant part of someone else’s work in a few sentences. This lets you incorporate a complete overview of someone else’s ideas into your own work.  The rules for summarising are the same as for paraphrasing: use your own words and add a reference. 

Formatting your references

There are certain rules for the order of the references in your reference list as well as for the formatting of the references themselves. These rules are determined by the citation style (or reference style) you choose. A reference must contain enough information to be traceable. There are many different citation styles to choose from. Two examples are APA and IEEE. For more examples, please visit the TUlib website and APA 7th Citation Examples.  

Text generated by AI tools (such as ChatGPT)

Describe how you used the tool in your methodology section or introduction and mention the prompt. Consult always the rules of your reference style when and how content from the AI tool can be used and cited.

You should always mention that the work was created by an AI tool and you should never use it as it is generated by an AI tool without changing anything and without any reference. If you decide to use it without changing anything, then this might be considered violation of academic integrity. You should try to find sources to validate the output an AI gives you. If not, then you might have incomplete or incorrect content in your work. You should edit, proofread and make the text your own.

Images

All reproduced images, photographs, tables and figures in your work must be cited three times: in the text, in the caption beneath the image (including a copyright statement) and in the reference list. You do not have to include a copyright statement if you bought a stock photo or if the image is your own work. In that case, use the words “own work” in the caption or add a note in your text stating that unreferenced photos or drawings are your own.   

Copyright statement example   

Include the following information in the image caption:

  • Figure X    
  • Title of the figure    
  • “From” or “Adapted from” (this is the start of the copyright statement)    
  • The title, author(s), year of publication, and the source of your image    
  • Copyright year and the name of the copyright holder    
  • Copyright permission: “Reprinted [or Adapted] with permission” (only if you have permission) or “In the public domain”.    

 Example copyrighted image: 

Figure 4.18: Reflections. From Optics (5th ed. p. 108), by E. Hecht, 2017, Harlow: Pearson. Copyright 2017 by Pearson, No further use is allowed. 
 

In-text citation of this example:    
As shown in fig. 4.18, there are different …    
In the reference list:    
Hecht, E. (2017). Optics (5th ed.). Pearson.

Example open licensed image: 

You can use the Attribution Builder to create a proper attribution 

Figure 7: Light rail Houston. From “Wikimedia Commons,” by M. Haase, 2006 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Light_Rail_Houston.jpg). Licensed under CC BY 2.5.

In-text citation of this example:    
As shown in fig. 7, Houston is one of the cities in the USA with a light rail system …    
In the reference list:    
Haase, M. (2006). Light rail Houston [Photograph]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Light_Rail_Houston.jpg    

 

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As a researcher, I want to cite works in my data

How to cite when you create new work

If you use other sources, you should always cite them properly, even if they are your own works. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism. For an example of how to cite a data set, check out TUlib’s APA citation example (choose Internet/Social media and then Data set). For CC licensed works, you can use the attribution builder to create a proper attribution.    

 Plagiarism    

 Plagiarism is generally a copyright infringement caused by a failure to correctly reference the source when quoting a published work or parts thereof. You must always reference your source. We advise you to use open datasets published in data repositories (e.g. 4TU.ResearchData) and giving credits to the original creator.  

“Mimi and Eunice: thief” by Nina Paley is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 

 

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As a researcher, I want to cite works in my software

How to cite when you create new work   

If you use other sources, you should always cite them properly, even if they are your own works. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism. For an example of how to cite software, check out TUlib’s APA citation example.  

Plagiarism    

Plagiarism is generally a copyright infringement caused by a failure to correctly reference the source when quoting a published work or parts thereof. You must always reference your source. We advise you to use open-source software and giving credits to the original creator.  Check the Turing Way website for software licenses. For more information about the software licenses, you can check the Open Software Guidelines.   

“Mimi and Eunice: thief” by Nina Paley is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

 

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As a researcher, I want to cite works in my multimedia

You should always cite your sources properly, even if they are your own works. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism.  

Video   

There are three ways to reference your sources in a video:   

  •  On the website/platform used to view the video e.g., in Brightspace
  • In the video itself 
  • In the description of the video

Source: Van Scholl, P. (2020). Webinar 16: Modifying an OER [PowerPoint slides]. TU Delft.  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kkTcqTHDvSbgT42QSRLakjzqppCIoTPu/edit#slide=id.g8b7b4e0130_0_41  

There are different styles for referencing sources properly, such as APA and IEEE. For more examples, please visit the TUlib website and APA 7th Citation Examples. If the video has a Creative Commons license, you can use the Open Attribution Builder.   

 

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As a researcher, I want to re-use multimedia in my article, conference paper, book (chapter), dissertation, multimedia

The first thing to do is check whether the image, photo, video (still) etc. you want to reuse in your own work is a copyrighted work or a work with an open license (e.g., Creative Commons license). If you cannot find any mention of copyright, you should always assume that it is a copyrighted work (all rights are reserved), which means that you have to ask permission.    

Copyrighted multimedia   

If you want to reuse copyrighted images, photos, video (stills) etc. you need permission from the copyright holder(s) in writing. You must inform the copyright holder(s) about why you need to reuse the image, photo, video (stills) etc., under what conditions and in what environment. For an example of how to request permission, see the request permission form. This is a template only and should be adjusted based on your specific situation.   

If you don’t want to ask permission to use an image, you are allowed to use the right to quote. The right to quote is laid down in Article 15a of the Dutch Copyright Act. This right not only applies to parts of texts, but also lets you reproduce photos and images in their entirety as scientific illustrations.   

There are certain rules to follow when using the right to quote. One important rule is that you must reference the source and the name of the creator. You may only quote works that have already been lawfully published. To quote unpublished work, you need the permission of the creator. A quotation should serve to clarify an argument or description, must therefore be relevant to the argument, and should only constitute a small part of your work as a whole.   

Summarising,   
you have to meet the following requirements when quoting someone else’s work:   

  • You can only do so for a clearly identifiable purpose.
  • You may not quote more than is strictly necessary.
  • You must reference the source.
  • The source must have been lawfully published.

  If one of these requirements is NOT met, you must ask for permission. You can only use the right to quote when strictly necessary.

Beware:   

  • Some professionals, such as photographers, cartoonists, draughtsmen, filmmakers, graphic designers, and illustrators are very sensitive about the reuse of their work. After all, it is how they make their living. Generally, limit using the works of these professionals as much as possible.  
  • The right to quote does not cover using images for decorative purposes in your work (e.g., cover of a paper/thesis). In this case, always ask for permission or use open images.   

Multimedia with an open license   

  • Images, pictures, videos etc. with Creative Commons licenses.      
  • Images, graphs, charts and diagrams, videos you made yourself and for which you still hold the copyright.
  • Images, pictures etc. whose copyrights have expired. Generally, copyrights expire 70 years after the year of the death of the creator, after which you no longer need permission to use the image.     

For open materials, go to the Open Educational Resources webpage (click on the Open multimedia-tab in the middle of the webpage).

 

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As a researcher, I want to re-use text in my article, conference paper, book (chapter), dissertation, multimedia

Copyrighted texts 

Generally, you need to ask for permission in order to use someone else’s work. In case of multiple copyright holders, permission needs to be taken from all of them. For more information, please check “cite work in” option. You are always allowed to summarize and paraphrase texts written by someone else or you can rely on the right to quote (for more information, see below). You should always cite your sources properly, even if they are your own works. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism. The right to quote is laid down in Article 15a of the Dutch Copyright Act. This right does not only apply to parts of texts, but also permits you to reproduce photos and images in their entirety as scientific illustrations. There are certain rules to follow when using the right to quote. One important rule is that you must reference the source and the name of the creator. You may only quote works that have already been lawfully published. To quote unpublished work, you need the permission of the creator. A quotation should serve to clarify an argument or description, must therefore be relevant to the argument, and should only constitute a small part of your work as a whole. 

Summarizing, you have to meet the following requirements when quoting someone else’s work: 

  • You can only do so for a clearly identifiable purpose.
  • You may not quote more than is strictly necessary.
  • You must reference the source.
  • The source must have been lawfully published.

If one of these requirements is NOT met, you must ask for permission. You can only use the right to quote when strictly necessary. 

TIP
If you are using someone else’s work, always check how the owner of the work wants their own work to be used. If you want to re-use work posted on a website or in any other environment, check the terms of use/legal terms/copyright notice of the place where you found the work. If you want to check the open access publishers’ policies, please use Sherpa Romeo to find what they do and/or do not allow.   

Please find below a video where is explained how to use Sherpa Romeo.

 

Re-use of your own work

It may be the case that your dissertation, master’s thesis or bachelor’s thesis contains passages that are highly similar to texts found in a manuscript that you write and submit as an article or for a conference proceeding. In such instances, the publisher can consider the submitted work to be ‘plagiarism’ because texts are quoted that have not been referenced. However, TU Delft considers such texts to be unpublished work because they constitute part of a work that has no official publication status.

You can send the editor of the publisher a letter that explains TU Delft’s standpoint. The copyright team can also mediate for you. If the editor still refuses to accept your work, we can place the original texts in your thesis or dissertation under embargo. This means that your thesis/dissertation will no longer be indexed. Your work can then be considered original and the publisher can accept it.

Text generated by AI tools (such as ChatGPT)

Describe how you used the tool in your methodology section or introduction and mention the prompt.

You should always mention that the work was created by an AI tool and you should never use it as it is generated by an AI tool without changing anything and without any reference. If you decide to use it without changing anything, then this might be considered violation of academic integrity. You should try to find sources to validate the output an AI gives you. If not, then you might have incomplete or incorrect content in your work. You should edit, proofread and make the text your own.

For more information about how to cite, choose the option “cite works in”.

Texts with open license

To find out what you can do with the text, check the Creative Commons (CC) license. You are always allowed to summarise, paraphrase and quote texts, but do not forget to attribute the source. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism. For more information about how to cite, choose the option “cite works in”, article, scientific poster, conference paper, book, dissertation or multimedia.

Texts used under the “text and data mining” exception 

If applicable, the researchers can apply the “text and data mining” exception in their research. This can only happen when the purpose is only scientific and the access to the text(s) is lawful. It is not allowed to publish the text(s) obtained based on the text and data mining exception. In case you would like to re-use part of the text(s) in your publication, please check above whether the right to quote could be of help or try to paraphrase or summarise the text(s), otherwise permission is needed. 

 

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As a researcher, I want to re-use data in my article, conference paper, book (chapter), dissertation, multimedia, data

The first thing to do is check whether the dataset you want to reuse in your own work is a copyrighted dataset or a dataset with an open license. If you cannot find any mention of copyright, you should always assume that it is a copyrighted dataset (all rights are reserved), which means that you will have to ask permission from the copyright holder.   

On this page we refer to the data as datasets which are numerical facts that are organized in a systematic way. If by using the term data you mean that data are e.g., images or works that are protected by copyright separately, you will need to check if you can use these works based on the copyright rules and conditions that apply to each one of these works separately. If in doubt, please contact the Copyright Information Point. 

Attention: Not all data can be re-used. Types of data that cannot be re-used are confidential data, personal data or data that are not allowed to be re-used based on a contract or an agreement. Always check what you can or cannot do when it comes to the re-usability of the data. For example, in the case of confidential data, you should check the contract you have signed with the party that gave you access to this data (most likely you will not be able to re-use confidential data as it has “confidential” status). In case of personal data please check the Privacy for Researchers page on the TU Delft website to find out what you can and/or cannot do. 

Copyrighted datasets   

If you want to reuse a copyrighted dataset you need permission from the copyright holder(s) in writing. You must inform the copyright holder about why you need to reuse (parts of) the dataset, under what conditions and in what environment it will be used. For an example of how to request permission, see the request permission form. This is a template only and should be adjusted based on your specific situation.  

If applicable, the “right to quote” could also be used within its own limitations. You have to meet the following requirements when quoting someone else’s work (e.g., dataset): 

  • You can only do so for a clearly identifiable purpose. 
  • You may not quote more than is strictly necessary. 
  • You must reference the source. 
  • The source must have been lawfully published. 

If one of these requirements is NOT met, you must ask for permission. You can only use the right to quote when strictly necessary. 

If applicable, the researchers can apply the “text and data mining” exception in their research. This can only happen when the purpose is only scientific and the access to the data is lawful. It is not allowed to publish the data obtained based on the text and data mining exception. In case you would like to re-use part of the data in your publication, please check above whether the right to quote could be of help, otherwise permission is needed. 

Datasets with an open license   

Open datasets are datasets with an open license (e.g., Creative Commons license). These datasets are published in data repositories (e.g. 4TU.ResearchData) and can be re-used according to the license conditions. You should always cite your sources properly, even if they are your own works. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism. For more information about how to cite, choose the option “cite works”, data.   

 

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As a researcher, I want to re-use software in my article, conference paper, book (chapter), dissertation, multimedia, software

The first step you need to take is to check what type of license the software you want to reuse has.     
If you cannot find any mention of the license or copyright, you should always assume that you cannot reuse the software because all rights are reserved. This means that you must ask permission from the copyright holder.    

Copyrighted Software

 If you want to reuse copyrighted software, you need permission from the copyright holder(s) in writing. You must inform the copyright holder about why you need to reuse (parts of) the software, under what conditions and in what environment. For an example of how to request permission, see the request permission form. This is a template only and should be adjusted based on your specific situation.   

If applicable the right to quote could also be used within its own limitations. 

You have to meet the following requirements when quoting someone else’s work (e.g., software): 

  • You can only do so for a clearly identifiable purpose. 
  • You may not quote more than is strictly necessary. 
  • You must reference the source. 
  • The source must have been lawfully published. 

If one of these requirements is NOT met, you must ask for permission. You can only use the right to quote when strictly necessary.

Software with an open-source license    

Open-source software licenses indicate how software may be used, modified, or distributed and by whom.  Check the Turing Way site for software licenses.    

You should always cite your sources properly, even if they are your own works. Failing to cite your sources properly will ultimately lead to accusations of plagiarism.     
For more information about how to cite, choose the option “cite works in”, software.    

 

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As a researcher, I want share my dissertation, multimedia, article, conference paper, book (chapter)

Share works

Copyrighted works

If you want to share your copyrighted work, you need permission from the copyright holder in writing (if you are not the copyright holder). In case you have transferred the copyright or in case you have created the work with the company (joint ownership), please check the contract or the agreement you have signed. When you ask for permission, you must inform the copyright holder about why you need to reuse (parts of) the software, under what conditions and in what environment. For an example of how to request permission, click here. This is a template only and it should be adjusted based on your specific situation.

If you are about to sign a contract, check the “sign a contract for" option.

Works with an open license

TU Delft supports the use of the creative Commons Licenses framework. There are different kinds of Creative Commons (CC) licenses. With the Creative Commons, you do not give up or transfer your copyrights, but do allow third parties to re-use your work under certain conditions.

Posting a work on/in a website/repository/social media/TUD environment

Carefully check the terms and conditions beforehand. This will allow you to prevent transferring your copyright (if implied/stated in the terms and conditions) and tell you how you can use your work and who else would be able to use it later on and under what conditions.

 Sharing a work (dissertation, multimedia, article, scientific poster, conference paper, book chapter) under Taverne Amendment

 You can share your work under Taverne Amendment stipulated in Dutch Copyright Law Article 25fa Copyright Act. This allows researchers to share (brief) works such as articles and books articles under the open access scheme. For more information about sharing your work openly under the Taverne Amendment, check TU Delft Library’s website on the topic: You share, we take care! 

 In case you would like to check what the publishers’ open access policies are and which one suits you the most, please use Sherpa Romeo.

 

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As a researcher, I want to share my data

Raw data means data that has not been processed, coded, formatted or analysed. Raw data is not copyrightable. What is copyrightable is the expression of the data in a database or dataset or in any systematic way. Creative Commons (CC) licenses can be used to share data under certain conditions.

In this answer we refer to the data as numerical facts, organized in a systematic way. If by using the term data you mean that data is e.g., images or works that are protected by copyright separately, you will need to check if you can use these works based on the copyright rules and conditions that apply to each one of these works separately. If in doubt, please contact the Copyright Information Point.

Attention: Not all data can be shared. Types of data that cannot be shared are confidential, personal data or data that are not allowed to be shared based on a contract or an agreement. Always check what you can or cannot do.

Data in copyrighted works

You can share your work as you see fit, given the fact that you still own its copyright. In case you have signed a contract e.g., with a company, please check therein what is and is not allowed. In case you are about to sign a contract, please check the “sign a contract for” option.

Data in work with an open license

TU Delft supports the use of the Creative Commons (CC)  licenses framework. There are different Creative Commons licenses. With Creative Commons you do not give up or transfer your copyright, but you allow third parties to re-use your work under certain conditions. For more information about the types of licenses, please check the general Creative Commons page and the Figshare website to find the most appropriate license for your data.

Posting a work with data on/in a website/repository/social media/TUD environment

Carefully check the terms and conditions beforehand. This will allow you to prevent transferring your copyright (if implied/stated in the terms and conditions) and tell you how you can use your data and who else would be able to use it later on and under what conditions.

Sharing data in an article or book under Taverne Amendment

You can share your data that are included in an article or a book under Taverne Amendment stipulated in Dutch Copyright Law Article 25fa Copyright Act. Taverne Amendment allows researchers to share (brief) works such as articles and books under the open access scheme. For more information about sharing your work openly under the Taverne Amendment, check TU Delft Library’s website on the topic: You share, we take care! 

In case you would like to check what the publishers’ open access policies are and which one suits you best, please use Sherpa Romeo.

 

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As a researcher, I want share my software

Copyrighted works

If you want to share your copyrighted software, you need permission from the copyright holder in writing (if you are not the copyright holder). In case you have transferred the copyright or in case you have created the work with the company (joint ownership), please check the contract or the agreement you have signed. When you ask for permission, you must inform the copyright holder about why you need to reuse (parts of) the software, under what conditions and in what environment. For an example of how to request permission, click here. This is a template only and it should be adjusted based on your specific situation.

If you are about to sign a contract, check the “sign a contract for” option.

Works with an open license

TU Delft supports the use of the creative Commons Licenses framework. There are different kinds of Creative Commons (CC) licenses. With the Creative Commons, you do not give up or transfer your copyrights, but do allow third parties to re-use your work under certain conditions.

Posting a work on/in a website/repository/social media/TUD environment 

Carefully check the terms and conditions beforehand. This will allow you to prevent transferring your copyright (if implied/stated in the terms and conditions) and tell you how you can use your work and who else would be able to use it later on and under what conditions. 

Sharing software in a work (dissertation, multimedia, article, conference paper, book chapter) under Taverne Amendment 

You can share your work under Taverne Amendment stipulated in Dutch Copyright Law Article 25fa Copyright Act. This allows researchers to share (brief) works such as articles and books articles under the open access scheme. For more information about sharing your work openly under the Taverne Amendment, check TU Delft Library’s website on the topic: You share, we take care! 
In case you would like to check what the publishers’ open access policies are and which one suits you the most, please use Sherpa Romeo. 

 

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As a researcher, I want to choose a license for my article, conference paper, book (chapter), multimedia, dissertation

TU Delft supports the use of the Creative Commons Licenses framework. There are different Creative Commons Licenses. With creative commons you do not give up or transfer your copyrights, but you allow third parties to reuse your work under certain conditions. For more information about the types of licenses, please check the general page for Creative Commons (CC).  

General information about choosing a license for your own work

  •  Remember that you cannot revoke the license. Once you apply a CC license to your material, anyone who receives it may rely on that license for as long as the material is protected by copyright and similar rights, even if you later stop distributing it.    
  •  Make sure the material is appropriate for CC licensing. Specify precisely what it is that you are licensing. Any given work has multiple elements, e.g., text, images, music. Make sure to clearly mark or indicate in a notice which of those elements are or are not covered by the license.    
  •  If you want to combine or remix two works with a Creative Commons license, check the table below to find out whether you can. Find the license of the first work in the first row and the license of the second work in the first column. If the cell where the row & column intersect has a check mark, you can combine or remix the works. Use the most restrictive license of the two for your new work.   
"Open Content - A Practical Guide to Using Open Content Licences" by Markus Büsges is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

 

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As a researcher, I want to choose a license for my data

TU Delft supports the use of the Creative Commons Licenses framework. There are different kinds of Creative Commons (CC) licenses. With Creative Commons, you do not give up or transfer your copyrights, but do allow third parties to reuse your work under certain conditions. If data are expressed in an original way and they are protected by copyright, then CC licenses can be used to share them.  For more information about different types of licenses, please check the general page for Creative Commons and the Figshare website to find the most appropriate license for your data.

General information about choosing a license for your own work    

  •  Remember that you cannot revoke the license. Once you apply a CC license to your material, anyone who receives it may rely on that license for as long as the material is protected by copyright and similar rights, even if you later stop distributing it.    
  • Make sure the material is appropriate for CC licensing. Specify precisely what it is that you are licensing. Any given work has multiple elements, e.g., text, images, music. Make sure to clearly mark or indicate in a notice which of those elements are or are not covered by the license.    
  •  If you want to combine or remix two works with a Creative Commons license, check the table below to find out whether you can. Find the license of the first work in the first row and the license of the second work in the first column. If the cell where the row & column intersect has a check mark, you can combine or remix the works. Use the most restrictive license of the two for your new work.   
"Open Content - A Practical Guide to Using Open Content Licences" by Markus Büsges is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

 

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As a researcher, I want to choose a license for my software

Researchers/employees of TU Delft

For researchers/employees the copyright of software vests with TU Delft and Research Software guidelines TU Delft need to be followed. In case you want to share it openly TU Delft waives its claim to do so under certain conditions. Please check the guidelines page 14 onwards and follow the procedure of Chapter 4.  

Sharing a software under an open license

In addition to the Research Software guidelines TU Delft that need to be followed, TU Delft supports the use of the Creative Commons Licenses framework. There are different Creative Commons (CC) licenses. Some of them are applicable to software as well. For more information about open licenses applicable to software please check the Turing Way website about Software Licenses. For choosing open source licenses, this GitHub website can help.   

For more information about software licenses and questions about reusing software (relying on the right to quote), contact the Copyright Information Point.     

 

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As a researcher, I want to do a plagiarism check on my article, conference paper, book (chapter)

Plagiarism is generally a copyright infringement caused by a failure to correctly reference the source when quoting a published work or parts thereof. You must always reference your source. 

"How to Defend Against Online Plagiarism" by Harris Xiong is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

Plagiarism check on articles, literary works

On request, TU Delft Library creates Plagiarism Similarity reports of articles/papers for TU Delft teachers and researchers using the online tool iThenticate. Only articles/papers that are ready to be submitted to a journal of an official publisher or a conference organizer are eligible to create a Plagiarism Similarity report. Individual papers and chapters not created for this purpose are not eligible for report creation. In principle articles/papers can only be submitted once for a plagiarism check. Use the TOPdesk form to have a Plagiarism Similarity report made by the library. 

Your work regarded as plagiarism?  

It may be the case that your dissertation, master’s thesis or bachelor’s thesis contains passages that are highly similar to texts found in a manuscript that you write and submit as an article or for a conference proceeding. In such instances, the publisher can consider the submitted work to be ‘plagiarism’ because texts are quoted that have not been referenced. However, TU Delft considers such texts to be unpublished work because they constitute part of a work that has no official publication status.

You can send the editor of the publisher a letter that explains TU Delft’s standpoint. The copyright team can also mediate for you. If the editor still refuses to accept your work, we can place the original texts in your thesis or dissertation under embargo. This means that your thesis/dissertation will no longer be indexed. Your work can then be considered original and the publisher can accept it.

 Your work plagiarised?

If you believe your work has been plagiarised by another author/ other authors, please contact the copyright team. Using iThenticate, they will draw up a report that you can send to the publisher of the journal in which the texts plagiarising your work was published. Usually, the offending work will be removed from the publishing platform, or a notice will be placed that the work is suspected of plagiarism.

“Mimi and Eunice: thief” by Nina Paley is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0   

 

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As a researcher, I want to do a plagiarism check on my dissertation

Plagiarism is generally a copyright infringement caused by a failure to correctly reference the source when quoting a published work or parts thereof. You must always reference your source. 

"How to Defend Against Online Plagiarism" by Harris Xiong is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Plagiarism check on dissertations

To minimise plagiarism, TU Delft Library checks all dissertations in the tool iThenticate to determine whether they may be plagiarising previously published texts. This check is a requirement laid down in TU Delft’s Doctoral Regulations (section D, art. 1.4). Information about the procedure can be found on the website of the Graduate School.
Promotors can use these resources:

Your work regarded as plagiarism?  

It may be the case that your dissertation, master’s thesis or bachelor’s thesis contains passages that are highly similar to texts found in a manuscript that you write and submit as an article or for a conference proceeding. In such instances, the publisher can consider the submitted work to be ‘plagiarism’ because texts are quoted that have not been referenced. However, TU Delft considers such texts to be unpublished work because they constitute part of a work that has no official publication status.

You can send the editor of the publisher a letter that explains TU Delft’s standpoint. The copyright team can also mediate for you. If the editor still refuses to accept your work, we can place the original texts in your thesis or dissertation under embargo. This means that your thesis/dissertation will no longer be indexed. Your work can then be considered original and the publisher can accept it.

Your work plagiarised?  

If you believe your work has been plagiarised by another author/ other authors, please contact the copyright team. Using iThenticate, they will draw up a report that you can send to the publisher of the journal in which the texts plagiarising your work was published. Usually, the offending work will be removed from the publishing platform, or a notice will be placed that the work is suspected of plagiarism.

“Mimi and Eunice: thief” by Nina Paley is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

 

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As a researcher, I want to do a plagiarism check on my data

Preventing plagiarism

Plagiarism means using another person’s materials without citing the source properly. You can plagiarise texts as well as data. Committing plagiarism has serious consequences, as explained on Fraud & Plagiarism page on TU Delft student portal. You can prevent plagiarism by using open datasets published in data repositories (e.g. 4TU.ResearchData) and crediting the original creator. Check out the APA 7th Citation Examples to find out how (choose Internet/Social media and then Data set). 

Similarity check for datasets   

TU Delft’s plagiarism software is not suitable for datasets.

“Mimi and Eunice: thief” by Nina Paley is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0   

 

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As a researcher, I want to do a plagiarism check on my software

Preventing plagiarism

Plagiarism means using another person’s materials without citing the source properly. You can plagiarise text as well as software. Committing plagiarism has serious consequences, as explained on Fraud & Plagiarism page on TU Delft student portal.  You can prevent plagiarism by using open-source software and crediting the original creator.  Check The Turing Way site for more information about software licenses or go to the APA 7th Citation Examples to find how to cite software.

Similarity check for software   

TU Delft’s plagiarism software is not suitable for detecting source code.

“Mimi and Eunice: thief” by Nina Paley is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

 

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As a researcher, I want to do a plagiarism check on my multimedia

Preventing plagiarism

Plagiarism means using another person’s materials without citing the source properly. You can plagiarise text as well as multimedia such as images, photographs, tables and figures. Committing plagiarism has serious consequences, as explained on Fraud & Plagiarism page on TU Delft student portal.  You can prevent plagiarism by citing your sources correctly. Head to TUlib and find out how.

 Copyright check for multimedia

TU Delft’s plagiarism software is not suitable for multimedia or images. Contact the Copyright Information Point for a copyright check.

“Mimi and Eunice: thief” by Nina Paley is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

 

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As a researcher, I want to sign a contract for my article, conference paper, book (chapter), dissertation, multimedia, software

Signing a contract

We recommend that you carefully review the contract/agreement/statement you are sent by your publisher/third party/website regulator. Try not to give away all your copyrights.

TIP
When you share a work on a website or third-party environment, their terms and conditions apply.

Publishing your work

 Usually, publishers request that you transfer your copyright to them, so that they can make commercial use of your work. You can give publishers certain permissions by giving them a license (permission to use) for certain purposes such license to publish, license to communicate the work via their website, etc. If the publisher wants you to transfer the copyright to them, make sure you keep some further use rights (see below). Try to hold on to the right to use your own work in as many ways as possible, thinking carefully about possible situations or ways in which you would like to reuse your own work.

  • Keep the right to use your work for research and educational purposes.  
  • Keep the right to use your work within your educational institution and share it with colleagues.  
  • Keep the right to re-publish it in the TU Delft repository  
  • Keep the right to use it without asking permission. It is even better to keep the right to use your work for commercial purposes, too. This would include the right to:  
    • - use your work on social media (academic social media) to promote it.  
    • - republish/reuse your work in future publications, even for commercial purposes.  
    • - use your images/graphs/tables, etc. without asking permission for use in educational and non-educational settings and for commercial or non-commercial purposes (if applicable). 
    • - reuse your work for conferences or seminars.  

 Collaborating with colleagues from another university

If you have signed a contract with colleagues from another university, this contract needs to be respected. Check their conditions to see whether you can publish and share your work or not and if yes, under what conditions.

Collaborating with a company 

If you are collaborating with a company on your new work, check the conditions for publishing/sharing the work in the signed contract.

Collaborating with students

 Any students participating in creating the work will have the same copyright as you. We recommend making clear agreements in advance. The Addendum Richtsnoer IER sets out guidelines for the relationship between universities and students regarding intellectual property and VSNU industrial rights. For more information, go to the TU Delft Intellectual Property website.

 

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